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OLD LYME,
CONNECTICUT: Tower of Power guitarist Jeff Tamelier
recently upped the functionality, fidelity, and
flexibility of his California home studio with the
acquisition of a True Systems Precision 8 microphone
preamplifier. Tamelier has been with the durable
funk outfit since 1997. He has also worked with
Pacific, Brass & Electric, Starship, and Cold
Blood, in addition to releasing his own brand of
Funk Guitar Orchestra with "Strat Got Yo' Tongue."
He uses his studio to record his own projects and
to produce artists for Strokeland Records. Doc Kupka
from Tower of Power runs Strokeland.
With a veritable sea of microphone preamplifiers
to choose from, Tamelier went with the True Systems
Precision 8 because of its "retro sound and
feel" and the fact that it fits eight pre's
into a single rack space. His studio is well furnished
with high-end equipment, but space is at a premium.
The fact that two of the channels serve as high-fidelity
DIs and that two of the channels decode MS was icing
on the cake. Tamelier confirmed his decision during
the recording of Strokeland's Fred Ross. Tamelier's
demonstration Precision 8 can be heard throughout
Ross' latest recording on drums, vocals, acoustic
guitar, and everything in between.
"The Precision 8 simply sounds great,"
Tamelier explained. "It seems that a lot of
the equipment being manufactured today is touchy
and sounds edgy - not smooth at all. Using the Precision
8 reminds me of the silky-smooth analog feel of
an old Neve - where you can feel the goodness of
the sound in your bones. The Precision 8 is meat
and potatoes. It's the Marshall stack or Fender
Twin cranked up where the sound becomes rich and
colorful. It's straightforward and beautiful."
Tamelier is using the MS decoder to inject a unique
spatial quality to his acoustic guitar recordings.
MS signals require a cardioid microphone aimed straight
at the instrument and a figure-8 microphone aimed
perpendicular to the instrument. The Precision 8
adds and subtracts the two signals to deliver a
left and right image that is distinct from the usual
XY or spaced pair configuration.
In all, the Precision 8 is the perfect complement
to Tamelier's studio, delivering the right sound
and unmatched flexibility in a package that will
fit just about anywhere.
The Precision 8 is designed and built by Sunrise
Engineering, a design and build manufacturer located
in Tucson, Arizona. True Systems is distributed
in the US by Neumann.
www.sennheiserusa.com
www.neumannusa.com
