DPA microphones, including the newly-launched 4099 instrument mic range, were used for the grand opening ceremony of a major new Swedish venue, the Malmö Super Arena.
The microphones were rented by DPA Soundco, a Danish rental company situated in the Örestad region, for this joint Swedish/Danish venture.
With a capacity of 15,000 for concerts and 12,500 for sports, the Super Arena is the largest in southern Scandinavia, able to attract international performers and pro sports, particularly ice hockey.
The opening ceremony featured a group of Swedish musicians playing alongside the Malmo Symphony Orchestra, a 300-piece choir and eight solo artists, giving a total of more than 200 input channels into the sound system. The musical theme for the shows was The Wonder of Swedish Music, drawing from such influences as early folklore, ABBA, Roxette, Europe, Robyn etc.
Discreet miking solutions were needed for 52 string instruments. “For this we saw no other option than the proven DPA 4061 miniature omnidirectional with MHS6001 rubber holder, which we used for the 26 violas, cellos and basses,” says Michael Krogh from DPA Soundco.
“For the 26 number one and two violins we saw an opportunity to try out the new 4099 instrument mics. We had previously obtained astonishing results testing the DPA 4080 miniature cardioid mic in critical acoustic environments, and had high expectations of the new mics.
“With a huge speaker system covering a 15,000-seater arena the mantra is headroom, headroom and headroom. Twenty-six supercardioid 4099s gave us an edge on the violin section.”
For the show host, as well as guest speakers, Krogh elected to use 4066 omni and 4088 cardioid miniature headband mics. “What can I say – there is no discussion,” he says. “In this particular field DPA Microphones have become the defacto standard and are widely accepted, even on closeup TV. Fortunately we have a great deal of them in stock!”
Two 4023 compact cardioids mounted on Flamingo stands were an elegant solution for the show’s opera singer, while two 4011 cardioids were used for overhead percussion, and 4017 shotguns picked out vocals from the choir.
“The 4011 and 4023 cardioids are eminent microphones with superb sonic qualities,” continues Krogh. “As for the 4017, with any shotgun – or microphone for that matter – you would expect to lose warmth at that distance, but having a linear off-axis response brings the 4017 ahead of the game.”
For more information:
DPA Website
