Grammy- Award winning American vocalists Patti Austin and Janis Siegel recently joined forces with Elisa Chan to perform two sold-out concerts in Hong Kong.
The concerts, which were organized by promoter Clarence Chang as part of his Jazz World Live Series, took place at the Hong Kong Baptist University in Kowloon Tong. All three ladies were equipped with DPA Microphones‘ d:facto Vocal Microphones.
“DPA Microphones have become a staple part of Mr. Chang’s Jazz World Live Series concerts because they are so reliable and of such high quality,” says John Lin, sound designer and front of house mix engineer.
“We have used d:facto Vocal Microphones on a number of occasions because the high profile international artists we work with really appreciate the clarity these microphones bring to their vocal performances. In the case of Patti, Janis and Elisa, this was especially noticeable because their voices cover such a wide dynamic range. Having a vocal microphone of this caliber meant we could deliver true studio sound quality on the live stage with barely any EQ adjustment.”
To add to the overall look, Ken Kimura, managing director of DPA’s APAC office, suggested using different color grids for the microphones.
“We make grids in a variety of finishes. For these concerts we fitted Patti Austin’s d:facto with a gold colored grid, while using a nickel finish on Janis Siegel and Elisa Chan’s microphones,” Kimura says. “Obviously, changing the color makes no difference to the sound quality, but it does bring a little extra theatre to the staging, which the ladies really appreciated.”
DPA microphones were also used for the backing band.
The piano was amplified with a matched stereo pair of d:dicate 4011A Cardioid Recording Microphones and d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones, while d:dicate 2011C Twin Diaphragm Cardioid Microphones were used for the snare, hi-hat and kick drum.
DPA’s d:vote 4099D Instrument Microphones were used for the toms and a pair of d:dicate 4011A Microphones were used for overheads. The double bass was also amplified by DPA because the bass player insists on using a d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphone for all his live performances.
“The concerts were an enormous success and the sound was crystal clear,” John Lin adds.
“All three ladies gave fantastic performances, particularly Patti Austin whose stage presence and voice were absolutely amazing and a perfect match for the d:facto Vocal Microphone. Using DPA for the Jazz World Live Series makes absolute sense because we can guarantee exceptional audio quality, and this in turn allows us to deliver a truly memorable experience for our audiences.”
