Pictured from the FOH position of

Lawrence Manchester, music mixer for “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”, has picked the M 80 dynamic microphone from TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik as his preferred vocal mic for guest musical artists. “I needed a vocal mic that could meet the challenges I encounter with our particular stage and setup,” he explained.

From night to night, the show features a wide range of musical artists and bands. “With close monitor wedges and a loud PA, getting clarity and isolation from the vocals is an ongoing challenge.” Manchester commented. “The direct sound-to-leakage ratio is far better than other mics I have tried and on our small stage the Telefunken M 80 gives me the best shot at getting the vocals present in the mix.”

The TELEFUNKEN M 80 has been adopted by many touring bands, such as Phish, Taj Mahal, and Green Day, all three of whom performed on the Fallon show during a recent week of tributes to The Rolling Stones. The microphone is prized for its precise directional pickup, natural tone, and ability to isolate the vocalist from unwanted stage ambience.

Nathaniel Hare, FOH mixer, appreciates the mic’s versatility. “From metal to hip-hop to jazz, the M 80 serves a much wider range of musical styles than most other microphones,” he says. Paul Klimson, foldback mixer, adds, “This microphone has everything — except feedback! — and has solved some of our greatest vocal challenges. It’s a marvelous invention.”

The M 80 combines a low-mass voice coil with an extremely thin Mylar membrane and a high quality step-up output transformer. “It’s a very durable mic and it looks beautiful,” adds Manchester. “We have six M 80s with two sets of grills, the silver grills which shipped stock and some black grills which cause less glare on TV.

Manchester has engineered the scores for three Academy Award-winning films, numerous Gold, Platinum, Grammy-nominated albums and a broad range of major musical broadcasts here and abroad. “When bands come on the Fallon show, they often provide gear and mic requests,” says Manchester. “For vocals, I try to steer them toward the M 80 and they’re usually agreeable to trying them out. In every case we have made the switch, the sound was better and everyone was happy.”

To learn more about TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, visit: http://www.t-funk.com