San Francisco, CA – July 2018… As any production professional knows, having versatile and reliable gear capable of handling a variety of production challenges is a crucial part of being—and staying—in business. For engineer and audio consultant Tim Azzaria, who operates Tim Azzaria/PVM and B Street Video & Sound, being able to sell and support that equipment with confidence is yet another factor in selecting the products he endorses. That’s why, when it comes to miniature microphones, Azzaria is an ardent fan of Countryman Associates, particularly the EMW Omnidirectional Lavalier, B3 Omnidirectional Lavalier, E6 Earset, and ISOMAX models.
Azzaria’s work includes concert and theatrical engagements, corporate presentations, radio and TV broadcast, plus AV installation projects. “I purchased my first direct box from Carl Countryman (the company founder) in the early 80s and almost every microphone since,” he reports. “At this point, my Countryman arsenal includes over 20 assorted EMW, E6, B3, and ISOMAX models. These mics consistently deliver superior audio results and have proven ideal for all sorts of projects.”
Recently, Azzaria was working on a project for the IBM analytics data science group in San Francisco, which is a bi-monthly shoot. He described the project and how the Countryman E6 Earset microphone helped him address the job. “Shooting a corporate TV tech show in a converted meeting/classroom 20 floors up with two walls of glass and a 3-camera setup with a switcher/TD—all in the same room—can be a challenge,” Azzaria explained. “This is why the Countryman E6 is the ultimate solution. When placed on the talent, the mic appears almost invisible, it delivers unbelievable audio quality, and picks up almost no ambient noise. I typically mate these microphones with either Shure ULXP/ULXD or Sennhieser 2000 series wireless systems and, together, they make a formidable wireless microphone system.”
When asked about those attributes that make the Countryman microphones so well-suited to the types of projects he’s involved with, Azzaria offered these thoughts. “Audio quality is the first and foremost consideration,” he said, “and in this regard, Countryman mics excel. They exhibit high gain before feedback—making it easy to get suitable levels. Equally important, they are very discreet. Be it a lavaliere, earset, or headset, the mic needs to blend into the environment. For headset and earset models, they also need to be comfortable, so as to enable the talent to focus on their work without being distracted. And finally, reliability. Countryman mics have proven to be very robust. I know I can count on them.”
In Azzaria’s line of work, responsive and capable customer and technical support is crucial. Here too, Azzaria was very complimentary of Countryman Associates. “I deal with many companies in the pro audio and video field,” he reports. “Countryman is easily in the top two when it comes to tech support and service. In the old days, Carl would help me personally and since then, Rosa Pimentel (the company’s General Manager) has maintained the same level of service and support. Countryman always has my back, and I never hesitate to make my customers aware of that.”
Before shifting his focus back to the business of the day, Azzaria offered these parting comments regarding his Countryman experience, “I use, endorse, rely upon, and sell Countryman gear. I have spread that message globally over the years and have many associates and customers who love their Countryman products. If you’re looking for microphones that won’t let you down, Countryman should be your choice.”
To learn more about the services of Tim Azzaria, contact him at 650-400-0846 or via email at timazzaria@yahoo.com.
About Countryman Associates
For more than 40 years, Countryman has focused on developing microphones and accessories that deliver maximum gain before feedback, with the highest possible rejection of wind, vibration, interference, and other unwanted sounds. The result is warm, clear vocals in speaking and singing applications, delivering natural audio reinforcement that requires almost no attention from the sound engineer or the performer. For additional information about Countryman Associates, visit the company online at www.countryman.com.
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