With a style that encompasses folk, rock, and soul, singer/songwriter Amos Lee, whose music has appeared on the soundtracks of numerous TV shows and movies, is back in the studio working on his next album, where producer/mix engineer Christian “Leggy” Langdon is employing a Mojave Audio MA-300 large-diaphragm vacuum tube condenser microphone to capture all of Lee’s vocals.
Langdon’s production credits include projects for Nashville singer/songwriter Meg Meyers, singer/songwriter Banks, Tony Award-winning actor/vocalist Ben Platt and others. “I think Amos is a genius,” he says. “For this record, he wanted to try new things and a different production approach. I think that’s why he has enjoyed working with me. Because he knows who he is and he trusts me, we have been able to create a completely new sound for him. There is much more drum programming, synths, and atmospheric sounds to compliment his traditional and classic songwriting. The production, as a whole, is more modern in its approach.
“For this project, I’ve been using the MA-300 exclusively for Amos’ vocals,” Langdon adds. “For capturing vocals, the MA-300 has become my go-to mic over the past year or so. It adds a beautiful sheen to any vocalist. I’m blown away by how smooth the mic sounds. I hardly need any signal processing on the back end other than compression. Every artist that I’ve cut vocals with using this mic always comments on how much they love singing into the mic and that they love the sound. For me, making music is all about being inspired by what’s coming out of the loudspeaker. No one cares about all the tech — especially an artist. They care only about how it sounds. In this regard, the MA-300 is incredible.”
