Newest Mic Captures Authentic, High-clarity Sound for Broadcasting Events
DPA Microphones, a leading manufacturer of high-quality miking solutions, has launched its new 2017 Shotgun Microphone. Designed to capture authentic sound with high directivity, clarity, and consistency, the 2017 excels in challenging broadcast scenarios. With its durable design and ability to withstand any environment or extreme application, DPA’s newest solution is ideal for broadcast and live events, from traditional news and sports to location sound or musical performances.
“In an industry with a variety of shotgun microphones, we built the 2017 to stand out from the crowd,” says Helga Volha Somava, Product Management Director, DPA Microphones. “Measuring just 184mm (7.24 inches) in length, the 2017 is more compact than many popular solutions and still offers impressive technological features. From its durable construction and ease of use to its leading acoustical properties, the 2017 can capture the energy of any event. Whether it is used in fixed positions at facilities or on camera systems and booms, our goal was to create a dedicated, optimized broadcast and live sound microphone that rivals the competition and provides exceptional value for professionals.”
Designed to endure extreme weather and mechanical impact, the 2017 will hold up to travel and repeated use in harsh environments. The microphone persists in humid conditions and direct rain showers, as well as dry, arid environments. It has been tested for use in settings with temperatures up to 40°C (104°F) with 90 percent relative humidity, and cold environments as low as -40°C (-40°F). With a consistent ability to easily withstand the effects of moisture, the 2017 ensures that any broadcast or event can go live with incredible sound, no matter the setting or forecast.
Featuring a specifically designed capsule that is perfectly paired with a cutting-edge interference tube and microphone grid, the 2017 offers outstanding performance, both on- and off-axis. It has a high degree of off-axis rejection which permits the main source to stand out. This heavily attenuated off-axis audio is authentic and extremely usable for mixing into the entire soundscape.
Audio professionals can now pick up accurate, clean sounds from even the most minute sources—the thud of a foot meeting a ball, the brush of a jostled jersey or a reporter’s voice against a crowd, as well as loud, ambient audio when preferred. For broadcasts that take place at quieter locations, the 2017’s low self-noise promises just as excellent a performance, even in the presence of many open microphones.
DPA has also prioritized versatility with the 2017, creating an easy-to-set-up mic that is ideal not only for fixed or booming applications in live sports and news broadcasts, but also in the theatre on a FOH boom or fly bar; for indoor or outdoor booming while capturing location sound; or to pick up a musician’s ambient blend for in-ear monitoring during live musical performances.
ApexPro is the sole distributor of DPA microphones in Southern Africa. If you would like to experience the DPA 2017 Shotgun Microphone, reach out to Keith to book your demo.
Direct Connection to Milan AVB Network Launched at 2023 Renewal Festival
The dizzying ascent of bluegrass guitarist Billy Strings from van-and-trailer gigs to A-level arena touring is a testament to his complete mastery of traditional styles as well as his expansion of the genre into new realms of rock-influenced extended improvisations.
On the current leg of his 2023 amphitheater and arena tour, Strings is enveloping his growing legions of jam-band fans through a robust system based on Meyer Sound PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeakers. As with all recent tours, the system supplier on this outing is Nashville, Tennessee-based Major Tom US.
The regular tour schedule took a pause at the end of September for the third annual Billy Strings Renewal Festival in the mountain valley of Buena Vista, Colorado. Here, with the timely arrival of custom cabling and infrastructure from EMG, the tour’s complement of PANTHER loudspeakers became one of the first to connect all audio and telemetry directly to each loudspeaker cabinet via a Milan AVB network.
The manifold advantages of the latest Meyer Sound technologies were acknowledged by Charlie Bryson, who doubles as tour production manager and monitor engineer.
“In June we transitioned from the LEO and LYON system we had for the first part of the tour to the new PANTHER rig and it’s working out great on all fronts,” he reports. “Andy [Lytle], our FOH engineer, mixed on PANTHER at last year’s Peach Festival, and he loved it straight off the bat. Bluegrass is midrange-heavy by nature, which can be challenging with some systems, but with PANTHER the subtle tonal qualities of the instruments easily shine through. It doesn’t color the sound in any way.”
For Lytle, PANTHER hit the right note when he mixed his first set at the Peach Festival. “The main stage was under a tent enclosure, and that can make it really hard to mix instruments like banjo. But I immediately noticed how clean and clear the instruments sounded. Everything was distinct — never washy but cutting through cleanly.”
