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Peter Miles is a rising star of the rock, punk, metal and hardcore
scenes, and has been producing an incredible number of bands over the
last couple of years. For each and every one, there is one brand that
Peter returns to again and again… sE!
“I'm not a gear snob at all,” so says Peter Miles, the latest talent
on the metal and rock production scene. “I choose my equipment by its
performance in the studio, not by its price tag or badge. sE mics
have consistently out-performed the competition in my tests,
regardless of price, so I'm happy to stick by them.”
You can’t say fairer than that, and Peter certainly has the
experience to back up these words having worked with countless bands
and acts including Sonic Boom Six, Howards Alias, The King Blues,
Vallenbrosa and Your Demise. “I specialize in heavy guitar-based
music most of the time,” he says, “working with rock, punk, metal and
hardcore bands. I always focus on the band/artist, the songs, their
sound and their strengths before I even think about mics and
compressors. But I know my gear well and I know that if it sounds
right in the room, it'll sound great on record as I can rely on my
equipment.”
And a lot of that equipment has the sE logo on it, including a Gemini II, a pair of Z5600a IIs, an ICIS, a pair of SE3s and a Reflexion Filter. “I was aware of the sE brand,” says Peter, “but it wasn't
until I acquired an original Gemini in a trade that I realized how
good their mics are. I now use a Gemini II as my main vocal mic. The
z5600as are mainly used as drum overheads, the ICIS for vocals or
guitars and the SE3s are generally used for hi-hats, ride miking or
overheads.”
“My z5600as have really improved my drum sound. They give me so much
more depth and sparkle than the previous big name condensers I had.
I've often found myself raising the height of the overheads to take
advantage of the clarity the mics offer.”
“The Gemini is a really impressive mic,” Peter continues. “It conveys
such intimacy with just the right amount of warmth and brightness.
The ICIS seems to be it's perfect partner as well. It has a smoother,
rounder feeling and has really worked for several female singers. And
the SE3s are incredible workhorse mics, they seem to work in almost
any situation and they are so well priced!”
Peter then recounts a story that sums up his thoughts on sE mics:
“One female artist I worked with brought her own Neumann with her
and initially insisted on using it on the record. I convinced her to
try out a few of my mics and after a blind testing with the whole
band, we decided that the sE ISIS was by far best for her voice and
they were all stunned to find out that it costs well under half the
price of the Neumann!”
And as to the future, it looks like Peter is going to be busier than
ever with his sE gear. “I've got some exciting projects coming up,”
he confirms. “As well as setting up a new studio in Devon, several
bands that I worked with are returning to record their second albums
with me in 2008. Failsafe are an awesome rock band who combine the
power and energy of some of the hardest hitting punk bands with a
strong sense of melody. London reggae/folk band The King Blues are
returning to work on their second album for Island Records. Then
there’s Pickled Dick! They are straight up pop punk in the vein of
Greenday and really are one of the best pop/rock bands I've come
across with some of the catchiest songs ever penned! I'll also be
working with UK metal band Vallenbrosa on their second album, fresh
from a tour supporting metal legends Sepultura.”
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