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NASHVILLE,
TENNESSEE: Ricky Skaggs is having a great Grammy
Award season. With eight Grammy Awards already under
his belt plus a string of past nominated records
from his self-owned Skaggs Family Records label,
the bluegrass legend is up for a total of five nominations
at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2004.
Both albums, "Live at the Charleston Music
Hall" by Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
(Skaggs Family Records) and "The Three Pickers"
by Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson & Ricky Skaggs (Rounder
Records), were recorded live using Neumann-distributed
TRUE Systems Precision 8 eight-channel microphone
preamplifiers. Lee Groitzsch, a recording engineer
as well as studio manager of the Skaggs Family Records
studio, explains that the TRUE preamps fit the requirements
of the two projects perfectly.
"On both of those occasions we had a low budget,
but obviously had some high sonic requirements that
we had to meet," he comments. "We wanted
to find mic pres that weren't outrageously expensive
to buy or rent, but would deliver sonic integrity
when putting it to tape."
In addition to sounding good, the mic preamps needed
to be easily transportable, continues Groitzsch.
"We weren't going to be renting a truck. We
were going to be hauling the gear and setting it
up at the venue ourselves, and patching it in ourselves,
and cutting to a RADAR [hard disc recorder]. The
TRUE mic pres sounded good on acoustic instruments
and vocals and being one-rack space unit with eight
channels, it ended up being one of the key pieces
of gear in our project."
The TRUE preamps offered peace of mind, he continues.
"We didn't have to worry about what happened
to the signal going to tape. We knew we were going
to be able to use what we cut and not have to think
about EQ-ing it to get it to sound like something.
I ended up using the Precision 8 on Ricky's album
and on 'The Three Pickers,' and with great results."
"Live at the Charleston Music Hall" by
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder is up for three
Grammy Awards, including Best Country Performance
by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the track, "A
Simple Life"; Best Country Instrumental Performance
for "Get Up John"; and Best Bluegrass
Album. "The Three Pickers," featuring
Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs, received
two nominations: Best Country Instrumental Performance
for "Pick Along" and Best Traditional
Folk Album.
"So now, we've got two projects that the TRUE
preamp was used on that are nominated for a Grammy,"
enthuses Groitzsch. "We're just a small label
and we've got five nominations. Amazing. We're hardly
even getting played on the radio!"
The Charleston live recording additionally made
use of several Neumann KMS 105 microphones, reports
Groitzsch. "We used a KMS 105 on Ricky's vocals,
the fiddle was cut through one, plus the banjo,
and Ricky's mandolin was cut through as well."
The results were spectacular, he says. "Ricky's
live record, sonically, is probably one of the better
sounding records that we've turned out. It went
way beyond our expectations, especially for the
amount of money and time that we had available to
us to create it."
The Precision 8 preamps are also getting plenty
of use at the Skaggs Family Records facility. "I'm
using the TRUE pres here in the studio just about
every time I cut a piano," says Groitzsch,
"because I'm using the M-S function on it."
The Precision 8 supports decoding of the M-S or
Mid-Side mic setup, a technique that offers a true
stereo image. "I use a stereo mic, generally
a C24, with the M-S portion of the mic pre. It's
the best our piano has ever sounded. We're really
pleased with the results."
"In the past," he elaborates, "we've
had a problem with getting the piano to stick out
without having to EQ it really heavily or manipulate
it." The TRUE Precision 8 has eliminated that
problem, he says. "Now, when the piano sits
in the track, it's got its own character and identity,
and marries well with the other instruments. The
M-S feature of the TRUE preamp has been of great
value to us."
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 USA.
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
