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All-EV Mics for the Hotel Cafe Tour

The burgeoning singer-songwriter scene that calls Hollywood’s Hotel Café its home recently uprooted itself for a trek across the USA: Featuring over 25 artists, the Hotel Café Tour 2006 visits 35 cities between October 2nd and November 18th. The bill includes Columbia Recording artist Joshua Radin, Jim Bianco, Cary Brothers (tour organizers), Joe Purdy, Matt Costa, Jessie Baylin and Rachael Yamagata. Special guests along the way have included Jason Mraz and Amos Lee.

To call Hotel Café tour manager and FOH engineer Sean Peel an EV enthusiast is something of an understatement. Having proven his professional chops with a diverse range of artists such as Three Inches of Blood, Nightmare of You, Landon Pigg and New Skin, Peel has learned to rely upon the performance and durability of his EV mics, and won’t go to work without them. For the Hotel Café 2006 tour, Sean is using EV mics across the board, from the RE510 (Peel’s favorite vocal mic) to the EV/Blue Cardinal on guitar cabs.

“I can accommodate all the different styles and sounds of the performers on this tour by drawing from my EV mic arsenal,” Peel says. “And I can honestly say that every mic I use, be it the N/D868 on kick drum or the Cardinal on guitar cab, is my preferred mic for that application—they just happen to be made by the same company!”

Peel gave a road report of what EV mics he’s using for the Hotel Café tour, and why: “On drums I’m using the N/D868, simply because it’s the best kick drum mic ever. Fact! Marco Meneghin (Liz Phair band) is the drummer for the tour, and he loves it. The 868 sounds amazing running flat—it’s so easy to get results with this mic. This is a singer-songwriter tour, so I want a cleaner sound on the drums. Instead of using my usual Cobalt Co4 and N/D478 on snare, I’m using two N/D468s—one on top, one on bottom. As always, I have the big sound of 468s on the toms. The 468 is a supremely versatile drum mic, and you know someone’s serious if they have these on the drums—once you use a 468, you’re hooked.

“I’m running RE200s on the hi-hat and overhead,” Peel continued, “—so crisp and true—a little mic that delivers large performance. On the bass cabinet I’ve been getting great results with the EV/Blue Raven, a newer addition to my mic case. I’m hearing plenty of warmth and punch– it’s a workhorse dynamic mic on steroids, and a real ‘must- have’ for the price. On the vocals the RE510 continues to impress me, along with pretty much everyone who sings through it. It’s THE vocal mic: everyone from Josh Radin to the Cary Brothers love it—it gives great response and intelligibility running flat. Josh Radin has a soft, resonant voice, and the 510 really brings out every nuance of his performance. These are singer-songwriters who take their voices—and their mics—seriously. A couple of them have already told me they’re sticking with the 510 when the tour wraps up.”

Peel is one of many touring engineers who are finding the EV/Blue Cardinal an indispensable addition to their input lists: “I’m using the Cardinal on one of the guitar cabs,” says Peel, “it delivers a full, clean sonic image that is really effective with delay effects and reverb. Of all the large diaphragm condensers that people use on guitar, I think the Cardinal is going to stand out as a new standard—it’s a such a flexible, useable condenser, and people love the way it looks too.

“This is a full plate for me, as I’m tour managing too,” Peel added. “After a day dealing with the logistical side of things, it’s great to get behind the board and concentrate on a great mix. My EV mics make it easier for me to do that, and that’s why I use them. Simple.”

photo: Laura Crosta

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All-EV Mics for the Hotel Cafe Tour

27th October 2006

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