Veteran front of house engineer Rick Camp is taking the Earthworks WL40V wireless microphone capsule on the road with Jennifer Lopez as she heads out for another world tour.
Camp, who has has also worked with Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, The Temptations, Mary J. Blige, and Kelly Clarkson—among many—first learned about the Earthworks WL40V capsule from Tim Kidwell, who does sound for Frankie Beverly and Maze.
“Tim showed me how well the WL40V rejected sound,” recalls Camp. “During a performance Frankie would always turn around and walk straight toward the drum set, and his stage volume was always incredibly loud. The Earthworks capsule just rejected all of the sound from the drums.”
About a year later, Camp had an opportunity to use the WL40V capsule himself on Lopez’s Sony DWX digital wireless system. “I’m an endorser of Sony wireless microphones, and in talking with my rep from Sony, he told me how the new Sony DWX series wireless mics were designed to use interchangeable mic capsules,” explains Camp. “He mentioned that one of the interchangeable capsules was the Earthworks WL40V. I told him that I had actually heard one of the Earthworks mic capsules in action, and that I wanted to try it.”
He continues, “The thing that impresses me with the WL40V is that the pickup pattern is really tight, which rejects all the stage noise coming in from the rear and sides,” explains Camp. “When a singer turns toward a drum set or guitar amp, it rejects all of that. The rear rejection is just great.
“I also love the sound of the Earthworks capsule. It’s crystal clear and sounds like a studio mic on stage. The WL40V has a very smooth response and I love that, especially when Jennifer is on a ramp, 50 feet out in front of the PA speakers.”