Norah Jones – Visions

Used for vocals on Come Away With Me, as stated by producer Jay Newland in this September 2003 Universal Audio WebZine interview.

The single from the Norah Jones record “Come Away With Me” was actually a demo track that was cut in a small live room at Sorcerer Sound, with the entire band live. It was recorded with a Neumann M49 Mic thru a Manley pre amp and Vari-Mu compressor limiter. Newland used LA-2A compression very subtly on the vocal in the mix. “The LA-2A for me is sort of a default that I always go to. It always works great. I’m just getting into using the 1176 more for more of that in your face vocals. For the jazz stuff, the transparency of the LA-2A is sometimes nicer.”

The M 49 is also mentioned by Newland in this transcribed March 2005 interview.

"The first time I heard Norah Jones sing at a rehearsal before our initial sessions, I knew she had a truly great voice," says Jay. "I only mention this because it's the crucial first link in the chain. The recording chain for 'Don't Know Why,' as well as most of the rest of the record, was a Neumann M 49 microphone into a Manley tube mic pre. We tried other mics, a [Neumann] U 47 and a [AKG] C12vr, but the M 49 had the right amount of 'air' while maintaining a real fullness and warmth. The tube pre was also warm but a little less colored than, say, a vintage Neve pre, which I love in many cases. This went into one side of a Manley Vari-mu compressor with a fast attack and release setting. The threshold was high so it was barely hitting the compressor. The Vari-mu can also be very transparent, which is why I liked it for this application. This went to BASF (Emtec) 900 analog tape at 15 ips on a STUDER A820 with Dolby SR. Although I like Pro Tools HD, we did not use Pro Tools on this session. No Auto-Tuning. The console is custom built by Al Fierstein, owner of Sorcerer Sound, and is called Acoustilog."

Jones revealed in this February 1, 2010 Electronic Musician interview that she bought the M 49 personally for Come Away With Me and also used it on Feels Like Home and Not Too Late.

I bought the Neumann M 49 from Sorcerer Sound where I made my first record. It has a quality with the way I sing that just works. I realized on my second record [2004’s Feels Like Home] that it was pretty special. I couldn’t get that same quality as easily with another mic. I love the M 49 and I also used a Telefunken ELA M 250 on my third record [2007’s Not Too Late]. It depends on the type of song and the way I am singing for which one sounds better. I love the 49 ’cause it gets all the grit and warmth, but sometimes it can sound a little too muffled if I am singing a certain way. Then the 250 gives some nice high end and a lot of air. And I like to be close to the mic to catch all the nuances.

An M 49 can also be seen in the promotional video for Seth MacFarlane's Music Is Better Than Words at 2:09, revealing that it was used for Jones' vocal feature on "Two Sleepy People".

Used for live vocals since the Come Away With Me Tour. It is mentioned by production manager and FOH engineer Lee Moro in this October 1, 2002 Mix Online interview.

Norah Jones' two vocal mics — she sings a few songs at a Wurlitzer electric piano — are Neumann KMS 105s. “A 58 will always work, but once I got a little bit of money in the budget, I got the Neumanns,” says Moro. “I didn't have them in Europe, but I decided I really needed them.”

The KMS 105 is also mentioned by Moro in this August 1, 2007 Electronic Musician interview about the Not Too Late Tour, specifying a wireless model and its reduced use since the addition of a Sennheiser RF system.

“We still have high praise for the wireless KMS 105, although we’re not using it as much because there’s not as much movement,” says Moro. That’s mainly because, unlike previous tours, Jones rarely has her hands free. “Norah plays guitar a lot on this tour, and the backup singer, Daru Odo, is also playing bass when Lee Alexander, the bass player, is playing guitar. So we put everybody on Sennheiser wireless instrument systems, which makes things a lot easier.”

Jones continued using the KMS 105 during the 2010 The Fall Tour, as stated by FOH engineer Brett Dicus in this January 26, 2010 Music Gear Review interview.

To convey that indescribable quality, FOH engineer Brett Dicus continues to rely on a Neumann KMS 104 cardioid or 105 super cardioid microphone, with a backline of Sennheiser Evolution wired microphones and wireless personal monitors for her band.

Brett Dicus uses the microphones to deliver a sound that is as close to studio quality as possible. With Jones' natural airy and sibilant voice, he needs the microphone to have the most life-like and natural high-end possible. "Bother microphones deliver the signature Neumann studio sound with the robust handling required for a live performance" Dicus said of the KMS 104 and 105. "Above all else, the most critical sound reinforcement tool that we bring with us to every date is Norah's Neumann vocal microphone."

