LONDON — Greg Walsh, FOH engineer for Kate Bush, used DPA Microphones’ d:vote 4099, d:dicate 4011, d:screet 4060 and d:vote 4099 to capture the sound of various instruments accompanying Kate Bush’s Before the Dawn series of performances at London’s Hammersmith Apollo.
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For those shows, Walsh specified DPA Microphones’ d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones for a number of instruments, including percussionist Mino Cinelu’s rig, where they worked well on the bougarabou, djembe and floor tom. He also specified a d:dicate 4011 Recording Microphone as a central focus mic for shakers and other handheld percussion, wireless d:screet 4060 Miniature Omnidirectional Microphones for the accordion and tamborine, and a wireless d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphone for the djembe in the minstrel sections of the show.
After 35 years away from the live stage, the much-anticipated concerts received high praise from reviewers and fans, who frequently commented on the exceptional audio quality and the clarity of Kate’s vocals.The decision to use DPA microphones was made following extensive testing by Greg Walsh and the production team, which included renowned audio engineer Stephen Taylor who was responsible for Bush’s vocal processing and monitor engineer Ian Newton, who sadly passed away earlier this month.
“I knew about DPA, having originally discovered Bruel and Kjaer [DPA’s predecessor] in the mid-1980s,” Walsh says. “The larger capsule microphones such as the original B&K 4007 have been my first choice for acoustic guitar, drum overheads or ambient pairs for percussive and orchestral sources ever since. The small profile of the d:votes afforded us greater positioning flexibility and the supercardiod pattern gave us tight focus on the sound source and excellent rejection. Despite their small size, the d:votes proved to be very robust and reliable. They were quiet, had excellent transient response and gave me a very workable natural sound.
The Before the Dawn shows also gave Walsh an opportunity to try DPA’s handheld d:facto Vocal Microphone for the first time. “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.”
In total, seven d:facto microphones were used on stage – five for the chorus and two for Bush. DPA also created a custom headset mic with a d:facto 4018V capsule that allowed Bush to perform with her hands free. “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 explains. “They were small enough to be concealed in a life jacket and were also very resilient to water ingress.”
Since completing the Before the Dawn shows, Walsh has been working on other projects, including a recent concert in Russia that involved a rock band and a 64 piece orchestra. “I had no hesitation in specifying DPA d:votes for the orchestra, all members of which were individually miked,” he says. “DPA is an excellent company and provided fantastic support. I have known many of the team, in particular Ralph Dunlop and Pete Wandless, for many years and would like to thank them for their support.”
