Musician Derek Brown recently tested out an Austrian Audio OC818 microphone, using it to capture his unique style of saxophone playing – dubbed “BEATBoX SAX.”
Part beatbox, part instrument-slap technique, and part saxophone playing, Brown has turned BEATBoX SAX into a phenomenon – his YouTube music videos and tutorials are enormously popular among saxophonists and music lovers alike, racking up over 150,000 Youtube subscriptions.
Requiring a microphone that was up to the challenge, Brown tested an Austrian Audio OC818: “It was great; it is everything I look for in a mic,” he said. “I had a very quiet signal and it seemed to pick up all the different things I’m doing on the saxophone, which is very important because everything I do – even though it sounds like it’s being looped or has an electronic effect – it’s not, it’s all acoustic. So I need a microphone that is going to pick up every little detail, from the ring scratching that I’m doing, to all the intricate sounds coming out of the belt, and my voice. This was a perfect mic; it had a great sound to it. It seemed to produce a very natural-sounding saxophone.”
Brown also likes that the OC818 microphones are hand-made in Vienna: “I love the idea that these are being created in Austria,” he enthused. “I know it’s very easy to have things outsourced to other countries, so I love that this tradition is being continued. I can’t wait to see what Austrian Audio comes up with next.”
