REVIEW IN RECORDING MAGAZINE (August 2008)

Auguest 2008 Issue of Recording MagazinePLACID AUDIO COPPERPHONE – WHEN WE SAY “SOMETHING DIFFERENT” WE MEAN IT

When I first saw a picture of the Copperphone, I had no idea what to think other than I had to try it.  In true home-brew-tinkerer fashion, Mark Pirro makes
 Copperphones by hand, one at a time, in his garage.  And the result is stunning.

WHAT IS IT?
The Copperphone is a dynamic microphone manufactured with vintage communications components and telephone parts.  This is instant lo-fi audio in the
 most classy and fabulous sense – just point it at your source and enjoy.  The Copperphone is a piece of copper pipe with a brilliantly simple stand mount. 
 It weighs a ton, and must be rather well damped inside.  Aside from that, there is little else to know.  Frequency response is limited to basically all 
midrange, and the polar pattern seems pretty omnidirectional, but that’s just my personal observation.

WHERE FROM?
I held my first Copperphone – a very used and abused sample, I might add – following one of the most incredible live concerts I’ve ever seen.  You see, the
father of the Copperphone is also the bass player for the Polyphonic Spree, a 23-member symphonic rock band of epic proportions.  Spree lead singer Tim 
DeLaughter uses the Copperphone on certain tunes, and it was fantastic to hear the mic in a live setting.  ”As the bass player for The Polyphonic Spree I 
have watched Tim DeLaughter, (lead) singer in the band, search sonically for the perfect nostalgic “telephone” effect for his voice,” says Mark Pirro.  To
 fill this pretty unique niche, Mark thought it would be great to have a microphone that could create DeLaughter’s phone effect live, rather than deal with 
effects and switching in the live setting.  And, following lots of tinkering and tweaking, the Copperphone was born.

GETTING SOUNDS
The most likely place to start was vocals.  Since the voice is the most familiar of instruments to us all, you can really hear the Copperphone’s unique sound
 here.  It is not boxy or even totally telephone-like.  Instead, the limited bandwidth has a great lo-fi sound that’s not too thin.

There’s enough low-mid information so the sound can really blend into a mix.  Or, filtered and pushed up, it can stick out as a vintage radio effect.  Over
 time we tried the Copperphone on everything else imaginable.  Its natural compression makes it sound great as a funky drum-room mic.

In concert with a more normal microphone on electric guitar, I used it to add just a bit of edge and depth.  It transports you straight to the ’40s on piano, 
and makes stringed acoustic instruments sound especially old.  I really liked the Copperphone with my Chandler Germanium rack preamp, which can sound 
quite thick and warm.  The Chandler mellowed and fattened the Copperphone, a nice combination.  Note that the Copperphone is remarkably quiet.  While
 you get this crazy lo-fi sound, it works great on quiet sources.  On the first verse of the vibey and quiet ballad, we tracked the singer’s lead vocal with the
 Copperphone.  Sitting on top of only a pad and some string tracks, the vocal was eerie and lo-fi, with no notable noise or hiss to mar the performance.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Something about the Copperphone inspires creativity, perhaps because it just looks cool.  Many musicians asked about it while up at the studios, 
wondering what was with this crazy mic.  Gear is a tool and not the source of great music.  But a cool instrument – or in this case, a cool mic – can 
certainly inspire creativity and the Copperphone delivers big in this department. When talking about vibe and sonic funk, the Copperphone is king.  Its
utility is really only limited by your creativity and commitment to experimentation.  Just as I was writing this review, I realized it would be cool to try the 
Copperphone as a mid mic in an M/S array, with a ribbon as the side.  I don’t know if it will work, but it will create an otherwise impossible sound.  Yes, 
this is a one-trick pony, but when you need the trick, you might as well get the pony.  Just be careful if you fly with it – the FBI questioned percussionist 
Brian Teasly after finding a “pipe bomb” in his suitcase! – Written by Justin Peacock.