mondo*dr 24.4

SHAW TH EATR E Company: DPA Microphones Location: London, UK London’s Shaw Theatre was the venue for this year’s Yamaha European Junior Original Concert, an annual event that gives children from Yamaha music schools the opportunity to perform their own compositions in a professional setting.

In order to ensure the best possible audio quality, Sound Director Simon Honeywill insisted that only DPA microphones should be used. These were supplied by hire company RG Jones, in conjunction with DPA’s UK distributor Sound Network. RG Jones also supplied FOH / Monitor Engineer Jack Bowcher, who worked closely with Simon Honeywill to deliver great sound.

“The people from Yamaha were insistent that I should not compromise on sound quality, and that is why I chose to use only DPA microphones,” Simon said. “For some time now I’ve wanted to do a show using entirely DPA, so this was my perfect opportunity. The main focus on stage was a Yamaha concert grand piano, which we miked using two DPA 4023 compact cardioid recording microphones on a stereo bar, plus three DPA d:vote 4099 instrument microphones positioned to pick up the lows, mids and highs. It was a lot of microphones for one instrument but it was worth it because the piano sounded really special.

“As all of the performers were children, it was essential that those wearing IEMs and using radio headsets were given the chance to get used to them before the concert started,” Simon continued. “Luckily we had sound checks and were able to run through the entire show twice, so that gave us the time we needed to prepare them.”

Jack Bowcher added: “We ended up with 15 performers on stage at once with a total of eight in ear mixers. For many of the performers it was the first time they had used IEM, so it was crucial they heard the instruments in the way they were used to. The DPA 4023 stereo set on the piano kept things sounding very natural, although I did use some dynamic EQ to stop any harsh frequencies when volumes picked up.”

Other DPA microphones used during the concert included d:dicate 2011 twin diaphragm cardioid microphones, d:facto vocal microphones and d:fine headset microphones. www.dpamicrophones.com