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GOLDFINGER'S TRUE
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Producer, engineer, songwriter,
A&R man, guitarist and vocalist, John Feldmann,
frontman for the L.A.-based pop-punk-ska band Goldfinger
for the past ten years, recently outfitted his home-based
production facility with True Systems Precision
8 mic preamps. Originally purchased to help him
obtain the guitar sound that he was seeking, the
versatile eight-channel True mic preamp has since
proved to be effective in many other applications,
including on drum and room mics, according to Feldmann.
A longtime vegan, who somehow also finds the time
in his busy schedule to be an ardent animal rights
activist, Feldmann admits that he had no idea that
Sennheiser distributed microphone preamplifiers.
"I was looking at what was out there,"
he says, "and I just saw it in a local music
store." But once he auditioned it, he continues,
"It was a no-brainer for me. Out of at least
a dozen mic pres the True Precision 8 was hands-down
the best."
Looking for a specific sound he must have tried
out twelve or fifteen different mic preamps, he
recalls. "I wanted something that was going
to be a little bit more guitar oriented, more lower
mid-range. It's not like any of my mic pres are
bad for guitar, they just weren't quite hundred
percent."
He continues, "I put the guitars up, put three
mics on my cabinet, and the Precision 8 just hands-down
blew everything else away. It was perfect and exactly
what I needed. It definitely adds a little color,
and that's what I was looking for. I was looking
to add some color to the guitar and not have it
sound too spongy and warm, but still have that good
upper mid-range grit to it."
The need to add another mic preamp to his collection
came about when he changed his work methods last
year, explains Feldmann, who has recorded and produced
four albums in his private studio and is about to
begin a fifth. "I ditched my Digidesign Control
24, because I don't mix with faders any more. I
mix with the mouse in my computer. So I needed something
to replace the Control 24's low-end Focusrite mic
pres, which were fine for when I was doing demos,
and being able to set everyone up and rehearse."
The Precision 8 certainly fit the bill for guitars,
but its qualities have also made it perfect for
room mics and drum overheads, he says. "I have
a couple of Royer mics that I use for room sound
and I use the True mic pres for that, and for all
the high-end, like the hi-hats and the ride cymbal.
I'm using it a little bit on the toms, as well,
and I really like it."
The Sennheiser-distributed True Systems mic preamps
might even find themselves paired with Feldmann's
vintage Neumann U 67 microphones one day. "The
first band I produced was a band called Showoff
in '97 or '98. The engineer at the studio threw
a couple of 67s on the room and I thought, this
is the best sounding room I've ever heard! I went
out and bought a pair a year later. They're great
microphones."
Goldfinger's fifth album, "Disconnection Notice,"
was released on Maverick in February 2005. Playing
to an enormous fan base worldwide, Goldfinger racked
up 385 shows and a Guinness Book world record in
1996, performing on the Vans Warped Tour and with
bands such as the Sex Pistols, No Doubt and Reel
Big Fish.
Working with Maverick Records, Feldmann has signed
and produced The Used, Goldfinger, Showoff, Unloco,
Story of the Year and Mest, also producing Good
Charlotte and No Motiv. He has additionally written
songs with many of those acts, as well as Ashlee
Simpson, and co-wrote Good Charlotte's chart hit,
"Anthem."
The Precision 8 is designed and built by Sunrise
Engineering, a design and build manufacturer located
in Tucson, Arizona. Neumann distributes True Systems
in the U.S.
Neumann's award-winning line of microphones has
set the standard in the industry since 1928. In
1999, Neumann received the prestigious Technical
Grammy(r) for their 70 years of innovation in microphone
design and contribution to the music industry. A
continuing commitment to provide innovative, technically
refined products and engineering solutions of proven
quality ensures that Neumann's stature will remain
unassailable. Neumann USA is owned and distributed
in the U.S. and Latin America by Sennheiser Electronic
Corporation based in Old Lyme, Connecticut.
www.sennheiserusa.com
www.neumannusa.com
