Telefunken Elektroakustik has announced that producer/engineer and performer Richard Philips, best known by his stage name Richard X, has selected a U47 large diaphragm microphone as the latest tool in arsenal.
The new microphone houses a vintage vacuum tube and is being used for the new Richard X-produced album from Will Young.
The new mic was purchased from KMR Audio through UK distributor Unity Audio.
“Working with engineer Pete Hofmann from Miloco Studios, we hunted high and low for the right microphone for Will Young’s new album and after testing many high end mics from KMR Audio, new and old, we found the new U47 from Telefunken fitted the bill exactly,” remarked Richard X.
“It lended a certain weight to his voice without being bass heavy or dull. I was keen to avoid a heavily ‘retro’ sound—I wanted something a bit more timeless and that’s what it is.”
Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X earned success as a producer and remixer, with hit singles for artists such as Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens and Sugababes.
He is known for his blend of synthesized sounds, grunge, and pop music inspired by bands such as The Human League and Kraftwerk.
“Once we knew we were looking at a 47 for our mic we put it up against a vintage model and the new one just sounded better,” continued Richard X, “It was more modern and open yet still with that classic vocal sound.”
“For us it wasn’t about the specs , just that feeling of ‘right-ness’ you got when you heard Will sing into it.”
Since its original development in 1946, the Telefunken U 47 has been the microphone of choice for generations of recording professionals. The first condenser microphone to offer selectable polar patterns (cardioid and omni), the original U47 also featured the famous M7 capsule which had been developed in 1928 by Georg Neumann.
The new U47 is produced by US manufacturer Telefunken Elektroakustik, the company which recreates the vintage sound and offers a wide range of dynamic and condenser microphones for stage and studio.
