A large quantity of DPA microphones were used for the opening ceremony of WOMEX, a world music festival held in Copenhagen. Held at Danish Broadcasting’s brand new Koncerthuset concert venue, The Great Nordic Night featured artists from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Samiland and Greenland.
Torben Sminge, an experienced live sound engineer working mainly with acoustic music, knew exactly what to expect when asked to handle sound for the ceremony. “Firstly I had to deal with lots of instruments with very low acoustic output, such as violins, acoustic guitars, mandolas, and ethnic Nordic instruments like the nøgleharpe and hardanger fiddle,” he says. “These were instruments that I needed to amplify a lot while still keeping them sounding very natural and ‘acoustic’. This introduces the problem of feedback from stage, especially in this setup where a drum kit was part of the orchestra.
“Another problem was using a massive amount of stands and microphones, which can block the view of the audience and limit the movements of the performer. I think every FOH engineer has experienced the feeling of being helpless as the artist gets carried away and moves away from the microphone. As this show was also being broadcast for the radio I had to look for another solution.”
Sminge had worked with the new DPA 4099 clip microphone and was confident they could solve his problem. He carefully worked out mic placements with the 4099 to deliver a balanced and natural sound on both strings and horns. But the real test came when miking up the accordion. “The 4099 proved itself by delivering the best accordion sound I have ever got on a live stage,” he says.
The show had a very short rehearsal period, making it crucial to get the selection of microphones right the first time. It also involved a lot of changeover between the performers, with some acts entering from different places in the concert hall, making it necessary to use wireless solutions.
“In each case the DPA 4099 proved itself to be the solution I have been looking for for years,” he says. “I used it for acoustic guitars, mandolas, mandolins, violin, viola, bass, hardanger fiddle, accordion, alto and soprano saxophone and cowhorn. I was pleased with everything, and didn’t feel in anyway that I had cut corners. I was using a lot of these condenser mics on stage, and I had no problem with feedback.”
Sminge also used some DPA 4011 cardioids for the bass clarinet, a DPA 4021 cardioid for the cello and a DPA 4066 omnidirectional headband mic, which worked wonders for the flute player who was playing several different kinds of flutes.
“I was very pleased with the performance of the DPA mics, especially the 4099s,” he concludes. “I already knew what to expect from the more established DPA mics, as I bought my first set of DPA 4007s some 20 years ago! The performers were also very happy with the microphones as they could hear that they sounded great, and were in no way restricted in their movements.”
As a final seal of approval for the DPA 4099 range, Sminge purchased one of his own after the concert. “I am a trumpet player myself, and have already bought a 4099T for my own jazz performances,” he says.
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