The realization of the final production RNR1 has surpassed even his highest expectations, “My own feeling is that subjectively, the microphone has disappeared and we are looking through a clear window into a sound picture that is only limited by the skill and imagination of the sound engineer. An audio design engineer must understand the principles and limitations of microphones, loudspeakers, recording devices and the like - these will always constitute a challenge and when one has the privilege of working with people like sE’s Master Designer Siwei Zou, the challenge becomes an exciting adventure - one begins to see how one’s own expertise can be invoked to produce a truly seamless acoustic-electro transducer.”

Despite owning numerous high-end stereo pairs, the RNR1’s were an instant hit at Blue Rock. The combination of detail, and rich, natural sound distance the RNR1 from anything else available, regardless of price.

For Blue Rock’s Chief Engineer Keith Gary(Antony and the Johnsons, Rufus Wainwright, Coldplay, Simon & Garfunkel), the RNR1 is destined to become a mainstay of the recording business: “The sE RNR1 is proof that active ribbon technology is here to stay. The mic can handle an extreme amount of dynamic range, without the need for compression, providing a deep, smooth, and natural reproduction of the acoustic source. Ideal for piano, brush drum overheads, strings, and great for a meaty guitar amp. A convenient high pass filter offers an option lacking in active ribbon competitors. sE + Rupert Neve = a microphone destined to become a classic.”

The sE/Rupert Neve collaboration Ribbon is the first of several mics being readied for production in this Rupert Neve Signature sE series.

The RNR1 offers revolutionary performance, courtesy of a unique blend of discrete circuits and purpose designed, transformers from Mr. Rupert Neve, and the best capsules and chassis design that Siwei Zou and sE have to offer.

Mr. Neve states: “I have worked for some time on the designs for this new range of microphones – the concepts of which are actually already being implemented in our own Rupert Neve Designs 5088 Console – namely utilizing Discrete Single-Sided Circuits and my custom designed transformers.”

“This new approach to analogue sound processing has required extreme care in its manufacture and meticulous alignment of the embedded discrete opamps and the delicate microphone elements.”

“I am delighted with the early fruits of this collaboration and look forward to the series of revolutionary products that will follow.”

Siwei Zou states: “This collaboration has been a dream come true for me. I have known Rupert for many years, and have discussed with Rupert many times his theories regarding microphone development and design. To get the opportunity to couple Rupert’s exemplary and time tested approach to electronics design with my own passion for excellence in sonic reproduction and acoustics, has been incredible. I think that the results speak for themselves.”

The RNR1 mic has all the qualities engineers love in the very best Ribbons … warm and silky lows and incredible depth and air to mid frequencies, but with a clarity and impact in high frequencies that reveals vital harmonic information normally missing.

We invite you to evaluate an RNR1, and listen for yourself

There always going to be a number of dilemmas when recording singers with an acoustic guitar. Most of them perform better when doing both at once, they very rarely stand in one place and if they do, the resulting performance is invariably stiff and lacking feel. The variation in sound as they ‘waft’ past carefully placed microphones is distracting and difficult to manage. Coupled with that, the sound of the vocal might be enhanced by the leakage into the acoustic microphone but the problems with the guitar are compounded more by the leakage of the acoustic into the vocal microphone.

I recently recorded two artists within the space of a week that presented me with these challenges.

The GM10 offered a solution to part of this problem by anchoring the microphone to the acoustic so no matter how hard he tried, the player could not get away from it! The big surprise though was how good the microphone actually sounds. It is equal to any good quality condenser mic and suffered from no mechanical interference. It was very easy to position exactly where I wanted it and most importantly the players quickly became oblivious to its presence. The top response is clear and natural and the middle frequencies smooth and balanced. The bass response handled the proximity well and remained pleasantly detailed. I mixed it in with a vintage Neumann U67 and a Coles 4038 and it contributed significantly to the blend as well as holding the image in place despite the movement.

For the first artist, who was isolated from the rest of the musicians, I used the Reflexion Filter horizontally to screen between the vocal microphone and the acoustic. This worked fantastically to control the separation without distracting the player at all. However, when we came to use the vocal microphone without the filter underneath I realised that the filter was also having a conducive effect on the spacial delivery of the vocal microphone (which was an M49)

Encouraged by these results I took the idea one step further with the second artist who was to perform in the same room as at least one other musician. After employing a certain amount of basic engineering common sense I was able to set up two Reflexion Filters, one horizontally and one more conventionally behind the vocal microphone.

