what kind of microphones are these?

[GeorgeFellInHisHorn]

I've been lurking on these forums for a few months now, and i finally decided to just join in.

Anyways, i'm currently studying sound engineering and recording in school right now, and i'm such a huge BB fan.
I've come across a couple pictures that i'm pretty sure are from the SMiLE era (it's possible they could be from PS, not too sure)
and i was wondering if anyone of the very knowledgable people here knew what kind of microphones they're using in these pics?

Thanks

 

[attachment deleted by admin]

[GeorgeFellInHisHorn]

the other one

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Roger Ryan]

Can't help with the microphone question, but since the first two photos appeared on the front or back cover of THE BEST OF THE BEACH BOYS (released July, 1966) they would not be from the SMiLE sessions. PET SOUNDS sessions, however, seems about right.

[ReggieDunbar]

The last two pics are taken at Western Studios october 1966.
My guess is its not an actual recording session but a photosession.

//RD

[guitarfool2002]

Those first mics are AKG C12. One of the finest vocal mics ever made, very valuable and still used today, although the specs have been copied and reissued by other manufacturers. It's hard to see because they're hung upside down but you can spot the "AKG" logo on the mic if you look for it.

There is a wonderful resource for vintage microphones here: www.coutant.org They have specs, tech info, and best of all sound clips where you can hear the difference between, say, a C12, and RCA 44, RCA 77, and a Neumann U47...all of which are pictured in Beach Boys studio shots from the 60's. I wish I had such a resource when I was studying recording/production in school!

The next mic photos with Denny have a bizarre windscreen over the capsule so I can't make out what they may be offhand. Maybe a Neumann small-diaphragm condenser of some kind? Or another C12 with that windscreen? I don't know.

Check the link on my signature line for more classic studio info which may be of interest...

[guitarfool2002]

Looking closer the ones of Mike/Al and Denny are AKG C12 mics as well, you can tell by the connection near the wire...the windscreen throws it off a bit.

[guitarfool2002]

A few more for the discussion:


Brian Bruce and Al are at a neumann U47 (the 'Beatles' mic that's always seen at Abbey Road...), and Denny is at an RCA 77.


Brian with an RCA 44.


Brian and Mike at a Neumann U67.


Brian and Mike at an EV666 dynamic.


Brian and Mike at RCA77.

[GeorgeFellInHisHorn]

guitarfool2002, you sir are a saint. I'm sure i'll be spending a good amount of time on that vintage mic site.
and kudos for the extra pics/mic names

Thanks alot!

[Mikie]

What? No Telefunken's?  Where were the Telefunken's used for recording; Western, Gold Star, or RCA?  I think RCA where they recorded Dance, dance, Dance, right?

And are those Telefunken's that are pictured on the front of the '64 Beach Boys In Concert album cover? Did they use those normally on the road in those days or was that just because they were recording the concert? Those were omni-directional mic's, weren't they - not directional?

[guitarfool2002]

What? No Telefunken's?  Where were the Telefunken's used for recording; Western, Gold Star, or RCA?  I think RCA where they recorded Dance, dance, Dance, right?

And are those Telefunken's that are pictured on the front of the '64 Beach Boys In Concert album cover? Did they use those normally on the road in those days or was that just because they were recording the concert? Those were omni-directional mic's, weren't they - not directional?

It could be either a Telefunken or a Neumann, if you can see the mic close you might be able to see the nameplate: The U47 has a confusing history - some U47 mics were labeled Telefunken and some were labeled Neumann. Without getting into the confusing issues of serial numbers and which-is-what, the U47 until the mid 60's could have been marked as Telefunken or Neumann - same shape and outer shell on the mic, more or less, unless you're a die-hard collector.

Telefunken also made the also-highly-valuable ELAM mic, which like the C12 and the U47 is among the best ever made.

If you listen to the "Our Prayer" session, Brian asks up to the control room if the mic is open all around - there is a switch that changes the pattern of the mic from omni to cardioid.

