News

4 Jul 2019

Sydney Theatre Company Switches to CORE by DPA

Better dynamic range and improved resilience to harsh treatment on and off stage is a key reason why STC is investing in d:screet CORE 4061 Miniature Microphones.

 

Alleroed, Denmark. June 18th 2019: As a long-term user of DPA microphones, the Sydney Theatre Company (STC) has been quick to adopt the Danish manufacturer’s CORE by DPA amplifier technology, which has now been successfully incorporated into DPA d:screet Miniature, d:fine Headset and d:vote Instrument Microphones.

Already the owner of a substantial amount of DPA stock, STC recently added 75 d:screet CORE 4061 Miniature Omnidirectional Microphones to its inventory and is putting them to good use on a number of productions, including a new version of Tennessee Williams’ classic Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.

 

STC’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Photo Daniel Boud

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Ben Lightowlers, STC’s Head of Sound and Audio Visual, says: “Once the new CORE technology arrived, I was keen to put it through the rigours of a regular season at STC. The goal for us in Theatre is to not distract the audience with an obviously mic’d tonality but rather aim for a more naturalistic augmentation of the voice.

“The new CORE mics boast a more open frequency response, which is appealing when balancing vocal performances of varying dynamics in circumstances where some cast members are potentially quieter than others on stage.”

STC’s new d:screet microphones were supplied by DPA dealer Soundcorp, in conjunction with the company’s Australian distributor Amber Technology.

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STC’s DPA inventory also includes d:dicate 4017 Shotgun Microphones, d:fine Headset Microphones, d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones, d:facto™ Vocal Microphones and more legacy d:screet 4061 Miniature Microphones than Lightowlers can count.

STC fitting DPA mics

“In the 13 years I have been with STC, I estimate that we’ve purchased an average of fifty d:screet 4061s per year to service the main stage shows, of which there are 12-15 per year,” he says. “They have a good resilience to sweat, skin contact, quick wig or costume changes and other extreme conditions we put them through.

“In the past this has included actors hurling themselves down a slip’n’slide across stage through a pool of water while fully nude, to a chorus of cast conducting an intimate conversation in typhoon conditions, all the while remaining intelligible to our audiences. Sometimes an actor might not leave stage for the whole play or it might be that a production spans over six hours.”

Lightowlers adds that switching to DPA’s new CORE microphones gives STC more resilience and even better dynamic range. He is delighted with the results they are delivering and pleased that they integrate so well with STC’s fleet of radio transmitters. “I especially appreciate getting the microphones terminated to Lemo connectors at the factory,” he says.

STC’s new d:screet CORE 4061s have already been used on the theatre company’s longest-running production, The Wharf Revue, which is a musical parody of Australia’s current political landscape.

“The new CORE microphones rose to the occasion and established that they could stand up to the demands of a typical STC touring production,” Lightowlers says.

STC testing DPA for water resistance

“They are now being used for rehearsals for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof in which one actor has to take a shower on stage. Instead of being able to put a mic on the actor backstage after the shower, he needs to stay on stage until interval, so we’ll need to introduce a capsule cover. It will certainly be a fun test for the team, but nothing we haven’t overcome before.”

 

 

 

 

 

Lead image – STC’s Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Photo by Daniel Boud.

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