Sound designer and front of house engineer Greg Walsh utilized a selection of DPA microphones to capture the sound of Kate Bush’s recent “Before the Dawn” concert series at London’s Hammersmith Apollo.
Walsh specified DPA Microphones’ d:vote 4099 mics for a number of instruments, including percussionist Mino Cinelu’s rig, where they worked well on the bougarabou, djembe and floor tom. He also applied a d:dicate 4011 recording mic as a “central focus” mic for shakers and other handheld percussion, wireless d:screet 4060 miniature omni mics for the accordion and tamborine, and a wireless d:vote 4099 mic for the djembe in the minstrel sections of the show.
After 35 years away from the live stage, the concerts received high praise from reviewers and fans.The decision to use DPA microphones was made following extensive testing by Walsh and the production team, which included audio engineer Stephen Taylor, who was responsible for Bush’s vocal processing, and monitor engineer Ian Newton, who sadly passed away earlier this month.
“I knew about DPA, having originally discovered Bruel and Kjaer [DPA’s predecessor] in the mid-1980s,” Walsh says. “The larger capsule microphones such as the original B&K 4007 have been my first choice for acoustic guitar, drum overheads or ambient pairs for percussive and orchestral sources ever since. The small profile of the d:votes afforded us greater positioning flexibility and the supercardiod pattern gave us tight focus on the sound source and excellent rejection. Despite their small size, the d:votes proved to be very robust and reliable. They were quiet, had excellent transient response and gave me a very workable natural sound.”
The “Before the Dawn” concertsw also gave Walsh an opportunity to try DPA’s handheld d:facto vocal mic for the first time. “Finding a vocal microphone with a dynamic range capable of capturing the broad range of vocal performance and styles was obviously paramount,” Walsh explains. “We tested most of the available handheld microphones before deciding that the d:facto was the right choice. We opted for the wireless version, which we used with a Shure UHF-R system, and it proved to be very reliable and stable.”
In total, seven d:facto mics were used on stage—five for the chorus and two for Bush. DPA also created a custom headset mic with a d:facto 4018V capsule that allowed Bush to perform with her hands free. “We also used two DPA d:screet 4060 microphones for the filmed segments of the show, which were shot in a water tank at Pinewood,” Walsh adds. “They were small enough to be concealed in a life jacket and were also very resilient to water ingress.”
Since completing the shows, Walsh has been working on other projects, including a recent concert in Russia that involved a rock band and a 64 piece orchestra. “I had no hesitation in specifying DPA d:votes for the orchestra, all members of which were individually miked,” he concludes. “DPA is an excellent company and provided fantastic support. I’ve known many of the team, in particular Ralph Dunlop and Pete Wandless, for many years and would like to thank them for their support.”