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Whether tracking for Kylie, Pet Shop Boys or Sugababes, Stuart Crichton uses sE mics “on every production I do”…
For producer and engineer Stuart Crichton, making records that move the dance floor is a passion that can be charted back to the very beginnings of Progressive House. With hundreds of releases to his name, Stuart has not only released tracks on seminal labels (FFRR, Epic, ZTT, Mushroom, Nettwerk, React), but was also instrumental in making Limbo Records a leading light on the early ’90s progressive scene.
Since those early days he has immersed himself in the world of music production. And with over 15 years production experience he’s forgotten more about making dance floor bombs than most producers will ever know – how else do you get to work on tracks for Jamelia and Kylie (Parlophone), Simon Webbe (Innocent), Delta Goodrem (SonyBMG), Jonas (Universal) and Brian McFadden (Sony/BMG).
He’s also just returned from a successful writing trip in Nashville and won The Miami Best Pop Award in 2005 for his artist project Narcotic Thrust (not in any way a reference to ‘disco beans’, but rather an anagram of Stuart Crichton!), with “I Like It” (UK No.7).
Stuart may have his roots in dance but vocals play a huge part in his productions, and he can easily turn his hand to most styles of music, as previous successes with Kylie, Charlotte Church, Pet Shop Boys, Bond and The Sugababes will testify.
His back catalogue reads like a who’s who list of dance and pop heavyweights, and this experience has led him to experiment with practically every type of microphone going…and from all of them one brand sits on top of them all for Stuart – sE Electronics.
“I’m using a few sE mics in the studio right now,” Stuart reports from his Hastings-based studio. “I particularly like the Z5600aII [multi-pattern tube condenser], the SE1a [small diaphragm condenser] stereo pair, and the new GM10 [guitar mic]. The Z5600aII I use on every vocal production I do.
…and having just got the GM10, well, I’m using that absolutely every time I record acoustic guitar... it’s just amazing!”
As is often the way when deciding on new microphones, it was a suggestion from a fellow engineer that got Stuart into the sE mics in the first place. “My friend Javier Weyler recommended the Z5600a to me when he was an assistant engineer at Sahara Studios. He told me that sE mics offered amazing quality for a great price – and he wasn’t wrong! He’s now the drummer in the Stereophonics... clever chap!”
“Sure, with microphones it’s all about the sound, but sE mics make my life easier. These mics are just so flexible. I don’t think I’m being overly dramatic when I tell you that I couldn’t live without my sE mics now. These mics can handle all of my recording needs – period!”
“When you’re capturing a performance there’s one rule that I use to decide if I’ve got the recording I need: if it sounds right, it is right. And with sE mics I can be really confident that they’re giving me exactly the results I need.”
Further information from seelectronics
