Jamie Hickey, Tindersticks monitor engineer since 2008, says he used DPA d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones over the summer when the band performed seven shows as a taster for the 21st anniversary tour. One of these performances involved a special set at the Blue Balls Festival in Lucern, Switzerland, where the six-piece band was joined by a 17-piece string section.
"The venue had a stock of DPA 4061 Miniature Microphones that it was happy for us to use on the string section, but due to their omni polar pattern I didn't think they were the best option for a string section that was playing alongside a rock band," he says. "The supercardioid d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones were a much better way to go because they could combat the amount of spill from other instruments on stage."
Hickey hired 17 d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones from Tech-Serv Audio in the UK. These were used to mic five 1st violins, five 2nd violins, four violas and three cellos.
"They performed absolutely brilliantly and I was so impressed that I am now using them to mic Tindersticks' regular cello and double bass players," Hickey says. "As far as I am concerned there is no better option for close miking strings. I love their ease of use - if time is limited, which it inevitably is, you can essentially point the mic at the F hole and voilà, it sounds great."
Tindersticks' 21st anniversary tour will feature five additional string players who will join the band when they play the London Barbican. For that concert Jamie Hickey will once again be hiring additional mics from Tech-Serv Audio.
(Jim Evans)