I wondered too why they were using such a microphone as the Neumann live, when it is almost exclusively a "studio" mic due to the sensitivity and noise issues, especially present on a rickety wooden stage...It has to be for the recording purposes, unless it's just a fluke thing at that venue.

[metal flake paint]

What? No Telefunken's?  Where were the Telefunken's used for recording; Western, Gold Star, or RCA?  I think RCA where they recorded Dance, dance, Dance, right?

According to Craig's excellent site www.beachboysarchives.com, Dance x 3 (CA version), I'm So Young (2nd version) & Help Me Rhonda (single version) featured Telefunkens.

[guitarfool2002]

What? No Telefunken's?  Where were the Telefunken's used for recording; Western, Gold Star, or RCA?  I think RCA where they recorded Dance, dance, Dance, right?

According to Craig's excellent site www.beachboysarchives.com, Dance x 3 (CA version), I'm So Young (2nd version) & Help Me Rhonda (single version) featured Telefunkens.

For all intents and purposes a Neumann U47 is the same microphone as a Telefunken U47 carrying a different nameplate, and most studios considered "professional" like all of those mentioned above would have had a U47 in their mic closet in 1964-65. It was standard equipment at that time.

[Mikie]

Good posts with good info, Guitarfool!

Metalflake, I wasn't aware that C-man had posted which mikes were used for the recording of those particular songs for the Today album. The reason I knew they were using a Telefunken while recording "Dance, Dance, Dance" was that on SOT Vol. 7, Vol. 1, Mike Love can be heard talking about the Telefunken mic in front of him and something about he leaving a booger on it. Been awhile since I listened to it, but they were evidently recording the song at RCA with a tube type Telefunken mic. Pretty sure they were using the same mics for recording the '64 Concert album. Looks like them anyway. In this case they were probably using these studio mics in Sacramento for recording their live album. 

Watch the little slide show of artists on this page and you'll see Brian & Foskett in front of a Telefunken:

http://www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com/

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Isn't there another session where Carl discusses the "Newman" mic he's singing into?  It should be pronounced "Noymann" in case anybody was wondering.

Anyway, this kind of discussion is my lifeblood and any new scrap of information about mics in 60s studios is always welcome.

It is an interesting discussion, sort of RE

Where were the Telefunken's used for recording; Western, Gold Star, or RCA?  I think RCA where they recorded Dance, dance, Dance, right?

because I do think certain studios, well obviously, used different mics from each other.  I'm not sure whether it was a budget issue, or what, but the indie studios, Gold Star, Western, etc, seem to rely more heavily on Dynamic and Ribbon mics made in the USA, viz. EV, Shure, RCA, etc.  Whereas Capitol seemed to have all those German and Austrian mics.  I'm not sure if that's true, but that's how it feels.

The real undiscovered country is mics used during instrumental tracking sessions, because we lack very good photo documentation of these studios during those sessions.  Maybe one day...

[guitarfool2002]

It is frustrating to not have more hard evidence with photos from these sessions - I was surprised when doing the Sonny and Cher Gold Star research how many photos of Gold Star from the mid 60's were lurking out there, although like the Sonny and Cher newsreel shows, the mics and mic placement are often out of the camera shot. Same with those Wrecking Crew Spector sessions - you see bits and pieces which is better than nothing!

I think a lot of the mic choices were from the engineers, which would be obvious I suppose - I can't recall if it was Stan Ross or Larry Levine but one of those Gold Star guys said in an interview that he didn't use the Neumann/Telefunken mic as much because they preferred the sound of other mics in those situations, however they still had them available if necessary. The S&C newsreel shows a U67 in use near the drums, so they did use them but I think vocals there were almost always RCA 44 or 77 ribbons, at least that's from the few photos I've seen. That shot of the empty Western Studio 3 shows RCA 77's on boom stands off to the side, so that seemed to be a go-to choice at least there.

One more note about the U47 - one of the variations was in the size of the mic itself. Some were shorter in length while most of them looked like those pictured at Abbey Road in many photos.