While some people use products, others live products and freelancer Fanie Pieterse of CPS Audio could very well be a brand ambassador for Audix. He recently acquired an Audix Studio Elite set of microphones which he has used on a variety of events including Classics is Groot 2019, Rand Merchant Bank Sales Conference, FNB Starlight Pops Opera and Band for Bricks.
Already owning a D4 and ADX60, Fanie’s new Audix Studio Elite set, supplied by DWR Distribution, includes 1x D6, 1x i5, 2x D2, 1xD4, 1x SCX1, 2x SCX25A.
“I have used Audix Microphones for the better part of a decade now and have fallen head over heels,” said Fanie. “The D-series, in my opinion, is the most versatile and natural sounding microphone that I have ever used on a drum kit. The D6 is my staple kick drum microphone with its thunderous low end and punch that can’t be matched. The ADX60 has really impressed me over the past few months. I have started to substitute the “industry standard” microphone used inside a kick drum with it, and have found it to work very well with the D6. It adds a very open and more subdued tone to the more aggressively tuned D6.”
This leads Fanie to the most versatile kick drum sound he has ever come across. Enter the D2 and D4 mics that he predominantly uses on toms and under the snare. “The D2 and D4 have proven to be the most impressive and consistent microphones I have ever used to mic up toms. The noise rejection you get to the back and sides are fantastic and it delivers an amazing natural tone that I find unrivalled.”
When it comes to overheads, the SCX25A has become his ‘go-to’ microphone. “They had big shoes to fill as I was used to using a set of microphones regarded as the best overhead mics in the world. What sets the SCX25A apart is the incredible spatial characteristic it gives with amazing detail that I was not used to, even when using really high-end microphones. The i5 and SCX1 have proven a winner for me as a snare drum combo, especially for an extremely dynamic drummer playing varying styles. The i5 delivers an amazing punch and crack and the SCX1 captures every detail the drummer lays down on the skin.”
Fanie was appointed as sound engineer at Bands for Bricks, an Afrikaans event hosted at Time Square in July. “Bands for Bricks was jam-packed with all the bands we grew up with in the early 2000s,” said Fanie. “It was also the first show where I used Audix exclusively on the drum kit. It was fantastic!”
South Africa’s top vocalists and a full orchestra performed at Classics is Groot 2019 at Times Square. “Audix made up a large part of the microphones used on this event. The drum kit and the percussion section was predominantly Audix.”
The FNB Starlight Pops Opera, with technical supplied by EPH, saw the largest Audix deployment Fanie has worked with to date. “This show is a dream for any music lover,” he says. “A full rhythm section is backed by the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra and eight of South Africa’s top vocalists including Joseph Clark, Roan Ash and Demi Lee Moore. Audix was also used exclusively on the drum kit, percussion, and timpanis.”
The annual event RMB Sales Conference at Sun City has a musical backbone and consists of a five-piece rhythm section, a five-piece brass section and a 12-piece string section. Fanie worked on the event with technical suppliers EPH, and Audix was once again solely used on the drum kit.”
Fanie concludes, “Long story short, Audix has changed the way I approach a drum mix. It’s effortless to create a musical mix with punch, space and incredible detail. On top of this is a beautiful mic range.”
