The Aquabats is a cross-media phenomenon that’s part rock group with ska-punk roots and part TV producers whose antics pit the heroic band members against comic-book-esque villains on The Aquabats Super Show that’s all accompanied by a lively soundtrack using AUDIX microphones, beginning with the new PDX720 dynamic studio vocal mic.
Drummer Ricky Fitness (Richard Falomir) details the group’s use of the PDX as well as the A133 studio condenser, SCX25A “lollipop” condensers, and gallery of drum mics that includes the D2, D4, D6, and i5. He also monitors through A150 headphones.
Falomir first encountered AUDIX mics via the enthusiasm the brand was creating among his peers. “I had always seen AUDIX mics, just touring around,” he says. “I used a D4 on a lot of different things. I had always seen other artists using them and knew they had a great reputation. When I started to acquire more, my mic locker went all over the place — it was whatever I picked up along the way! They upped the quality of what I was able to do, whether that was studio work, onstage, or teaching young kids to play drums online.”
At the moment, he points to the new PDX720 dynamic mic designed for applications reserved for large-diaphragm condensers. “On tour, the PDX720 is working great on the outside of the kick drum,” is how he describes one unexpected application, “while I use a D6 on the inside. Then the D4 and D2s are on my toms, and I love them. Of course, an i5 on the snare.”
Since the PDX720 is also meant for podcasting, another use Falomir found for it was for the voiceovers in the Aquabats’ sketches: “We had multiple characters doing voiceovers at the same time [in the studio]. We had the PDX in in the mix and different actors and producers using it. Our guy Cameron Webb is kind of a mic snob. First, he loves the way the PDX looks. I think it catches people’s eye right away and exudes quality. I know AUDIX’s reputation as a drum mic company is awesome, but the PDX is an amazing jack-of-all trades.”
Of the SCX25A, he adds, “What I noticed right away was the detail, I record a lot of stuff I close because I have a small space. Their sound is just so balanced. It has clarity. It’s so the right amount of detail that I’m looking for, you know, capturing the toms and the cymbals and even my hi-hats when I use as overheads. I’m curious how they’d sound on vocals.”
