The 56-date Renaissance Tour by Beyoncé that concluded last October saw monitor engineer James Berry employing a range of DPA Microphones, including the new 2017 shotgun, in his work on her live performances as well as the recently released Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.
“We did some beta testing with the 2017 and it ended up being a great crowd mic,” Berry explains. “The clarity and range of it was so full; we were able to cover more area with no distortion through the PA. I didn’t get any of that high-end distortion you hear with other shotguns. You can really ride it without getting any of that crunchiness you usually experience when the audience gets loud. I also didn’t have to high pass this shotgun as much as I do with others, which is rare.”
The 2017s were employed for the live show recordings done at the Houston stops for the film. “We flew twelve 2017s from the ceilings of the catwalk to capture the upper levels of the stadium,” Berry explains. “The small size of the microphones really helped to hide it within the camera platforms and front of house decks.”
Berry also deployed the 4017 shotgun and 5100 surround sound mics for the crowd as well as 4099 instrument, 4011 cardioid condenser and 4055 kick drum mics throughout the band. The team hung 4017 shotguns on the ceilings and placed them in other areas around the floor. To capture the crowd’s energy while recording, they had to work around the tour’s unique stadium set, which was very wide with a thrust down the middle. For this, sixteen 5100s were used in a chase sequence to capture the audience in front of the artist whenever she went on stage.
“We really took those 5100s through the ringer,” says Berry. “We had them outdoors the entire time, even in the wind and rain. When it’s downpouring, you’re not always going to want to tear down and collect all those mics, so we used the weather protection covers and windsocks, which didn’t affect the sound. It was still the same crystal-clear audio, and we never lost a mic in the rain, which is a win-win for me.”
He adds that the 5100 was initially selected as a crowd mic for Beyoncé’s in-ears: “A couple of the band members used this audio, but the feed was mainly for Beyoncé. She likes to feel the audience and be a part of it, so that was the main drive behind our setup. We placed the 5100s downstage to capture the audience in front of the artist and the 2017s on the far outside to catch the upper seating, and we achieved great results. In total, we had around 128 channels of audience mics for our recorded shows, which fed from the 5100s and the shotguns — it always provided a fullness from the crowd. There’s nothing like being able to trust your audience mic setup.”
After more than two decades in the touring industry, Berry has worked alongside some of the biggest names in music, including Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Kings of Leon and Ms. Lauryn Hill. When not touring, the engineer likes sharing his technical skills and experience with audio professionals across the U.S. He notes that his passion for teaching and helping others drives him, and he feels fortunate to not only learn on the road but pass that knowledge on to others.
