MILAN, Italy — To promote their first new album in 13 years, called Saudades de Rock, Extreme launched their “Take Us Alive” tour last year. Guitarist and vocalist Nuno Bettencourt was singing the praises of the mics brought along on the tour, including two Sontronics STC-80 dynamic mics, two Sontronics Orpheus condenser mics and a Sontronics STC-1 condenser mic. “If someone told me that they have a live vocal mic that sounds as warm and clear as a vintage classic tube recording microphone, and that I can get it loud on stage over my band’s blistering stage volume, flat with nearly no EQ, I would laugh… and then tell them I’ve been touring the world for 20 years and I’ve yet to hear that microphone,” Bettencourt said.
“Well, at a soundcheck in the U.K. on the ‘Take Us Alive’ tour they showed me the Sontronics STC-80, I sang through it and I did laugh… with disbelief at how incredible it sounded. So much so, that we would not give them back. And used not only the vocal mics, but also the insane, silky-sounding pair of Sontronics Orpheus for overheads.
“It wasn’t just an exciting affair with a new product, because when we did the last leg of the tour in Indonesia and the Sontronics mics couldn’t come with us, we suffered… not only in sound, but in headroom on stage.
“Yes we were spoiled. I have never endorsed any product unless it is essential to me. And it is very rare that a musical product comes around that you can’t live without. Someone finally got it right. In 20 years I’ve never endorsed a microphone company… until now.
The two Sontronics STC-80 dynamic mics were used for Nuno and bassist Pat Badger’s backing vocals, while the two Sontronics Orpheus condenser mics were used as overheads and the STC-1 for the hi-hat on Kevin Figueiredo’s drumkit.
“The difference was amazing,” said Extreme’s front-of-house engineer, Joe Brown. “I could hear every detail of the drumkit. The pair of Orpheus overhead mics gave me so much presence and clarity, but without any harshness… and the STC-80s on Nuno’s and Pat’s vocals were incredible… Nuno has never asked me to kill the EQ on any vocal mic before.”
For more information, please visit www.sontronics.com.
