Austin City Limits, the longest-running music television series in history that will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year in presenting up to 20 shows each year from the 2,800-seat Moody Theater, recently deployed DPA 4099 and 2011 microphones for a performance by Grammy-winning duo Rodrigo y Gabriela with the Austin Symphony.
Audio supervisor Randy Reynolds states, “DPA has quality, modern microphones with exceptional sound, which makes a huge difference in a production like ours. Austin City Limits and its performers are very interested in providing people with a unique experience. I think we really did that, and it had a lot to do with our partnership with DPA.
“The microphones are well-made; they hold up and are the easiest things in the world to set up. We had no issues with any of the microphones and it was a very smooth process for us right out of the box, which is super rad and appreciated.”
Specifically, the 4099 instrument microphones captured the sound of the 26-member symphony and 2011 twin diaphragm cardioid microphones were applied for percussion. Reynolds notes that while the venue provides performers with access to its microphone locker, many of them bring their own tools.
“One of the goals of Austin City Limits is for the shows to be completely artist-driven,” he says. “We don’t tell them what gear to use, what songs to play or even how long to play. We’re just here to support them, to ensure they have the best performance possible. We put a lot of effort into working with the teams to get the sound they are looking to achieve; one aspect of that is to provide the highest quality equipment, like DPA microphones. Since adding it to our gear list, there have been many artists who are super stoked to see the brand on our riders.”