Walking each new venue during sound checks, Lytle has been impressed with PANTHER’s uniformity of coverage. “I walk up to the top levels and far corners, and the coverage has been awesome. Our systems tech, Jimmy Marsh, says it’s easy to get everything dialed in just right, which then makes it easier for me.”
In a typical arena configuration, the dual main arrays of 12-each PANTHER line array loudspeakers are bolstered on the low end by 12 1100‑LFC low-frequency control elements. Additionally, PANTHER loudspeakers are used as side hangs.
Putting on his production manager’s cap, Charlie Bryson appreciates the logistical advantages of the new PANTHER-based system. “Overall, the system is much smaller and lighter,” he observes. “The truck space for loudspeakers is close to half of what we needed before, and of course, the weight is drastically reduced. We are out on tour almost constantly, so the incremental savings on fuel consumption add up and make a significant difference.
“Also, it’s easier to rig in some challenging rooms, like the older large theaters with structural weight limits. With PANTHER, we can hang more boxes for better overall room coverage.”
The newly inaugurated complete Milan AVB connection incorporates primary and secondary networks using Luminex Gigacore 30i switches linked via Opticore trunk lines.
“The Milan network gives us easy control and information access to and from each box,” says Jimmy Marsh, the tour systems engineer. “And our cable looms are smaller while still having individual box tunings. Also, we are doing a wide range of venues over the year, so not being locked into a fixed number of zones per array really gives us more flexibility in array sizes.”
Billy Strings was just hitting his stride as a top-level touring act in 2019, following the release of his chart-topping album, Home, when the pandemic hit. Strings bridged the gap with a short series of drive-in parking lot concerts in 2020, deploying Meyer Sound LEOPARD systems provided by DBS Audio Systems of Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
For Andy Lytle, who has been mixing FOH for Strings since 2018, the relationship with Meyer Sound has been integral to the success of the band. “I remember in the earlier days when we did one-offs with Meyer Sound it sounded so good,” he recalls, “so it just made sense to continue. Every extended tour at this level has been with Meyer, and recently all from Major Tom US. They have been great not just with the Meyer rigs but the complete packages with console and other front-end gear.”
Bill Orner, Billy Strings’ manager, concurs. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Meyer Sound, Major Tom, and our amazing crew. It’s not every day that manufacturers, vendors, and crew align in such a beneficial way. The shows have never sounded better. It’s like it was all meant to be.”
By blending bluegrass artistry with a range of rock influences, Billy Strings has extended the boundaries of the genre to become the most popular bluegrass artist in a generation. Home won a Grammy award for Best Bluegrass Album, Strings has been named Entertainer of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Awards three times and twice selected as Artist of the Year by the Americana Music Association.
Billy String’s 2023 tour schedule extends through New Year’s Eve, with the final three shows at the Uno Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. In November, the tour jumps the Atlantic for 11 shows in Europe and the UK.
ApexPro is the premier distributor of Meyer Sound Solutions for the Southern Africa market, contact us to find out more.
Yumi Matsutoya — known as Yuming to her fans — has been one of the most popular musical artists in her native country of Japan for nearly a half-century. Her current in-the-round concert tour, entitled “The Journey,” has scheduled 54 arena shows and is expected to draw a total audience of 574,000. The tour’s ambitious staging centers around a pirate ship set, while the audio is powered by Japan’s first major touring deployment of Meyer Sound PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeakers.
Audio systems for the tour are supplied by Arté (Acoustic Reinforcement Technology Co.) rental division of S.C. Alliance in partnership with Artwiz, Meyer Sound’s Dealer for Japan. The Meyer Sound system was designed by Arté audio designer and system engineer Shoji Yuzawa with assistance from Meyer Sound Director of System Optimization Bob McCarthy.
The audio production confronted the typical challenges of in-the-round staging with further complications from the unusual set design. “The pirate ship motif pushed the array up high, but PANTHER had enough vertical to get the coverage we needed,” says McCarthy. “And for the horizontal, we used the wider PANTHER-W for the floor seating and transitioned to the narrower PANTHER-L to minimize overlap and maximize intelligibility in the upper bowl.”
The choice of PANTHER for the tour was particularly satisfying for Artwiz CEO Keiji Shigeta as he had mixed Yuming’s concert sound on 14 tours between 1981 and 1993.
“Japan has some of the world’s strictest regulations for touring systems regarding safety and electrical requirements,” notes Shigeta, “and the introduction of PANTHER has made it possible to offer greatly improved performance within these restrictions. The reduced size and weight met or exceeded all requirements for the tour, especially regarding sound quality.”
