PlayR FOR THE NAKED EYE
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 2008: For over 15 years, the heart of the Phoenix acoustic music scene has been PlayR Recording Studio, owned and
operated by charismatic sound engineer Kyle Harris.
At ease with all of the
myriad genres that center on real instruments to the exclusion of
electronics, such as singer/songwriter, bluegrass, folk, jazz, Celtic, and
world, Harris has carved a successful niche for his studio that has grown
through the years. With his role in the music community has come a deep
understanding of the acoustics and proper mic technique for a vast number
of, both, common and obscure acoustic instruments. And Harris has naturally
grown knowledgeable and opinionated about the equipment he uses to deliver
such transparent, organic mixes. PlayR Recording recently acquired a Crowley
and Tripp Naked Eye ribbon microphone, which, due to Harris' enthusiasm for
its smooth, even capture, has found its way onto a disproportionately huge
number of tracks across a panoply of instruments. While by no means retired,
his other mics are taking more time off than they had been accustomed to.
"I'm not a mic snob," Harris flatly asserted. "I really like the analogy
between microphones and colors on a painter's palette." That said, he's
collected quite an impressive collection of "colors" over the years. The
Crowley and Tripp Naked Eye joined three other revered ribbons, the Beyer
M-160, the Royer SF-1, and the AEA R84, and a cornucopia of high-end studio
condensers, including a matched pair of Audix SCX-25As, an AKG C426B, a
Milab VIP50, a pair of Schoeps CMC6s and Neumann KM-84s, a Blue Mouse,
Lawson L-47 and a Neumann U 87. Indeed, it's a collection that would make
any young engineer slip in his drool.
Despite all that condenser firepower, Harris has a soft spot in his heart
for the ribbon sound. He explained, "I'm really into archival capture. I
want a violin to sound like a violin. When someone shows an aspiring
engineer what a good ribbon can do, there's a fork in the road. Ribbon mics
are simply the most natural way of doing things."
With three venerable ribbons already in his closet, why did Harris purchase
the Crowley and Tripp Naked Eye? "It was a lucky gamble," he said. "I was
impressed by Crowley and Tripp's science, and I was especially excited that
they were applying it to my favorite tool, the ribbon microphone [Crowley &
Tripp also hold patents in medical technology]. It was a good decision
because the Naked Eye is phenomenal. It has that smooth ribbon sound, but is
very articulate. As a result, it's not at all boomy or wooly."
Since it arrived, Harris has used the Naked Eye on multiple instruments in
every project that he's worked on, including Michael McGarrah's "Love Boat
to Reno" and Linda Bilque's "Sidetracked." Because the Naked Eye features
dual voicing, with a "bright" side and a "dark" side, Harris has been able
to strike a beautiful balance between direct tone and room tone while
capturing the right timbre for the track. The Naked Eye's uses have included
classical guitar, tuba, violin, mandolin, clarinet, harmonica, vocals, and
hand percussion.
"There's something very, very special about the Naked Eye," Harris enthused. "It's initially subtle but very potent and doesn't become fully revealed
until mix. That's when you find out where things are really going to sit.
With some other microphones, I'll often get a 500Hz bump that I have to
carve the snot out of. Not so with the Naked Eye. It takes EQ exceptionally
well, and, even better, doesn't require a lot of negative sculpting." Harris
sees no end in sight to the limelight the Naked Eye has enjoyed at PlayR
Recording.
Crowley and Tripp ribbon microphones are made in USA by hand, using American
parts, at the company's Ashland, Massachusetts laboratory. They are built by
people who know the art and science of acoustics, and who have years of
experience with high output, low noise instruments used in medical and
professional audio applications. Models include Studio Vocalist, Soundstage
Image, Proscenium, Naked Eye, Recordist Ensemble Stereo Kit, el Diablo with
Roswellite, and SPLx Custom.
sound wave research
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