Italian handpan player David Friello recently recorded his fourth album, Amplexus, with producer Leo Z using a variety of Telefunken microphones.
Italian handpan player David Friello recorded his fourth album, Amplexus, with producer Leo Z using a variety of Telefunken microphones.
Los Angeles, CA (April 5, 2024) — Composer, pianist and producer Leo Z used his personal collection of Telefunken microphones to record a new album by Italian handpan artist David Friello.
Born in Florence, Italy, Friero is a touring and recording musician, composer and percussionist. Most of the handpan compositions on Friero’s fourth album, Amplexus, were co-written by Friero and producer Leo Z.
The handpan is made from two welded metal half-shells, with a central sound field surrounded by at least seven sound field circles on the top side and an opening on the bottom. For the new album, Leo Z employed two M60 FET pencil mics on the sides of the pan, two ELA M 260 tube mics with omnidirectional capsules above the pan, and an M82 dynamic mic below the pan.
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“The combination of these Telefunken microphones beautifully captures the spacious and dreamy sound of the handpan, while also preserving the unique percussive characteristics of this incredible instrument,” says Leo Z.
Standing in front of a Steinway grand piano at EastWest Studios in Hollywood, Leo Z holds a matched pair of Telefunken ELA M 260 microphones. Photo by David Goggin.
He continues, “The ELA M 260s overhead bring airiness and clarity to the way sound is captured, especially with impressionistic, acoustic and intimate types of music.” The 260 stereo set features two matched ELA M 260 microphones and a custom dual power supply that powers both mics. On previous recordings, Leo Z has used the 260s on piano, viola, violin and woodwinds.