The touring system is anchored by eight hangs of 12-each PANTHER loudspeakers, with 16 1100‑LFC low-frequency control elements contributing a solid bottom end. Fills are 16 LEOPARD compact line array loudspeakers along with four ULTRA‑X40 compact loudspeakers, with system drive and optimization from three Galileo GALAXY Network Platforms.
FOH engineer Norihiko Tango of Star-Tech, Inc., who has mixed Yuming’s concerts for the past 30 years, found that the PANTHER system faithfully reproduced his mixes. “It is my image,” he says. “Of course, with in-the-round, I hear only one part of the sound, but with the system engineers led by Mr. Yuzawa, I am confident that any variances are quite small.”
“The Journey” across Japan with Yuming commenced on May 13 in Kanagawa and will close on December 28 in Nagoya. In nearly all cities the tour plays two to four concerts, either consecutively or later in the schedule. Although she has the draw to play single shows in larger stadiums, she prefers the relative intimacy afforded by smaller arenas.
Yuming has a special connection to Meyer Sound as some of her earlier tours played a pivotal role in the development of the company’s industry-leading audio measurement and system optimization tools.
“Yuming’s team asked me to join them for shows starting in 1987,” recalls Bob McCarthy. “This was the birthing phase of FFT analysis when we were developing the earliest multi-channel versions of SIM [Source Independent Measurement]. Her shows benefited from the most extensive tunings with an audience in place ever done at that time. Over the years, many of the techniques now common in system optimization were pioneered on her shows. It was very rewarding to meet up with old friends like Shigeta-san, Yuzawa-san and Tango-san to carry forward our work on the latest generation of Meyer Sound systems.”
During his tenure as FOH engineer, Shigeta mixed Yuming’s concerts on several generations of Meyer Sound systems, with main arrays built around MSL-3, MSL-5, MSL-10, M3D, and MILO loudspeakers.
Yumi “Yuming” Matsutoya launched her career in her teens as a session musician and has been active as a singer-songwriter since 1972. She charted her first number-one record in 1975, and subsequently enjoyed enormous success with hit singles and albums, particularly in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her musical style is strikingly original while also incorporating influences ranging from pop and rock to jazz and folk.
In early September, a small resort city nestled high in the Colorado Rockies was the center of the cinema world as scores of movie industry luminaries gathered for the 50th anniversary of the Telluride Film Festival.
Meyer Sound was again a key supporter of the festival, returning this year as a Signature Sponsor and Cinema Sound Partner. Meyer Sound cinema audio systems carried the soundtracks at four of the festival’s principal theaters, three of which were spaces temporarily repurposed for the weekend’s festivities.
“The Telluride Film Festival greatly appreciates our long-term partnership with Meyer Sound,” says Festival Director Julie Huntsinger, “as we continue to expand their extraordinary audio systems within our festival environment to support the artistic intentions of our world-class filmmakers.”
In recent years, the Telluride Film Festival has garnered a reputation as the “gateway to the awards season,” with an impressive list of Oscar-winning films making either their world or Western Hemisphere debut in this former mining town. Some films unveiled in Telluride that promise to take top honors on Oscar night include Rustin, Saltburn, All of Us Strangers, Poor Things, The Holdovers, and Nyad. The importance of the festival is underscored by the fact that all but two of the directors for the film premieres came to Telluride for the screenings of their films.
“We congratulate everybody at the Telluride Film Festival on their half century of success,” says Meyer Sound Executive Vice President Helen Meyer, “and we have been thrilled to be part of it for more than 10 years. Telluride gives us a rare opportunity to showcase our advanced cinema sound technologies to the global film community.”
Three of the large temporary theaters, the Palm (650 seats), the Galaxy (500 seats), and the Werner Herzog Theater (650 seats) are equipped with similar Meyer Sound screens and LFE systems. All three have Acheron cinema loudspeakers over Acheron LF low-frequency loudspeakers for the LCR channels, and all have X‑800C cinema subwoofers — ten each at the Palm and Herzog, nine at the Galaxy. The surround systems deploy HMS‑10 surround loudspeakers. The intimate (165 seats) Nugget, the only permanent cinema, also has Acheron screen loudspeakers, but without LFE units, and only five of the X-800C cinema subwoofers. Surrounds are the more petite HMS‑5 models.
