Krewella on their $10,000 mic: “It was a tall order to think that we were worthy of it”

The sibling producers tell how their first mic, the Sony C800G, has stayed with them for their entire career

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Krewella

Image: Getty

EDM sisters Yasmine and Jahan Yousaf, better known as Krewella, have said that the Sony C800G mic – favoured by Dr Dre, Eminem, Luther Vandross and more – was a “tall order” for the chart-topping duo.

Speaking on the MusicTech My Forever Studio podcast, Yasmine revealed the backstory behind the mic. She said that the Sony C800G was their first-ever microphone purchase, taking out a loan from their parents to pay for it. Currently, the street price of the mic, originally released in 1992, sits at around $10,000.

In the early stages of their career, Krewella had a third member, Chris Trindl, who was working closely with engineer Ken Lewis. Yasmine explained how Lewis’ recommendation was part of the reason for the extravagant purchase.

“We were all obsessed with the pop music of the time, which was – I mean, I know it’s probably a dark thing to talk about right now – but Dr Luke was like, the head of what was happening,” Yasmine says.

“And that was like 2010, he was the king of pop music… that was the mic that they used all the time in his studios. And we were obsessed with that era of music. And yeah, it kind of stemmed from that. It was a tall order to think that we were worthy of that mic, but I think we’ve grown into it nicely.”

When asked how the microphone stacks up against prestigious competitors such as the Neumann U 67, Yasmine said: “I love Neumann mics, don’t get me wrong… But the Sony C800, since it is more of a bright and shiny mic, sounds amazing on Jahan’s voice and I feel like I have to process my vocals slightly differently and EQ my vocals a lot differently on the Sony C800. But it doesn’t change the fact that the sheen on it for the kind of music we make again, it’s like more pop-leaning, dark-pop leaning dance music. It has just been the thing that has lasted and withstood time for us.”

The Sony C800G is a dual large-diaphragm microphone that sports a distinct design – on the rear of the casing is a heat sink that optimises the overall temperature of the unit. The ultra-low-noise mic is renowned for its pristine clarity, extreme versatility and its natural boost between 8-14kHz, all assisting in a pro-grade recording right off the bat.

Krewella selected the C800G as one of their ‘Forever Studio items’ on the podcast. The pair touted the mic as their “ol’ reliable.”

Find out what other gear Krewella selected for their Forever Studio here.

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