Sacramento, CA (April 13, 2020)—More than 20 years into its career, Papa Roach comes roaring out of the gate like a young band with something to prove every time it steps on stage. Helping capture all the vocal nuances of lead singer Jacoby Shaddix is a Telefunken M80 dynamic mic. In fact, the only thing to silence that vocal signal on the band’s recent European tour was the COVID-19 pandemic, which drew the tour to an early close.
“We had to respect the rules of the land,” said Shaddix in a phone interview from home in Sacramento, CA. The singer began using the mic last year on a U.S. leg for the group’s ninth full-length album, Crooked Teeth (2017). “I’m friends with Matty Mullins, lead singer for Memphis May Fire,” Shaddix said. “He said, Cob, I got to hook you up with Telefunken. They came out to our show in Worcester, Massachusetts, not far from the company’s headquarters. I got my hands on one of these M80s for our show; I tried the microphone out and instantly loved it. I used it throughout the rest of last year and then on into our 2020 tour in Europe.”
Live Sound Showcase: Papa Roach
Shaddix explained, “The M80 really caught the high-end sizzle and crisp parts of my voice. And for the live element, it really cuts through the mix. It also really works well with my in-ear monitors and the way that it’s mixed into my overall stage mix. The quality that I love most about it is that it really cuts through everything else. Being in a loud rock band, the vocals can kind of get jumbled up with the guitar tones, because we’re sitting in some of the same frequencies right there. The M80 just pulls out all those really crisp highs of my vocals.
At this point, Shaddix credits the mic with helping preserve his voice, which has been a problem in the past. He explained, “When I was using other microphones, it was like I was pushing my voice even harder to be heard. That was damaging to my voice. Considering I’ve had two surgeries on my vocal chords over the years, I can’t really afford to go and destroy my voice. Now that I’ve started working with Telefunken and using this M80, I couldn’t imagine using any other microphone.”
T-funk Hits the Spot for Tipp
For now, like everyone else in the U.S., Jacoby Shaddix is laying low at home. “We’re just hunkered down with the family, and doing a lot of cooking and playing board games, and reading books, and exercising in the backyard. I’ve got the garage set up like a little gym. And one of my younger sons is playing a lot of drums lately. I hear a racket coming from the garage and it’s a joyful sound. I would love to be on tour and I would love to be out there performing. But I’ve spent 20 years on the road, so I’m really enjoying this forced break with my family and really taking advantage of just having this quality time. My oldest son is going away to college next year, so it’s a real good way to spend some quality time with the family, just count my blessings, and be grateful for the simple things.”
Telefunken Elektroakustik • www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com