For the Q&A sessions following many of the showings, three theaters offer temporary Meyer Sound PA systems with combinations of UPQ-1P or UPJ-1P loudspeakers with companion 750‑LFC low-frequency control elements or Amie‑Sub subwoofers. The Palm Theater — a transformed high school auditorium — has a permanent Meyer Sound PA system with M1D line array loudspeakers and 700-HP™ subwoofers.
Meyer Sound systems are permanently installed in other showcase venues for the film industry, including the DGA Theater in Los Angeles, operated by the Director’s Guild of America, and the Rose Theatre of Jazz at Lincoln Center, a preferred location for many New York film premieres. Also, Meyer Sound monitoring systems are in use at leading post-production studios around the globe, including Skywalker Sound and the Newman Scoring Stage at Fox Studio Lot in California; Warner Bros. De Lane Lea in London; Rotor Film in Potsdam, Germany; Semillero Estudios in Guadalajara, Mexico; Toei Studios in Kyoto, Japan; and Soundfirm in Melbourne, Australia.
“Meyer Sound is honored to once again be a trusted sound provider for the Telluride Film Festival,” says Meyer Sound Program Manager, Cinema and Residential Jay Wyatt. “Meyer Sound monitoring systems are increasingly the choice of film sound professionals when editing and mixing movie soundtracks, so it is only fitting that their peers in the broader film community — producers, directors, and actors — hear the films they have created with the same sound quality at the premiere showings.”
The lifelong commitment of Meyer Sound Co-founder, President, and CEO John Meyer to improving cinema sound was recognized when he was awarded the 2022 Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal by SMPTE, the international society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers. According to SMPTE, the honor was bestowed “in recognition of his contributions to the design, measurement, and analysis of cinema speaker electronics for cinema mixing, review, and exhibition facilities.”
ApexPro is the premier distributor of Meyer Sound Solutions in Southern Africa, contact us for more information.
General Manager Jeff Weinkauf trusts DPA Microphones for clear and authentic audio.
Photo Credit: Dan Olybrych with Hult Center for the Performing Arts
As one of the only performing arts centers of its caliber in the area, Hult Center for the Performing Arts regularly welcomes audiences from as far away as Portland, Oregon and the California Bay Area. In the venue’s 2,447-seat main hall, viewers can enjoy shows by Hult’s resident companies, which includes the Eugene Ballet and Eugene Symphony, as well as established touring artists, Broadway musicals and comedy shows. In the second, 495-seat hall, Hult Center provides up-and-coming acts with a space to perform, hoping to catalyse new artist growth and development.
Since opening in 1982, the Hult Center has prided itself on offering exquisite audio for each act that comes through its doors, no matter how large or small. To accomplish this mission, the venue entrusts General Manager Jeff Weinkauf, who pulls from his years of theatre sound design experience to provide solutions with crystal clear, authentic audio. A longtime user of DPA Microphones, Weinkauf credits the brand’s reliability, durability, and natural sound replication for its prominence in the industry.
Since starting at Hult Center, Weinkauf has incorporated several DPA solutions, including the 4060 and 4061 Miniature Omnidirectional, 6060 Subminiature Lavalier, and esteemed 4099 Instrument Mics. Continually impressed by the long-lasting quality of DPA’s mics, Weinkauf also recently added the brand’s 2011 Twin Diaphragm and new 4055 Kick Drum Microphones to Hult Center’s lineup. “Durability is absolutely key to our business,” says Weinkauf. “The demanding conditions and daily use can prove difficult for some microphones, but DPA mics stand up to our day-to-day demands. That durability and reliability is extremely important to us. Once we invest in a premium tool, we need it to deliver consistently and DPA mics provide a level of consistency unheard of with other brands.”
Built to provide that same reliable and natural sound quality, DPA’s 4055 Kick Drum Mic is filling an important role for the theatre. “The 4055 has not disappointed,” Weinkauf shares. “We had been using the previous industry kick drum mic; once we introduced the 4055, we could hear an immediate difference. I can put it in a kick drum and hear the natural sound of the instrument―every boom and effect. The audio team reports that they feel like they actually hear the drum now, as opposed to an effect placed on the drum. This is especially rewarding when you have a great instrument, knowing you can hear its natural sound, and not the mic.”
Weinkauf has found that these same results can be expected from the six 4099 Instrument Mics that the Hult Center utilizes, most prominently on two Steinway grand pianos. “I’ve always liked how transparent, natural and phase coherent DPA mics are,” he says. “After we added the 6060s, we started looking for something to mic our grand pianos. We initially tried the most expensive mics and esoteric solutions from around the world, but nothing ever captured the piano and presented it in a way that felt natural. It was during this process that we came across the 4099s. As soon as we put them on the piano, we knew they were exactly what we were looking for.
