Rock fusion band Crazy Swedes recently performed and filmed at TELEFUNKEN’s soundstage for a new episode of “Live From The Lab,” which was tracked with a complement of the company’s microphones, including the band’s own DD4 dynamic drum package.
Founding member Will Severin recounts his history with TELEFUNKEN: “The first mic I bought for my studio was the AK-47 large diaphragm condenser, a quality built microphone that is still working great. When I hit the road, it just seemed like their drum kit was exactly what we needed because of the ease of set up and the quality of sound. I was famliar with their dynamic mics because I had been using the M80 for vocal duties. We’ve been touring heavily with the drum package and it really complements our drummer George Snyder ‘s kit.
“Our studio engineer, Chris Theis, is also a big fan of Telefunken. He co-produced the latest record with me, as well as a lot of the live shows we’ve done. He’s a multi-Grammy Award-winning engineer and also a good friend. We’ve worked together for years.”
Members of the Crazy Swedes have shared many stages with numerous acts, including Brand X, ELP’s Carl Palmer, Joshua Redwood, Fates Warning, Kenwood Dennard, Clay People, Haken, and American Idol’s Madison VanDenburg.
The TELEFUNKEN DD4 drum pack is comprised of different dynamic mics. “They don’t get in your way,” Severin explains. “For a drummer, they’re almost out of sight and the cables with right-angle XLR connectors that come with the kit make it easy to set up and break down. These mics accurately capture the sound of the drums, and the M82 on kick gives a really nice beefy sound. You get the low end from it, but it’s nicely defined and has a little bit of a snap to it.”
Severin concludes, “Basically, these mics do the job that needs to get done – the consistency is there, capturing what you’re actually hearing and having that amplified and projected out. Having done at least 50 shows with these mics, doing tours where it’s night after night, we’ve never had an issue, never had a problem. I’ve never had to guess or wonder if everything is going to be okay. Never had to replace one of those mics or cables. Obviously, I’m a big fanboy of Telefunken. I just recently added to my studio arsenal a stereo master set of their ELA M 260s small diaphragm condensers.”
Crazy Swedes’ new release was co-produced by engineer Chris Theis and Severin. Other members are keyboardist Rob Lindquist, bassist Eric Schwanke, and drummer George Snyder.
