Spanish Fork, UT – May 2017… With its mission to enrich the quality of life in the community through broadened availability, collaboration, promotion, education, and increased appreciation of the cultural arts, the Spanish Fork Arts Council runs the Spanish Fork Youth Theatre, which operates year-round. Productions can have as many as 80 youths in a single show, so the ability to have robust microphones with excellent performance attributes capable of withstanding the constant deployment from one performer to another is crucial. This is precisely why E6 Earset microphones from Menlo Park, CA-based Countryman Associates are routinely used.
Brent Harvey, operator of Pro Theater Systems LLC of Springville, UT, handles audio responsibilities at the Spanish Fork Youth Theatre. Harvey has worked in professional audio since 1988 with touring shows that house Broadway Across America (which brings Broadway shows to local theaters) and is also actively involved with corporate events and educational venues. Recently, he coordinated audio for the Spanish Fork Youth Theatre production of the Wizard of Oz, where Countryman E6 microphones had an integral role in the show. Harvey discussed his fondness for the E6 Earset microphones.
“I’ve been using Countryman microphones for a good 10-plus years,” Harvey reports. “For the Wizard of Oz, we used eight E6 Earset mics with Shure ULX Series wireless systems. When using wireless microphones with a large cast of youth, there is always the challenge of not having enough microphones. With Countryman’s E6, we can easily move the mics from one actor to another, which is no small task—given the time constraints of a show and the rough handling that frequently occurs as a result. The E6 provides a good secure fit that is easy to adjust, which makes the microphone comfortable to wear. Because of this, the talent is more comfortable and better able to focus on the show as opposed to being conscious of the microphone.”
“With other microphones, we always had to use alcohol to clean the kids’ skin, tape the mic to the face, and then be careful to prevent makeup or sweat getting into the mic,” Harvey added. “Equally important, the Villa Theatre—where the performances took place—is domed and can easily act as a parabolic reflector, which frequently results in feedback. The Countryman E6, however, has great feedback rejection and this aspect of the microphones’ performance characteristics helped tremendously.”
Having worked with Countryman microphones for so many years, questions inevitably arise. When asked about his experience with Countryman’s customer and technical support services, Harvey offered the following comments. “I find Countryman’s customer service representatives very knowledgeable and thorough when it comes to taking care of my company,” he said. “I met Chris Countryman at InfoComm a while back and told him about one of our E6 mic being stolen. He was very cordial and even offered to help us out.”
As he prepared to turn his attention back to business matters, Harvey offered these final thoughts regarding his experience with Countryman’s E6 Earset microphones, “I love the sound quality, the size, and the design of the E6. The ease of use and clarity of sound make using these mics a no brainer! They are, unquestionably, my favorite choice of wireless microphone for working with the Spanish Fork Youth Theater.”
To learn more about the Spanish Fork Arts Council and the Spanish Fork Youth Theatre, go to http://www.spanishfork.org/dept/parkrec/arts/. To learn more about the services of Brent Harvey and Pro Theater Systems LLC of Springville, UT, contact him at [email protected].
About Countryman Associates
For more than 30 years, Countryman has focused on developing microphones and accessories that deliver maximum gain before feedback, with the highest possible rejection of wind, vibration, interference, and other unwanted sounds. The result is warm, clear vocals in speaking and singing applications, delivering natural audio reinforcement that requires almost no attention from the sound engineer or the performer. For additional information about Countryman Associates, visit the company online at www.countryman.com.
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Photo Information: Brent Harvey
