sE at the Grammys with Maxwell... “It’s not like listening to a mic, it’s like being there!” As R&B superstar Maxwell’s live engineer, Wayne Trevisani knows how to get the best sound in any situation. During Maxwell’s recent Grammys performance Trevisani needed the best equipment and turned to sE… Wayne Trevisani is R&B superstar Maxwell’s live engineer, a position attained after no less than 25 years of working with some of the biggest names in music, from Dolly Parton to Iggy Pop, from Ted Nugent to Julio Iglesias. As well as being at the top of his game in live sound Trevisani has also experienced pretty much every other aspect of audio engineering including studio recording and mixing, TV, movie and theatrical sound designing. He owns a mixing/post production facility just outside of Philadelphia which contains, as he describes “a Digidesign Venue /DShow, HDX2 (a gazzilion plug-ins) attached to Protools HD3 run by Mac Pro.” For Maxwell’s recent Grammys performance Trevisani turned to sE to get the perfect live sound. He already employs the sE4 mic and Reflexion Filter Pro but this time it was the Rupert Neve/sE RNR1 active ribbon mic that he used. “Well, not being totally name driven,” Wayne says, “I have to admit that with Rupert Neve's name attached to it, it did catch my eye – or ear – and I couldn't be happier with the outcome.” “Originally when we were putting together the recording rig for the last Maxwell arena tour we (Producer Hod David and I) wanted to use a ribbon mic for the audience,” explains Wayne. “It’s such an important part of recording in a live environment that we didn’t want to skimp on it. I had heard about this new sE mic that Rupert Neve was involved in and thought I would try it out. It was awesome to say the least. One colleague mentioned that listening to the RNR1 was not like listening to a mic, it was like being there! It achieved exactly what I needed for this recording. I truly was a member of the audience, no additional coloring added, and the high end was smooth as can be.” “I then decided to add it as a drum overhead,” Trevisani continues, “which completed a natural overhead sound I was looking for when mic-ing Chris Dave's [Maxwell’s drummer] drum kit. We were looking for a warm natural ‘old style’ analog drum kit with a lot of punch. This mic gave that to me and more. The sound of the RNR1 shone. It not only translated the cymbals naturally but completed the entire kit's sound. Ever listen to an old R&B record from the 60's? That is where we were going…” “I have only just gotten the sE4 and tried it out on the hi-hat which worked great, but I plan on playing with it in the studio and seeing what else it can do. I am so happy to add it and the RNR1 to my arsenal and can't wait to see what sE has for me in the future.” As for the future Wayne is continuing to tour with Maxwell. “I also have a ‘seasonal’ LP in the offing that will be recorded during the course of this year to be released in December with some of the coolest musicians on the planet. And I am excited about getting the RNR1 in front of my favorite horn section – that's all I can say for now!” Wayne Trevisani’s top recording tip “Three things: Source, source and source. Get the source right and everything else falls into place. To this day I still make sure the guitar mic is in the spot I like, kick mic, drums tuned properly, and so on…” We invite you to evaluate an RNR1, and listen for yourself. |