The story of the AKG c422

These recordings were made possible by Mike Davis's quest for the "best" microphone we could imagine for recording live music. Mike Yacavone did the research and found we had a friend who was a US distributor for AKG (Dave Talbot) who showed us this AKG C422 dual capsule single body switchable pattern stereo microphone- and ultimately Mike bought it. Little did we know what we would unleash upon our taper crew and their friends who relied on us for their copies of audience tapes, which in 1985 were usually the only recordings around our deadhead circle. Unfortunately, we never realized that using the stock AKG B18 power supplies/battery box, often with only one 9V battery at times (Each B18 took two 9V batteries, hence the 18 for 18 volts) was not feeding the mic optimum voltage (48V). Thus, the initial results were less than hoped for from this microphone. (6-22 through 6-25 1985) Fortunately, we usually ran a second recording rig at most shows.

The microphone patterns were configurable via a small box connected between the mic and deck, the AKG S42. You could choose from Omni to Cardioid to figure 8 as well as sub-patterns between such as Hypercardioid. The best part was being able to have the microphone up in the air and changing the patterns from below. The capsules could be rotated to different coincident angles anywhere from 30' separation to 120'. Typically it is used at 90' angles with cardioid or Figure 8 patterns or as a mid-side microphone with one channel a cardioid and the other sideways channel a figure 8.

After that first 1985 summer tour, we realized we needed an external pre-amp to control the "hot" signal the recorder was receiving from this mic. I believe that happened by October 1985 when Mike Yacavone and Mark Fitzgerald built a pre-amp using two Dukane transformers which greatly improved the results from the 422 for a short time until it broke. Then, in summer 1986, Bill Reutelhuber took it and rebuilt the box using a different line transformer, and that worked up through 1987. Later, in the early 1990's when Kenny was using the mic and had it refurbished they went digital, using decks with better pre-amps and phantom power. There were, in the early days of using it, about 6-10 Grateful Dead and a few other recordings which showed us the C422's promise. (with an equal amount of inconsistent recordings, mainly due to the 9V batteries running down faster than we hoped).

Spring tour 1986 has the most amount of consecutive AKG c422 recordings as the mic made it to more shows than either of us as of course we had to miss shows occasionally. There exists an amazing 1986 onstage recording of the Radiators from Martha's Vineyard the day between Portland and Hartford Dead shows which was made by Sean Murtha with Mike and Kenny D (March 29 1985). Tom and I missed that show to drive back to Syracuse and make it to the next GD show. The sound quality got better gradually as we "standardized" how to use the thing. It was large, and the amount of handholding of it we did, standing in crowds with tape decks, in retrospect, amounts to a lot of time standing stock still holding seven pounds of gear. 

The microphone went through a few phases of usage and ownership after 1988. Gradually Mike stopped taping and Kenny took up the tapers mantle running with it full steam until the late 1990's. Kenny was living in the Denver area then and had occasion to use it at many local shows as well as some Widespread Panic touring. Kenny loved Widespread Panic!  During its' life in Colorado, it was repaired but I do not recall the provenance. I feel it must have been via Marc Nutter and his thriving at the time Sonic Sense ultra taper/audiophile company. (I need to dig more for this section). An uneven, but at times astounding recording of Pearl Jam at Red Rocks exists in my collection (1995-06-19; this needs to be re-mastered by someone better than me). 

It was around 1997/1998 the c422 made it into the hands of Brett from New Mexico. A taper fanatic Kenny met via Widespread Panic touring. He had it repaired again, but I fear the capsules had been damaged by the environments we put that thing in by that time. Mike recalls it was sold to someone in Florida about 2002 known to us as "the pizza man". Fitting end I suppose, mysterious and all. 

Listening to these initial takeoffs to digital I hear an astounding sense of depth and instrumental "tonal accuracy", especially considering some of these recordings are almost 40 years old. Listeners with high quality playback systems will find the low bass representative of "being there" on the very best of these recordings. The high frequencies also have a "shine" to them atypical of audience recordings other than Sennheiser 421's. It is a shame we did not have great portable powered pre-amps at that time to take advantage of the entire range of that classic microphone. We surely put it in some crazy, crowd packed, sweaty, situations and what we got out of it is completely worth all that effort listening back all these years later. No regrets, we were all in.

These recordings were essentially labors of love given our incredible devotion to capturing the moment and "being there". Mike Davis deserves the big credit for buying the 422, and Yac for researching and making the purchase via Dave Talbot for us.  
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The Executive Crew was an amorphous group of tapers hailing from Maine, Texas, Virginia, New York, California, Ohio and Earth. 
WHEN YOU GET CONFUSED, LISTEN TO THE MUSIC PLAY!

This series of recordings will be in the loving memory of our fallen brother, Kenny Davis. He was a foot soldier in the great travels of music and love across this land.