They’re great multi-use microphones that we throw on almost anything, like guitars or violin, but we especially love it for piano. They’re easy to use, very ergonomic and fit in transparently―both visually and sonically. Our sound engineers have even told me that they use far less equalization and processing in general now that we have these mics. The 4099s are consistently true to what you’re miking.”
Weinkauf particularly appreciates DPA’s transparent and accurate sound reproduction when miking orchestras like the Eugene Symphony, for which he relies on the 2011 Twin Diaphragm Mic for strings. “Because of the 2011’s natural translation, it takes less time and manipulation to get the results we want. Our instruments are more truly represented,” he shares. “Our workflow is ultimately faster, thanks to having the right mic, the correct placement and good gain structure.”
Already a DPA supporter for many years, Weinkauf happily awaits any new mic releases that come from the brand and plans to continue implementing its solutions at Hult Center into the future. “When I reach for a DPA product, I know it’s going to sound like the instrument I’m miking,” he adds. “I don’t have to do a lot of work to make it sound good, which makes for a nicer listening experience. After growing up running audio, I know what I’m going to reach for most of the time. DPA is the first microphone brand that I grab consistently. This is becoming even more prominent as we build out our mic locker at Hult Center.”
The Hult Center for the Performing Arts prides itself on strengthening and supporting the more than 700 artistic performances that come through the Oregon area each year. Throughout July, attendants can enjoy a series of shows from the Oregon Bach Festival, workshops and performances by the Missoula Children’s Theatre as well as comedic acts, such as those from Emmy- and GRAMMY®-nominated comedian, writer, radio contributor, and actor Tig Notaro.
Contact Keith at ApexPro to find out how you can access DPA Microphone technology in the Southern African Market
Trinity Christian Academy (TCA), a growing college preparatory Christian school in Willow Park, Texas, recently debuted a new home for its football team – Eagle Stadium – with seating for 1000, an OES digital scoreboard, and a sound reinforcement system headed by Electro-Voice and Dynacord components.
TCA Trinity Christian Academy’s new football stadium
Since its launch in 1993, the school has partnered with other local schools to use its sports facilities. Eagle Stadium is the first part of a multi-million dollar three-phase project that includes baseball and softball fields and track facilities.
Colby Howerton, U.S. southwest regional sales rep for London, Ontario-based OES Scoreboards recommended one Electro-Voice MTS-4153 three-way point-source loudspeaker mounted on the scoreboard for full audio coverage of the field and seating areas. The selected MTS-4153-64 version features a 60° x 40° coverage pattern. Designed for large-scale applications, the MTS-4153 combines four 15” woofers with dual coaxial mid/high compression drivers via a single waveguide in a design focused on cohesive high output with a strong bass response.
“The school was looking for a digital scoreboard and sound reinforcement solution that would provide audio coverage on the field and stands while offering the visibility the fans need,” explains Howerton. “To mount the loudspeaker to the scoreboard, our engineering team designed a custom bracket for the top of the center I-beam. The bracket fits the shape and bolt pattern of the bottom of the MTS loudspeaker and was easy to disguise with a scrim featuring the Eagles mascot.”
The fully weatherized MTS loudspeaker is driven by a Dynacord IPX10:4 power amplifier for fixed installations equipped with OMNEO IP networking architecture enabling Dante and OCA/AES70 networking. IPX models deliver 96 kHz DSP with low latency and a high signal-to-noise ratio and are equipped with technologies for added energy efficiency and system protection.
The amplifier is rack-mounted in the press box along with a Dynacord MXE5 Matrix Mix Engine that serves as a control center and communications hub for system devices and IP-based peripherals. The system is easily controlled and monitored via a Dynacord TPC-1 touch panel controller working with the mix engine. Using SONICUE Sound System Software, installers can freely configure the TPC-1 interface screen with customizable controls that are enhanced by images, such as schematic diagrams, school colors or corporate logos.
“One of the features the school required was a system that could easily grow,” adds Howerton. “Not only might the stadium itself expand with additional guest seating, but the additional phases will require networked systems. This system allows for all that and more – it seems simple, but it’s quite sophisticated. This was one of the first applications done with an MTS loudspeaker, and we will recommend similar packages again.”