Again the artist was not distracted by this array and the results allowed me to control the spill very easily.

Both these devices have been well thought out and beautifully constructed to address a simple problem with a simple solution that has enabled me to enhance the creative environment for these artists - many thanks SE!

It has 4 polar patterns, Cardioid, Hypercardioid, Figure of 8 and Omni. 2 bass cuts at 60Hz and 120Hz; 2 pads at 10 and 20dB. The chassis is small… very small, but still manages to house a twin diaphragm 1” capsule and all the top grade electronics and switches. This flat, round edged chassis design allow the mic to be used flat onto a drumhead or guitar cab, or pushed through into the skin of a kick drum. It is also perfect for sung vocals and voice over work, because although it’s the smallest mic of it’s type, it still ‘looks’ big when used full face on. It is extremely thin at less than 3/4” and fits neatly in the palm of your hand.

sE4400a has a unique, black, non-reflective, non-marking, rubberised finish which is ideal for live stage, theatre, TV and broadcast applications which require lighting.

Finally, the capsule has been specially tuned after almost 2 years of pre-market tests with professional studios and broadcasters, to really be something that very few mics can; the true all-rounder. Vital in professional studio or broadcast applications where an engineer needs to know he can reach for a mic that will handle any job, and equally for the home studio user who is on a budget and needs one mic to suit every occasion. The mic is multi-functional yet uncluttered, the sound is smooth and flattering and yet, because the capsules are hand made (like all sE mics) and then individually tuned, it benefits from lacking the usual hyped top end of most modern mass produced mics from automated machines.

It comes with a unique shock mount which allows you to fit the mounted mic into tiny spaces, or invert the shock clamp to extend the mic fully outside the shock mount for close mic-ing applications or vocals. It also comes with a full, steel re-enforced, black aluminium, signature sE flight case.

Available also as a stereo pair, hand-matched at the factory, this mic is set to be a classic.

He soon became the chief engineer, responsible for many large studio projects including being part of the famed “On U Sound” crew alongside Adrian Sherwood. Eventually going freelance in 1995, Alan has put together an impressive collection of studio equipment and has worked all around the world, from Cuba, Japan, and Spain to France and the USA, but remains one of London’s most in-demand Producer/Mixer Engineers.

When it comes to mic’s and experience Alan Branch has worked with a few artists over the years:

Sinead O’Connor, Beverly Knight, Chaka Khan, Ronan Keating, Sade, Bjork, U2, Primal Scream, Blur, Jamiroquai, Alex Parks, Cara Dillion, Damien Dempsey, Juliet Turner, Jacknife Lee, Shola Ama, Fierce, Lighthouse Family, KC & Jojo, Depeche Mode, Eternal, Simply Red, Damage, M People, Herbert Gronemeyer, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Living Colour, Michelle Gail, Public Demand, Nu Colours, De La Soul, Soul To Soul, D:Ream, Skindive, Pop Will Eat It Self, Boy George, Shed 7, Aco, Haddaway, Asian Dub Foundation, LSK, The Last Poets, Shane MacGowan , Truce, Junior Delgado, African Head Charge, Bim Sherman, Bedlam Agogo, Dub Syndicate, US3, Matt Bianco + Flamenco Blues Band, Akabu, Jose Antonio, Atari Teenage Riot , Audio Active, Colonial Cousins, Jalal, Little Axe, Pale Saints, The Popes, Revolutionary Dub Warriors and the legendry Doug Wimbush, to name a few.

Alan’s most recent project being the completion of a live surround DVD project for Jeff Beck with guests, Eric Clapton, Joss Stone & Imogen Heap when we caught up with him to get his perspective of mic’s and his thoughts on the Gemini II.

“Ok let me start by saying a few things about mic’s and how I hear them, firstly it’s the number one hardware in the recording chain, no matter what cable, audio interface, computer or recording device without this all important front line component being right for the recording job and in the right place then no amount of plugins are going to save the recording and make it as good as what it can be with a well built quality mic. “

“Secondly, trying a few mic’s will bring different result’s for singers, guitars, strings, drums etc the point being there is no perfect mic and experimentation is important, as each mic has a character and finding one that fit’s a voice perfectly is key, of course if you can find a mic that’s versatile enough to do a great job with different singers and instruments then it makes life a lot easier. So when I got the chance to try the Gemini II I was really excited as I am slowly becoming a real sE fan, I was bowled over by the clever design and quality of the GM10 and have recommended the Z5600a II so many times to artists wanting quality from a small budget, all of them feeding back how much a difference it made to their performance. It’s not often you find a manufacturer living up to it’s hype or having spent real attention to the R&D of a product.”

