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DPA Mics Help Recreate Middle-Earth as Epic Musical Opens in West End
Following it successful run in Canada, the stage version of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings has arrived in London, transporting theatre-goers to the heart of Middle-earth for an unforgettable night of jaw-dropping theatricality never before seen on this scale in the West End. As in the original production, all 50 cast members are miked with DPA miniatures, using 4061s and 4066 omnis across the board, while some instruments are miked with a further selection of DPAs.
The stunning new onstage spectacle is scored throughout by legendary Indian composer AR Rahman and Finnish contemporary folk group, Värttinä, and played live by 17 musicians. Sound designer Simon Baker from Autograph, together with associate Alan Lugger and FOH mix engineer Laurie Kirkby, set out to create a crisp, clean and intelligible mix that was achieved almost exclusively with microphones from DPA.
In an unusual move to enhance the overall sound experience, Baker decided to move both the brass and percussion sections out of the orchestra pit and into a purpose built studio space upstage behind an LED wall.
“I felt that this was the only way to achieve some of the larger orchestral moments without compromising the string sound in the pit,” explains Baker. “It has also allowed us to mic the sections as we wanted rather than being dictated to by the physical constrictions of a West End pit. It was a gamble that has paid off really well.”
Baker has used DPA IMK4061 miniature instrument miking kits for the strings, DPA 4011 cardioids for horns and DPA 4041 large diaphragms for percussion and further strings, while DPA 4015 wide cardioids take care of more unusual ethnic instruments, which include a Jouhikko - an ancient, three-stringed Finnish bowed lyre - and Bouzouki.
“I love the transparency of the DPAs,” says Baker. “Due to way the orchestra is now segregated, with no spill between sections, you really appreciate the quality of the mics we are using.”
Meanwhile, the 50-strong cast are equipped with personal transmitters running either DPA 4061 miniatures or DPA 4066 omnidirectional miniature headbands.
“We have some tricky mic placements to do, particularly with Gollum,” says Baker. “DPAs are great in this situation: rugged and reliable. I am also reliant on them to perform well across a very broad dynamic range, not to mention inside the varied helmets and hats worn by the company. Our onstage sound team has done some great work in getting mics disguised into some very esoteric headwear.”
As theatre goers are entranced nightly by The Lords of the Rings’, they can enjoy the state of the art sound technology which blends seamlessly with traditional theatre as the epic fantasy unfolds before them.
20th August 2007
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