Multi-talented, multi-platinum musical force Anthony J. Resta discovers Crowley and Tripp Microphones

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Few music industry professionals have experienced a career as diverse as that of Anthony J. Resta, a prolific producer, engineer, omni-instrumentalist and composer. Known for his ability to craft texturally unique sonic soundscapes in pop and rock recordings, Resta has recorded, mixed, produced and written with a wide variety of notable artists including Duran Duran, Collective Soul, Sir Elton John, Shawn Mullins, Letters To Cleo, Blondie, and Guster, among others. In doing so, Resta has used, purchased and rented enough equipment throughout his career to acquire both keen ears and an impressive arsenal of recording and musical equipment. Using the latter, he regularly exercises the former at his own Beantown-based recording facility dubbed Studio Bopnique Musique.

According to Resta, his latest sonic discovery has been a collection of new ribbon microphones that he insists are everything that ribbons are supposed to be, a few things that they aren't, and much more. What are these amazing discoveries, you ask? Three handcrafted and American-made offerings by Crowley and Tripp Microphones - the Studio Vocalist, the Soundstage Image, and the Proscenium.

"These are really interesting microphones," Resta explains. "There's something really different about them. I've always loved ribbons, but most have a characteristic that people refer to as 'dark' and are generally better suited for things like percussion and guitars. I've used the Royers, the Coles, and others. But what I've noticed most about Crowley and Tripp mics is their openness and natural brightness. It's amazing."

Crowley and Tripp's flagship model is the Studio Vocalist, a large ribbon microphone with a figure-eight pattern that is specially built for voice recording applications. Providing the highest output signal of any natural ribbon microphone, the Studio Vocalist keeps a low noise floor, offers increased fullness via a smooth proximity effect, and has a symmetric frequency response well suited for minimizing off-axis coloration. Similarly built, the Soundstage Image is designed for comparatively uncolored sonic characteristics. And the Proscenium provides users with a vintage-flavored warmness with non-vintage qualities such as efficiency and high output power. Crowley and Tripp microphones feature stainless steel bodies, hearty construction and are sold direct by Soundwave Research Laboratories.

While recording respected Berklee School of Music vocal professor Didi Stewart, Resta found that he wasn't the only one that felt strongly about Crowley and Tripp microphones. Indeed, Didi was blown away. "She said that in 25 years, she's never heard a microphone so dynamic and open," explains Resta about their use of the Studio Vocalist. "She was astounded, and that's more impressive than my bragging about it - she's an amazing singer."

Using each of his three Crowley and Tripp microphones equally has provided Resta with plenty of ideal front-ends to crucial signal paths. "I'm using them all," he declares. "I've used the Studio Vocalist on strings - it's fantastic on cello, viola, and violin. And the Soundstage Image sounds great on horns. We recently worked on the new Boston Horns record, and they're really fussy about their horn sounds. Chief engineer Karyadi Sutedja put the Soundstage on the flugelhorn and they just flipped over it."

In describing his affinity for Crowley and Tripp ribbon microphones for digital recording, Resta recalls his experiences in using other high-quality, but "over-hyped," choices in the past. "Many of the fancy mics I've used over the years were built for analog recording," he explains. "Many of them had extra high-end, and when it hit analog tape, the edges were 'rounded' off. Nowadays we're recording nearly everything digitally. I find that the Crowley and Tripp mics have a certain 'saturation' sound to them that seems to emulate tape in a way. It's their sound and the extra bit of ribbon warmth that really goes a long way in the digital recording world."

Finally, the prices of Crowley and Tripp ribbon microphones are incredible but very deceptive, says Resta. With the Studio Vocalist, the Soundstage Image, and the Proscenium costing only $1,395, $1,395, and $1,485 respectively, buyers of Crowley and Tripp microphones clearly get much more than they pay for. "I think they have just ridiculously low prices," he insists. "Once people hear them, they would still buy them if they cost double that amount. They're that good. I have an RCA 77, supposedly one of the best ribbon microphones ever made, and I don't even plug it in anymore. I'll probably sell it on eBay."

More info: www.soundwaveresearch.com