Peluso Mics

You'd never want to read a blog where I get on my political soapbox, so the closest I come to it is this posting on Peluso Mics.

Why?  'Cause Ed Gambill brought them to my attention.  Ed is a voice actor, the founder and moving force behind SaVoa, a distributor for Peluso Mics, AND is running for the position of  legislator in the North Carolina State House of Representatives.  Talk about busy!

Oh, and one more thing… Ed is…well, uh… Ed is an affable, amiable, and kinda talkative guy… so if you get on the phone with him, make sure you've got a little time on the clock… he's just got that soft Southern lilt to his speech that makes you want to listen. 

That's probably why he's a good voice actor, AND politician.

Anyway, I posed a list of questions about Peluso Mics to Ed several weeks ago, and he provided me a dandy set of answers not long after.  I'm finally getting around to posting the information here.

My thanks to Ed for the time he took to do that.  BTW, Ed has done much for us all in voice acting — and through SaVoa, I think you'll find he has many more gifts to give.

Click below to see the interview on Peluso Mics:

How long have Peluso microphones been on the market in the U.S?

 6 years, they are located in Willis VA which is in Floyd County VA.

Where did the name come from?

John Peluso and his wife Mary are the owners of Peluso Microphone Labs.  John is from the Chicago area and prior to starting the Microphone Lab he worked as a studio engineer for studios that recorded voice over talent for commercials and other narratives

It's been rumored Peluso Microphones are technical clones of various Neumann models.
Is this true?

No they are not clones. The word clone means an exact copy. Inasmuch as some manufacturing process were not fully documented it is difficult to say anyone can build a clone

In conversations with John, he had been clear to say that the Microphones built by Neumann and AKG among others were the inspiration for his product line.  John Peluso has worked to develop a line of product that captures as much of the essence of the models that inspires each Model.  In all cases where modern methods work better they are incorporated for that particular microphone.  One area of special detail is the capsule.  Each and every one is hand made and tested during and after assembly.  When the final product is finished it again goes through a quality assurance appraisal conducted by John. The 2247LE, 2247SE, 22-251 and C12 are the top microphones in the line and each are vacuum tube microphones.

Have there been any patent infringements issues?  

No patents are in force on any product John makes other than patents that his holds.

Explain in the best layman's terms what Peluso mics are technically designed to do well.  

They turn sound energy into electrical energy.  That's a technical explanation.  The capsule of a microphone is very often called a transducer by folks with electronic understanding.  Transducer, because it does what I said in the first sentence, it makes the change from one form of energy (SOUND) to another (ELECTRIAL).

In layman terms, if you want to record it they have a great product to ge'er done.  

The 47 series of which there are four types, is great for vocal recording as in VO, and singing.  They are well suited for recording many musical instruments. These are inspired by The Neumann U-47.  Most may not know this but Telefunken was the initial distributor for the U-47.  Several year after Telefunken started selling the U47 made by  Neumann, Neumann pulled out of the marketing agreement and started to sell their microphone under their own brand.

The 22-251 and the P-12 in the Peluso line are inspired by the Telefunken ELA-M 251 and the AKG C12 respectively.  Remember when I said that Neumann stopped supplying microphones to Telefunken.  In order for Telefunken to have a high quality condenser microphone to sell they turned to AKG, a company that started after WWII in Vienna Austria.

In 1959 AKG supplied a microphone to Telefunken that was branded as the Ela-M-251. Prior to the 1959 roll out of the 251, AKG was building the C12 under its own brand.  The C12 and the 251 both shared the same capsule design.  The capsule was in fact the C12 capsule and it was developed by Siemens, the German equivalent to GE.

There are several other microphones in the product line including Pencil microphones, Ribbon microphones and solid state condensers.

What market is Peluso trying to appeal to?

The music recording industry as well as the Voice Over market.  

Where can anyone buy Peluso microphones?

I have a special dealership arrangement to retail the product line. My focus is the VO industry.  As a VO artist my self I believe I can help folks find the right model from the Peluso line.
[CourVO note:  Google Peluso Mics and you'll find places to buy Peluso, but I believe Ed would give you special consideration if you told him you read it here.)

John has established a world wide net work of dealers and distributors. Just visit http://www.pelusomicrophonelab.com and you can find who you is nearest stocking dealer.

Are Peluso mics best used in a professional studio, or a private (home) studio?

The great thing about the Peluso line is that they are outstanding product with a 3 year factory warranty.  They are sweet for what ever you need to record. As with any microphone the proper selection and placement is the key to superior recordings

What type of voice actor would consider buying a Peluso? (Male/Female...deep voice/high voice, etc)

The good thing is that the line is so broad that Male or Female Voice Artist can find a microphone that works just right.

Are Peluso Microphones affordably positioned in the marketplace?

Consider this: one company is manufacturing what they would consider a clone product.  The Ela-M-251 from them cost $10,000 or more.  The Peluso model that is branded 22-251 is $1,496.50.  The same company has a U-47 model that is priced around $9,500 the 22 47 model from Peluso is priced at $2,026.  I have heard comparisons of the 9K model and Peluso's 2K model and to my ear the Peluso is just are good and obviously priced better.  For the price of one of the 10k microphones from the other folks you could buy a Pelsuo 47LE, 22-251, P12, one of the newly introduce VTB Bottle Microphones and have money left over. BTW one company Perlman has built many microphones using capsules made by John and there are undoubted others who use his capsules but because of confidentially agreements John can't disclose it.

How are you marketing the product?

The Peluso Mic Lab is about 120 miles north of where I live. I have visited the lab on several occasions and had several conversations with John.  I called him and told John that I wanted to focus on the VO industry and most especially to members of SaVoa.  For members of SaVoa I can offer special pricing that can not be found on the street.  Regrettably, because of SaVoa concerns I have not been able to concentrate on the Peluso product.  Also I have arranged with Source-Element to represent Source Connect to SaVoa members at a price point that in very competitive.

What misconceptions exist surrounding Peluso mics?

I thing the biggest misconception is that John and Marry are trying to manufacture clones of vintage microphones.  They are manufacturing a product that is inspired by the vintage microphone of the early 50' and 60's.  They are using

superior construction methods and material to keep cost in line with the broad market.  I suspect if you want to spend a lot of money John could whip up anything you could image our tell you why you wouldn't want it.

In your opinion, what job is the Peluso mic perfectly designed for?

As I mentioned before, they are good for any sound recording job.

Take a listen to this NPR report about John and the power of the microphone -- it tells the story much better than I can: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89705610  

John and Marry are dedicated to producing a quality product at a cost completive price that delivers top quality performance.  If a badge from a certain vintage label is important, then by all means buy the badge and pay the higher price.  If top quality sound, a solid 3 year warranty, high end performance and owning what will become the must have microphone sound appealing then look at the Peluso line.

[Someone to ask for a personal assessment of Peluso:  
Jeff Laurence has added the U-47LE to his studio in Otto NC and Atlanta GA.]

CourVO

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