DPA deployed for musical events across USA
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Audio engineers around the globe have consistently turned to DPA Microphones to provide that level of sound reliability and clarity that impresses professionals and enraptures audiences. Such was the case for recent U.S. events including the Catalina JazzTrax Festival, Belmont University’s Oratorio Chorus and Orchestra, Danny Elfman at the Hollywood Bowl and the upcoming Los Angeles Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker at the Dolby Theatre.
The annual Catalina JazzTrax Festival set on Catalina Island has been made possible for the past 26 years by production manager and audio engineer Gregg Hudson of Hudson Audio. Hudson has also been aided by FOH engineer Spenser Bishop of MixOne Sound since 2008, and this season was no different. With 22 bands performing across two weekends, the festival required a quality audio production - made possible by a wide selection of nearly 20 DPA Microphones, including 4099 Core Extreme SPL Instrument, 2011 Twin Diaphragm Cardioid, 2028 Vocal and 4055 Kick Drum microphones.
“The room is like a giant fishbowl, one of the hardest I’ve ever mixed in, and the microphones made it all better,” Bishop shares. “Everything felt separate and controlled. Normally, I can’t put that much of the drums into our mix, but with DPAs on basically the entire drum set, I had a lot of control, which was awesome. The vocal mics were also super focused - for the singer to be within 10ft of the drums and to not get a lot of noise was wild. The 2028 is the best wireless vocal capsule I’ve ever heard in my life. We haven’t had this many great microphones for isolation and control before; the room really needed that.”
At Belmont University’s new Fisher Centre performance hall, DPA mics helped project a presentation by the Oratorio Chorus and Orchestra of Requiem for Colour, a musical, literary and visual journey honoring the lives, legacies and history of Black Americans. Featuring an 80-piece orchestra and 400-person choir, the event was recorded under the direction of Doyuen Ko, associate professor of audio engineering technology, who spec’ed the stage with 40 DPA mics.
This included the 4006 Omnidirectional Condenser, 4015A Wide Cardioid, d:facto 4018 VL Vocal, 4097 Core Supercardioid Choir and 4041-SP Large Diaphragm microphones, along with the 4055 Kick Drum, 4099 Core Instrument, 4011A Cardioid, 4061 Miniature and 2011C Twin Diaphragm Cardioid microphones.
“DPA microphones have always been my first choice for classical music recording, for more than 20 years,” says Ko. “Whether in the studio or for live concerts, they consistently provide a high-fidelity, truthful sound for any instrument or ensemble.”
To set the mood this past Halloween season, live sound engineer Troy Choi was called upon to run monitors for the Danny Elfman shows at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. To achieve prime audio for an esteemed performance, Choi relied on DPA’s new 4055 Kick Drum and 4099 Instrument microphones for the orchestra and drum set, and the brand’s 2028 Vocal Capsule for Danny himself. “Every time I mix a show, I always try to use DPAs,” says Choi.
Choi also looks forward to serving as FOH engineer for the Los Angeles Ballet in late December, to mic the company’s 65-piece orchestra for performances of The Nutcracker at the Dolby Theatre. For this, he plans to turn to his two DPA 4097 CORE Micro Shotgun, 2011 Twin Cardioid and 4011 Cardioid Condenser mics, as well as 30 DPA 4099 Core Instrument mics with stand mounts.
Finally, the Santa Clara Vanguard (SCV) Drum & Bugle Corps took its team to the annual Drum Corps International World Championship Finals with DPA 4099 Core Instrument mics along for the ride. The team, which competed against 11 other corps and ultimately took fifth place, relied on the experience of audio technician Jonathan Yoo, a longtime DPA user, to lead them throughout the competition.
