Since the piano was positioned among the noisy percussion instruments, the show's orchestra mixer and orchestra setup coordinator needed a way to isolate its sound. To accomplish this for the piano, the duo used a combination of DPA Microphones' d:dicate 4011A Cardioid Microphones and d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones. He also positioned a pair of d:dicate 4011E Hanging Microphones for the orchestra's drum kit.
By using the combination of d:dicate 4011As and d:vote 4099s, the duo was able to close the lid of the Steinway Grand Piano, giving live and television audience members a full appreciation of the pristine instrument's sound during the different presenters entrances, transitions and other musical performances throughout the event. An additional pair of d:dicate 4011Es were also applied as overheads for the drums, which allowed them to pick up the full ambiance of the kit.
"There's a large orchestra and rhythm section, with percussion, so we wanted to isolate the piano in order to get a really good sound," explains orchestra setup coordinator Dan Vicari. "We've been using DPA's microphones during the Oscars® for years, so we knew that this setup would give us really great sound. The mics truly help us get the perfect sound without a lot of other noise coming in, which is often hard to do on a piano."
Orchestra mixer Tommy Vicari echoes his brother's sentiments. "Since we wanted to put the mics inside the piano and close the top, we needed broad microphones that provide brightness to the sound," he says. "Usually when you dampen the piano by closing the top, the sound of the instrument becomes dulled. Since I had brass blowing toward the piano, and the strings coming the other way, I needed to shelter the piano. By using the DPA d:dicate and d:vote mics, we were able to get the clarity from the piano that we were looking to achieve, while still protecting the sound from outside noise."
(Jim Evans)
