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KD Lang’s Strings Sing with DPA IMK4061 Instrument Miking Kits
KD Lang’s world tour rolled across Europe throughout November and December, and a vital part of her inventory included DPA Microphones’ IMK4061 kits to mic her string quartet two violins, a viola and a cello - with another used on acoustic guitar.
During the US leg of her tour, as Lang was performing with local symphony orchestras, theatrical sound technician Mac Johnson, who has much experience of miking orchestras, was hired to join the tour. Throughout Europe, Lang was mostly accompanied by the string quartet and her band, but in London the production was joined by the 38-piece string section of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Accordingly, additional DPA 4060 miniature microphones with string mounts were hired in from Surrey-based rental company Sound Hire to individually mic each instrument, with Johnson supervising.
Johnson first encountered the DPA miniature microphone range as the production engineer on the Broadway tour of The King And I in 1997. "My role is really one of translator," he says. "I’m sensitive to theatrical and orchestral needs: what the orchestra and conductor need in terms of lighting and sound, and I¹m instrumental in interfacing our show with the orchestra."
Johnson believes that DPA’s miniature range are the best microphones available for stringed instruments. "They have a great sound and the mounting accessories make them extremely easy to use," he says. "I’ve also used them as vocal mics as the dynamic range of a voice is similar to that of a violin, so it’s just as critical."
Johnson admits that he chose the DPA IMK4061 at first glance. "When I saw the kit I realised that would make it very simple to apply the mic to the instrument," he says. "Overall, the IMK4061 is a great package that comes with a great sounding, extremely reliable microphone. The cables are long enough to attach to the chairs instead of the music stands, and the way they are positioned on the instruments makes them almost invisible to the audience."
In addition, Johnson, owner of South-Carolina-based sound company NBS, believed it prudent to conduct a series of tests to determine whether he was being influenced by the kit itself, or because he¹d used the microphone before. "We did lots of scientific analysis on cabling and handling noise across the whole gamut of microphone brands, and the DPAs were so much closer to a calibrated class of mic," he says. "They didn’t have an actual sound themselves and that was what we liked about them the most the ability to convey the strings in a clear, transparent way.
16th December 2004
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