Audio equipment was provided by Stage Unit, whose managing director ToonVan der Veken suggested sound engineer Stefan De Reese try out the new DPA d:fine single-ear headsets. Suitably impressed, De Reese chose to use omnidirectional versions of d:fine, supplied by DPA's Benelux distributor Amptec.
"I knew I would need a headset which was robust, as invisible as possible, displayed greatly reduced sensitivity to contact noise, was easily switchable between left and right ear - and of course had excellent sound quality," says De Reese.
All nine of the production's all-male cast were miked with a d:fine headset, and the robust build quality, together with the mic's ability to stay firmly in place once mounted, wasn't lost on them. Leading actor Hans Peter Janssens, a veteran of London's West End theatre, commented that the d:fines successfully withstood the rough fighting scenes throughout the entire production without any damage, were easy to attach and almost invisible when worn. Meanwhile, the musical's composer (and managing director of Judas Theaterproducties) Sam Verhoeven was very pleased with the sound quality and low profile of the mic.
"I'm convinced that asking Stage Unit to provide the new omnidirectional d:fine headset was the right choice," continues De Reese. "I was pleasantly surprised that after the last show all the microphones were still 100% intact without any loss of sound quality."
(Jim Evans)