“I got the Gemini at the same as another high quality German mic costing over three times as much turned up for a review I was doing, so it was going to have some tough competition, I know they say first impression’s count for a lot and to make it fair I asked other opinion’s before I said mine and almost 100% said they preferred the Gemini, to make it tougher we put up 3 mic’s and recorded a vocal performance with all three then did a blind test and it was quite startling the difference, the flat polar response with the high end lift was obvious, the warmth and character of the valve output was tremendous, but has a lovely hump in the top end to produce the air in the sound without over emphasizing it like some of the other mic’s, to soften it we tried off axis which works really well with no noticeable coloration of sound, fantastic stuff.”

Sven Lens is one of Holland’s leading engineers. He’s an expert in Pro Tools, runs his own studio and works freelance in many other facilities across the country. Recently he was involved in an extraordinary recording session involving two international superstars from what you might call very different sides of the street. Rap superstar Snoop Dog and country icon Willie Nelson got together to record the track My Medicine and Sven was engineering the session and able to witness this meeting of very different minds…

“I was asked by Wisseloord Studios, a big commercial studio over here in Holland where I frequently work, to be the engineer for the session,” he says. “It went very smoothly. Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson are both very nice, talented guys, and easy going.”

As well as an sE Gemini, the studio had other mics available for the session, but Sven believes that the Gemini easily had the best sound.

“I had a couple of expensive mics from Germany and Latvia plus the sE Gemini,” he says. “From the moment my assistant talked through it [the Gemini], I knew it was something special. Actually, it blew both of the other mics away. I can hardly believe that the Gemini sounds so good. Willie Nelson also recorded another track with Snoop, which I actually like better than the one which is out right now, where he used the Gemini to record guitar and vocals, at the same moment, balancing his voice and his guitar. The Gemini was somewhere between his mouth and his guitar. It sounded awesome.”

“Actually, thinking about it,” Sven continues, “when people sing through the Gemini, it sounds like they are three feet closer to the mic compared to others, which gives you a more modern sound – that’s addictive! I actually bought the Gemini I used with Snoop and Willie right after the session, since it sounded so good. It is my first [choice] mic for vocals now, so I don’t have to look what the studio has for me, as I always bring my own Gemini!”

Sven is currently in the studio with up and coming Dutch band Terry Bogus and, since we interviewed Sven, we hear he’s already used his new Gemini with a certain Nelly Furtado – more on this later!

Sven’s top recording tips 1. Have respect for, and listen to what the artist(s) have to say – don’t only do your own thing. 2. Try to be as prepared as possible. 3. Try to have a good time!

Brendan has been giving sE mics a good run and says ‘I used the SE mics on my latest record and had really great results.

I especially liked the R1 ribbon mic. Very smooth and realistic. Great as drum overheads or on a guitar amp.

The Titan is another one of my favorites. It’s a great mic for a bass amp or kick drum, but to my amazement, it also sounded really great on vocals!

And for the price, you can’t beat ‘em. Well worth it!

In an effort to help clean up the drum sound FOH engineer Jon Burton turned to SE for help. “As we were also recording the most recent shows, I wanted to get as clean a sound from the drum mics as possible” says Burton. As most of the mics are mounted internally it was the overheads that were presenting the greatest problem.

“Sonic kindly leant me some instrument reflectors as part of their loan scheme. We tried them in rehearsals and they seem to work so we bought four. When we did the first shows, some small warm up gigs in tiny clubs, they came into their own.

The spill was dramatically reduced and the sound more focused. They exceeded my expectations”. The reflectors have now been on tour for two months doing major festivals around the world, and have become an essential part of the bands touring package.

Jon Burton has also mixed for Beth Gibbons (Portishead) and Bjork at Live8 in Japan. Katrina & the Waves, Radiohead, Suede, Cocteau Twins and has also done monitors for Stereophonics, Lulu and Blue.