MICROPHONES

"After coming across the Sontronics stand at Winter NAMM 2012, I couldn't leave wthout buying some of their mics and so far I own a HELIOS, HALO and APOLLO. After using the mics for a year, at NAMM 2013 I met up with Trevor [Coley, founder, designer & MD of Sontronics] and it was instantly obvious that he has an infectious energy and is very passionate about what he does, while being equally thoughtful about his designs. I love seeing that, and I think that energy translates into the products. 

"I use HELIOS on vocals or acoustic guitar when I want a very present, exciting, focused sound. I also use it as a mono room for drums sometimes. I love using the dial to move it slowly into omni mode – great for group vocals or for the room application. "HALO is my top snare drum mic. I like the mid range and the way it sounds when you add low-end to it to get that beefy snare sound that still has a lot of crack to it. 

"APOLLO is my new best friend. This mic sits on top of my 110-year-old Steinway upright and acts as my piano mic and my room mic when tracking drums. I recently recorded an entire song using only the APOLLO on every instrument. Talk about juicy and warm… man… and without being muddy. I'll also use the APOLLO when I'm recording ethereal guitars along with a close mic so I can get a spacey sound that really has space, rather than relying on digital effects alone. "Most recently I've used the mics on American Idol finalist Colton Dixon's new album A Messenger… Sontronics mics are all over this album. My solo album Out From The Ashes has Sontronics mics everywhere. You can really hear the natural tone of the APOLLO on the drums on the song Life On Earth and the crispy tone of the Helios on My Heart My Head. http://songbone.com/adamwatts 

"Microphones are tools we use to capture performances, so it's really great when one of those tools can actually give you something back and help inspire the process. It's all about the sonics, but I must say the mics are great looking too! It's an interesting thing, to have access to super-expensive mics but know that you can get something unique and worthwhile in a less expensive package. You know there's something cool going on; when a Sontronics microphone is the choice over a mic that costs two, three or four times as much."