David Brown of Soyuz Microphones: Behind the Gear | Tape Op Magazine

David Brown, alongside together with his enterprise accomplice Pavel Bazdyrev (aka Pasha), is the co-founder of Soyuz Microphones. Prior to now ten years, Soyuz has established themselves as probably the greatest condenser microphone manufacturers in a crowded discipline. Uniquely, the microphones are manufactured in Russia. I had an opportunity to take a seat down and chat with David on the current 2023 NAMM present within the quietest place on the present; a 3 story cement parking storage. In between Harley-Davidson bikes passing by, I received the story of how David went from being a touring musician to a mic maker.

How and why did you begin Soyuz?

It is a bizarre story, as a result of I actually by no means thought I’d begin a microphone firm. I used to be in Russia in 2013 as a result of my band Brazzaville is standard there and had been touring there since 2003. I don’t know why, however at some point I believed, “I’m wondering the place Oktava is?” I had purchased some Oktava [microphones] again within the ’90s once they have been the primary reasonably priced condenser mics round and Guitar Heart bought them. I appeared them up on Google, they usually have been in a city known as Tula. I believed, “That is a reasonably identify,” however I had no concept the place it was. Every week or so later, I used to be taking part in a gig in a very completely different metropolis, Krasnodar, and this man got here as much as me after the present and stated, “Hey, I am an enormous fan. Would you ever take into account doing a solo present in my hometown?” I requested him the place it was, and he stated, “It is known as Tula” I stated, “You are kidding! That is the place Oktava is correct?” “Yeah, that is proper,” he stated. So, I stated, “Man, if I come play, might you organize a tour of the manufacturing unit? I would like to see it.” So, lengthy story brief, he organized a gig a couple of months later. He needed to get permission from the FSB (the Russian Federal Safety Service, Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti) for an American to go to this manufacturing unit, as a result of they make navy headsets and stuff like that. He received me in, and it was actually previous and type of rundown. They’d misplaced their distribution within the West. He stated, as type of a joke, “Perhaps we should always type an organization and assist them get again to America.” I thought of how the world is so completely different than it was when Oktava was standard; they have been the one possibility for respectable condenser mics that weren’t tremendous costly, however now there are tons of Chinese language mics and there are Australian mics – it would not work. However then I believed, the Russians have all this know-how, previous basic know-how that they nonetheless use; tubes and guide lathes. I believed that if any individual might do some good designs that might mix Western design and advertising with basic Russian know-how, perhaps it could be doable to make a mic that is nearly as good because the classics with out being a replica of them. My reasoning was that the Soviet Union developed in parallel with the West. We made rockets. They made rockets. We made tanks. They made tanks. We made mics. They made mics. So, they’ve this wealthy technological custom however there wasn’t a convention of promoting. That was the concept, to attempt to make one thing that sounds nearly as good because the classics, that is not a clone, however that may stay in the identical realm. So, Pasha, my pal from Tula – who’s now my enterprise accomplice – began to type an organization to do that. Initially our plan was to work with Oktava. We might do the designs, we’d develop the whole lot and they might produce it. We have been inside per week of signing a contract with them when their dad or mum firm, Rostec, fired your entire administration employees. The brand new man they introduced in, everybody was petrified of him. I stated, “Let’s organize a gathering with this man.” I met him and I stated, “Pasha, there is not any manner we are able to work with this man. He is out of his thoughts.” He agreed. He stated, “What can we do?” I spotted we needed to do it on our personal, however we had no cash so we began attempting to lift cash. We talked to quite a bit individuals who thought it was an attention-grabbing concept, however no person would put money into it. Lastly, there was one man in New York who stated, “I like your concept and I will provide you with some funding in tranches, as a result of I’ve to see how my funds are.” He did not give us the complete quantity he was going to, as a result of after a few tranches he had an enormous tax invoice or one thing, nevertheless it was sufficient for us to purchase our first lathe to get began, and to construct 4 prototypes of our first 017 tube mic in 2013. I despatched one to Nigel Godrich, Al Schmitt, and some completely different individuals, and the suggestions that got here again was so constructive that I stated, “Pasha, I believe we’re onto one thing!” Figuring out what I do know now concerning the world, I do not know if I’d do it once more as a result of it is such a crowded and tough market. It is nearly like a miracle that we have been ready to achieve it. However again then, I used to be so harmless and I believed, “Yeah, let’s do it!” It is grown through the years, and has develop into a well-respected model and a enjoyable factor for me.

You knew Nigel Godrich since you performed with Beck at one level?

