Tim de Paravicini, E.A.R and Milab

I'm getting questions from time to time regarding the custom E.A.R microphones that Tim de Paravicini built for Kavi Alexander, most famously used for Ry Cooder and V.M. Bhatt's A Meeting by the River.

The microphones were custom made tube mics with Milab 2700 rectangular capsules (the same as in the VIP-50). We normally don't sell capsules separately and I'm not sure how Tim de Paravicini were able to get hold of them, but I suspect that legendary engineer Kavi Alexander (of Water Lily Acoustics) had something to do with it.

If I'm correctly informed no other microphones were used for A Meeting by the River than two E.A.R/Milabs. The album won a Grammy and is widely considered as one of the best sounding recordings ever made. Just read these quotes:

"I'm here to tell you that 'A Meeting by the River' is just flat-out astounding, one of the most uncannily real recordings I've ever heard. I haven't heard the LP yet, but the CD is a mind-blower: mastered directly from a CD-R transfer of the analog master, this is the best-sounding acoustic guitar recording I've ever heard. From the most subtle string-scrape die-offs to the unleashed dynamics throughout "Ganges Delta Blues," the sound just breathes life into the room and makes the best-sounding discs in my rack sound grainy and flat by comparison." - Corey Greenberg, Stereophile

"The splendor of the music is aided in its transmission by the fact that, like all Water Lily Acoustics releases, this album is masterfully recorded; each instrument is clear, distinct, and three-dimensional sounding. A Meeting by the River is a must-own, a thing of pure, unadulterated beauty, and the strongest record in Cooder's extensive catalog." - Daniel Gioffre, Allmusic

Interview with Kavi Alexander where the microphones are discussed.