AKG C24 Stereo Mic #1081 (Vintage)

In 1976, Sheffield Lab and their founder Doug Sax, (of Mastering Lab fame), made a retro-revolutionary recording of Harry James and his Big Band, using a single AKG C-24 stereo tube microphone. The resulting audiophile LP, ‘The King James Version’, was a throwback to the days when a performer had to cut their music ‘live’, directly to a wax cylinder. It was only one of many releases by Sheffield Lab, but it was one of the most unusual.

Setting up the band in a chapel down the road from the lab, the Sheffield team recorded the big band ‘direct to disc’. The signal went from the AKG C-24 stereo mic, through a small mixer, then straight through 600 feet of cable to a cutting lathe in the lab, to make a vinyl pressing master. Nothing else got in the way of the signal path. The results were nothing less than amazing.

Using such a large ensemble to make a truly live record was a daring experiment, a testimony to the faith that Sheffield had in the performers. Using the AKG C-24 stereo microphone to capture the sound was not daring at all, but it was a testament to the faith that Sheffield had in the abilities of this legendary microphone.