London, UK (January 6, 2015)—Known for her lush, emotional pop music, UK songstress Kate Bush returned to the concert stage for the first time in 35 years this past fall, performing a string of 22 sold-out shows in London’s Hammersmith Apollo. Sound reinforcement was supplied by UK audio provider Delta Sound, with Greg Walsh handling sound design and FOH engineering; the late Ian Newton mixing monitors; and engineer Stephen Taylor responsible for processing the singer’s vocals, which were captured via DPA microphones.
Walsh used the shows to try DPA’s handheld d:facto vocal microphone for the first time, using five for the Chorus and two for Bush herself. DPA also created a custom headset mic with a d:facto 4018V capsule for Bush as well.
“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.”
“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 says. “They were small enough to be concealed in a life jacket and were also very resilient to water ingress.”
For the Hammersmith Apollo shows, Walsh specified DPA’s d:vote 4099 instrument microphones for a number of instruments, including percussionist Mino Cinelu’s rig, which included the bougarabou, djembe and floor tom. “Their small profile allowed us greater positioning flexibility and the supercardiod pattern gave us tight focus on the sound source and excellent rejection,” said Walsh.
Walsh also chose a DPA d:dicate 4011 recording microphone as a central focus mic for shakers and other handheld percussion, wireless DPA d:screet 4060 miniature omnidirectional microphones for the accordion and tambourine, and a wireless d:vote 4099 instrument microphone for the djembe in the ‘minstrel’ sections of the show.
Delta Sound
http://www.deltasound.uk
DPA Microphones
www.dpamicrophones.com
