Leens, Netherlands (November 23, 2021)―When Petruskerk van Leens, one of Holland’s oldest churches, decided to introduce live streaming to bring mass and its beloved, restored organ’s music into the homes of parishioners during COVID-19, it called on Bart Hof, owner of HOF AV, who recommended DPA Microphones.
“In my opinion, when it comes to the equipment, the simpler and more straightforward way that you approach music is actually the best way to handle audio in a natural way,” Hof says. “With DPA mics, it’s just a matter of connecting it, and you get this natural sound with no compromise at all.”
For Petruskerk, HOF installed one stereo pair of DPA’s 4060 series miniature omnidirectional microphones with extension cables as overheads, approximately 10 to 15 meters (33 to 49 feet) above the organ. This approach was chosen after listening to the organ and testing how the mics reacted to certain levels. Rounding out the AV install was a Roland audio mixing console, which the DPA 4060 mics are plugged into, and a variety of Panasonic 2K cameras running on SDI.
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“Through our testing, we found that we didn’t have to put the mics too close to the organ, since the sound of this organ is so huge,” Hof explains. “You have to balance the audio for broadcast or streaming, so we run the mics directly into the mixing console. With the paired mics, we were able to acoustically and electronically match them together, so there is no EQ’ing needed at all, just panning left right, and that’s it. In my opinion, that’s the way it should work.”
Since the microphones are so diminutive and able to fade into the background, Hof says they further proved to be the best solution, especially for streaming, as they are not seen — just heard. In addition, the ease of use was also a big factor.
“The majority of the people running the AV equipment are volunteers,” Hof adds. “To have the equipment run and sound smooth for them is a huge priority. The church and its volunteers are all so positive and enthusiastic about the result of the live stream and how it sounds. Their parishioners, both local and around the world, have truly enjoyed the weekly services that Petruskerk provides to them.”
