Los Angeles, CA (March 12, 2024) — If one band is synonymous with the musical and cultural diversity that is Los Angeles, that band is Ozomatli. Since forming in 1995, the group has curated a globe-circling sound that effortlessly embraces salsa, funk, hip-hop, samba, cumbia, dancehall, New Orleans second line, reggaeton, Indian raga, and many other styles. They have even forayed successfully into children’s media with the book and accompanying track “Moose on the Loose” and album Ozomatli Presents Ozokids, not to mention their original score for the Happy Feet Two video game. Reiley Brinser does double duty as their tour manager and front-of-house engineer, relying on AUDIX microphones to mix the group’s blend of world percussion and drum kit: the D6 on kick, D4 on toms, i5 on snare, MicroD on snare bottom, MicroHP on congas and bongos, D2 on timbales, SCX25A as drum overheads, and M1280B on assorted handheld percussion.
With a core of seven musicians plus horns, Latin percussion, and traditional rock band instrumentation (guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards), Ozomatli can make for a mixing challenge, especially if the engineer is at the mercy of microphones provided by a venue, festival, or rental company. “Now that we carry our own AUDIX mics, I can really think about why I’m using a particular mic on a particular source, how I’m placing that mic, why might I change something up, things like that,” notes Reiley.
As to his matching of AUDIX mics to sources, Reiley has high praise for the i5. “I have them on both the kit snare and the percussionist’s snare,” he says. “I like the top end of the i5; it doesn’t break up or get crinkly sounding. I also think it’s way more durable. I haven’t found anything like the i5 when it comes to getting the snare but not getting toms or anything else I don’t want. Also, a little secret of our snare sound is that I use the MicroD on the bottoms of the snares. It really captures the snare wires themselves.”
“I like to get the full picture of the kit as opposed to just spot-miking individual drums,” he continues, “and the SCX25A are great in that application.”
Moving to the percussion station, Reiley places miniature MicroHP microphones on congas and bongos using AUDIX’s Dvice series of mic clamps. “Sound-wise, the MicroHPs are night and day from anything I’ve ever used before,” he explains. “They pick up everything I want in those channels and nothing I don’t. The D2 is on timbales, right in between the shells. One of my secret weapons is a little pencil mic called the M1280B. I use a pair of those to capture all the percussion toys: bells, cowbells, shakers, guiro. They just pick up everything perfectly.”
Reiley considers clarity, detail, handling of high sound pressure levels, and almost no bleed of unwanted sources to be among AUDIX’s top virtues, but at the end of the day, it’s about the smoothness of his job at the front-of-house console. “Choosing the right mic for the right source is everything,” he explains. “That’s easy to do with AUDIX because they make so many different microphones geared to specific purposes and they all sound fantastic. Second most important is placement. Now that I’ve worked all that out, I find that I’m needing very little EQ or compression after the fact. I’m finally feeling like I can get mixes to translate very easily from one venue to the next.”
About AUDIX
AUDIX began in 1984 and to this day their mission remains unchanged – to design, engineer and manufacture high‐quality microphones for the professional audio, live sound, recording and installation markets. With passion and ingenuity, the company strives to provide their customers with products that exceed expectations. The company’s headquarters in Wilsonville, Oregon is home for their research and development team, combined with an in‐house manufacturing facility. From concept to completion, the company prides itself on having high-performing products and a loyal customer base. www.audixusa.com
About Videndum Media Solutions
Videndum Media Solutions is a division of Videndum plc, an international group of companies serving customers in the growing content creation market. Videndum Media Solutions designs, manufactures, and distributes premium branded photographic and video equipment such as tripods; bags; filters; backgrounds; motion control; lights and microphones for professional and hobbyist photographers and video-makers; and content creators. Positioning Videndum Media Solutions as the leading global provider of accessories within the fast-growing digital multi-media content market, the portfolio includes the following premium brands: AUDIX; Avenger; Colorama; Gitzo; JOBY; Lowepro; Manfrotto; Rycote; Savage and Syrp Lab. All products are distributed on a direct basis in 11 markets across the world through Videndum Media Distribution, as well as many other markets through a network of qualified retail partners.