Yeah. I used to be his sax participant. I performed with Beck earlier than I began my very own band.

Is all of the manufacturing nonetheless performed in Russia? And your accomplice Pasha runs that aspect?

Yeah. It is clearly a difficult time, traditionally, proper now. What I attempt to clarify to individuals is the phrase Soyuz means union. The Soviet Union was known as the Sovetsky Soyuz in Russian. From day one, I considered our firm as a possibility for 2 international locations, who hardly ever get alongside, to come back collectively and do one thing higher than both might do on their very own. From a sensible standpoint, in our manufacturing unit the concept from the start was to create a pleasing setting for individuals; a spot the place individuals would wish to come work. We rent a good quantity of machinists who used to work within the weapons business, and now they make mics. So, it is a swords into plowshares factor. Should you have a look at the historical past of many corporations, you need to take care of historic realities. There’s the Minox spy digital camera. They began in Latvia after which they needed to transfer to Germany due to World Warfare II. You must transfer with the tides of historical past. We have had an awesome help from our customers, and individuals who perceive that we’re only a firm who makes mics. We prefer to make lovely merchandise – we’re not political and we’re not concerned in any navy exercise. Cooperation between international locations is the important thing to progress, versus increasingly more separation.

I believe individuals right here within the USA have realized that the federal government could not symbolize everybody’s views. As a result of our authorities decides to do one thing, would not essentially imply all of us agree with that. You hope you may switch that empathy to a different nation.

Actually. I believe that, due to social media, we stay in a cancel tradition society. I am an American. My nation has performed so many issues that I do not agree with, however fortunately no person blames me for it. They do not blame me personally as an American. Extending that very same courtesy to different international locations is essential.

Inform me concerning the 013 FET mic.

Once we once we have been engaged on making a small diaphragm condenser FET mic, my concept was that individuals love [Neumann] KM 84s however they do not make them anymore. Why do they like them? They’ve a transformer they usually have a special sound than the [newer] KM 184s. I believed, “We’re not going to repeat something, however let’s attempt to make a transformer for the mic that works properly and sounds good, after which we’ll experiment and check.” Now we have very, very good engineers in our manufacturing unit who perceive capsules and circuits, however they are not musicians they usually’re not audio engineers. Now we have them do their factor and we get completely different variations. With the 013 FET we had ten completely different variations – 5 completely different capsule tensions and two completely different transformer variations. I went into the studio with them and examined them on many various sources. We might hear again, and it was clear instantly that two of the ten have been the clear winners. Of these two, one had a bit extra low finish. Low finish is simple to chop nevertheless it’s tough to spice up if it isn’t there. So, we went with that and it has been one in every of our hottest mics. Individuals who love KM 84s like it, however they’d by no means say, “Oh, it is a clone of a KM 84,” as a result of it’s kind of completely different. However it has an analogous character.

It comes shut. It is received that very same sort of high finish. It is clear and open nevertheless it’s not hyped. It is a pleasing high finish. On loads of SDCs the highest finish is brittle, or has no character, however after I first heard the 013 it felt proper to me.

Sound for me is similar to taste. You possibly can say one thing is salty, candy, or bitter however these are very broad phrases. Sound has so many variables that the human ear can acknowledge. The one strategy to zero in on one thing that is actually lovely is thru testing and testing and testing, and having completely different individuals who have good ears weigh in on it. It is issues that may’t be described with phrases. You realize when individuals use all these foofy phrases about wine? It is a comparable factor. They’re at all times a tough approximation. We have had mics that we by no means launched as a result of I did not suppose they sounded proper. We tried to do a tube model of the 023 Bomblet a pair completely different occasions, and it simply did not sound correct to me. I did not just like the midrange, so we did not launch it. It is higher to not launch one thing than to launch one thing mediocre.

Your mics really feel basic, but in addition new, in a manner that not loads of producers in the present day are capable of do. I believe Royer has performed that with ribbon mics, and you’re doing it with condenser mics.

We put loads of care and a focus into each single mic. We construct it 100% in home; all the our bodies, the capsules, the transformers we wind ourselves, and the containers are made in our facility. They’re actually handmade, lovingly, by our employees and examined extensively. I used to inform them, “Whenever you’re working, think about the one that’s shopping for the mic. Think about there’s a teenager they usually want one actually good mic for his or her studio. They work further hours at their job. They promote a few of their outboard gear. It is a big buy for them. Preserve that individual in thoughts once we’re constructing the mic, as a result of that is the extent of high quality we should always ship.”