Norah has been using a Neumann microphone or capsule with Sennheiser Wireless RF transmitters for almost her entire touring career, a career that spans four albums and most of the globe. Dicus returned to KS 105's from a brief stint using Shure SM 58's "because that was all that was available for a little while." Norah used KMS 105's all the way back on her "Come Away with Me" tour for their high-gain and clean sound to amplify Jones' quiet vocals. Now they're making use of that gain with Jones' new, grittier sound. Gritty, here, is a loose term, as the record itself sounds perfectly clean, but there's that hint of dirt that makes me feel like I'm listening to an old 45 with a just slightly overdriven old Neve board. It's really a great new sound with the same equipment that shows some creativity on her team's part.

Another The Fall Tour mention by Dicus of the KMS 105 can be found in this February 2, 2010 Front of House Magazine interview.

Depending on the acoustical circumstances, Jones sings into a Neumann KMS 104 cardioid or a KMS 105 super-cardioid. Both microphones deliver the Neumann studio sound with the handling required for a live performance. "Above all else, the most critical sound reinforcement tool that we bring with us to every date is Norah's Neumann vocal microphone," said Dicus. "She's been using some variant of a Neumann microphone or a Neumann capsule with a Sennheiser RF transmitter for almost all of her touring career. On those rare occasions where we're asked to use something else, we miss the studio-quality high-end and lifelike sibilance that we get ‘out of the box' with the KMS 104/105."

Used for vocals on Come Away With Me, as stated by producer Jay Newland in this September 2003 Universal Audio WebZine interview.

The single from the Norah Jones record “Come Away With Me” was actually a demo track that was cut in a small live room at Sorcerer Sound, with the entire band live. It was recorded with a Neumann M49 Mic thru a Manley pre amp and Vari-Mu compressor limiter. Newland used LA-2A compression very subtly on the vocal in the mix. “The LA-2A for me is sort of a default that I always go to. It always works great. I’m just getting into using the 1176 more for more of that in your face vocals. For the jazz stuff, the transparency of the LA-2A is sometimes nicer.”

The LA-2A is also mentioned by Newland in this transcribed March 2005 interview.

"In the mix stage, the voice went through a new Universal Audio LA-2A. Again the threshold was set so that compression was minimal."

Used for vocals on Come Away With Me, as stated by producer Jay Newland in this September 2003 Universal Audio WebZine interview.

The single from the Norah Jones record “Come Away With Me” was actually a demo track that was cut in a small live room at Sorcerer Sound, with the entire band live. It was recorded with a Neumann M49 Mic thru a Manley pre amp and Vari-Mu compressor limiter. Newland used LA-2A compression very subtly on the vocal in the mix. “The LA-2A for me is sort of a default that I always go to. It always works great. I’m just getting into using the 1176 more for more of that in your face vocals. For the jazz stuff, the transparency of the LA-2A is sometimes nicer.”

The Variable Mu's status as a stereo unit is specified by this transcribed March 2005 interview.

"The first time I heard Norah Jones sing at a rehearsal before our initial sessions, I knew she had a truly great voice," says Jay. "I only mention this because it's the crucial first link in the chain. The recording chain for 'Don't Know Why,' as well as most of the rest of the record, was a Neumann M 49 microphone into a Manley tube mic pre. We tried other mics, a [Neumann] U 47 and a [AKG] C12vr, but the M 49 had the right amount of 'air' while maintaining a real fullness and warmth. The tube pre was also warm but a little less colored than, say, a vintage Neve pre, which I love in many cases. This went into one side of a Manley Vari-mu compressor with a fast attack and release setting. The threshold was high so it was barely hitting the compressor. The Vari-mu can also be very transparent, which is why I liked it for this application. This went to BASF (Emtec) 900 analog tape at 15 ips on a STUDER A820 with Dolby SR. Although I like Pro Tools HD, we did not use Pro Tools on this session. No Auto-Tuning. The console is custom built by Al Fierstein, owner of Sorcerer Sound, and is called Acoustilog."

Used to record Come Away With Me, as mentioned by producer Jay Newland in this transcribed March 2005 interview.

"The first time I heard Norah Jones sing at a rehearsal before our initial sessions, I knew she had a truly great voice," says Jay. "I only mention this because it's the crucial first link in the chain. The recording chain for 'Don't Know Why,' as well as most of the rest of the record, was a Neumann M 49 microphone into a Manley tube mic pre. We tried other mics, a [Neumann] U 47 and a [AKG] C12vr, but the M 49 had the right amount of 'air' while maintaining a real fullness and warmth. The tube pre was also warm but a little less colored than, say, a vintage Neve pre, which I love in many cases. This went into one side of a Manley Vari-mu compressor with a fast attack and release setting. The threshold was high so it was barely hitting the compressor. The Vari-mu can also be very transparent, which is why I liked it for this application. This went to BASF (Emtec) 900 analog tape at 15 ips on a STUDER A820 with Dolby SR. Although I like Pro Tools HD, we did not use Pro Tools on this session. No Auto-Tuning. The console is custom built by Al Fierstein, owner of Sorcerer Sound, and is called Acoustilog."