Producer Jim Kaufman is cranking out the hits, thanks in part to a choice Vintage King gear collection in his SoCal studio.
“I love Vintage King,” says Kaufman, “I’m on their website every day, because I’m a total gear nerd. I’ve been working with Chris Bolitho for years and also Navon Weisberg, who I grew up with. We’ve known each other since I was 10 or 11, and he’s the best. I love him as a friend and as my sales dude.”
Through Vintage King, Kaufman has acquired a matched pair of new TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik C12 microphones with dual power supply and an ELA M 251T with the newly developed titanium/aluminum CK13 capsule.
“I’ve used them every single day since I got them. Today (pictured) I was miking Kenny’s acoustic guitar with the C12s as a stereo pair through Neve 1089 mic-pre’s, and the 251T through my Neve 33115; compression was with 1176s on the stereo pair and the Retro Doublewide on the 251T. It sounds awesome.”
One of Kaufman’s specialties is his drum sound. “It’s all about recording good instruments. I have a drum kit made by Masters of Maple, custom built for us and we do a lot of drum recording here, like records for Anti Flag, Danny Wornsop, and Beware of Darkness. I like the C12s as stereo drum room mics and the 251T as a center drum mike. The amount of clarity and depth has really added a professional edge to the sound that I’m now able to achieve. I’ve had wonderful mics for years but these new Telefunkens are just out of control. They’re really the next level.”
Like many mixers, Kaufman has used Yamaha NS-10 monitors to check his mixes for years, but is now working mainly with his new Barefoot Sound MM27 Gen2 monitors. “The Barefoots are great, exactly what they say they are. I have them as my closefield mains and use them with the Flat setting when we’re tracking or with the Hi-Fi emulation when I want the A&R guys to be totally blown away.”
Reflecting on his musical association with Kenny Carkeet, Kaufman explains,“Kenny is my production partner and we’ve made a lot of records together. He plays keyboards for the band AWOLNATION and he’s here whenever he’s in town. We’ve been working together now for two years and just love being in the studio writing and recording—it’s better than ever now with the help of Vintage King.”
