PlayR FOR THE NAKED EYE

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.

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