Pierre De Reeder / Rilo Kiley, She & Him

“[The N8 is] very, very smooth and natural and flat. Yes, in a number of situations I did need to pump up the highs, as when I used with the grand piano, and a bit when I was micing an amp with electric guitar. But man, this mic redefined “takes EQ well”. It wasn’t like adding highs just to get things to cut through, rather it brought great focus, clarity, and most importantly, honesty from the source.

Where I liked using them most was with drums, both as overheads and as rooms. For overheads, here too I played around with a little high shelving to taste, and the result was truly great. There was an openness that I’ve just never really heard quite so ‘naturally’ before. And there was a depth that these gave, too, that was just astonishing. I had a cluster of overheads up recording simultaneously just so I could do some real world comparisons, and as I toggled back between them a comment a friend I had listening back with me said was another good analogy: that it was like taking off 3D glasses every time I switched from the AEA’s. ”

– Pierre De Reeder


Pierre De Reeder is a musician and engineer of 64 Sound Recording Studio in Highland Park, CA. He has worked with many notable artist including She & Him and Rilo Kiley.
How-To
How To Record Electric Guitar With the R84
Ribbon Recap
AEA’s R84 vs. the RCA 77: What’s the Difference?
Tricks of the Trade
How To Choose the Right Ribbon Microphone for the Job