After climbing nearly 5,000 meters above sea level. In the Himalaya, the Reynolds Sound & Lighting Services audio team was charged with miking a person who would be speaking for long periods of time – and could not be physically touched. The occasion was the Kalachakra 2014 prayer meeting, where the Dalai Lama would address nearly 200,000 followers.
The solution – to the miking at least – was found in DPA Microphones’ d:fine Dual-Ear cardioid headset mic, which was supplied from the company’s US office.
‘One of the biggest challenges for us was that the Dalai Lama would speak for about five hours every day, so we needed a high-quality microphone that would provide excellent gain before feedback, excellent off axis rejection and low noise floor,’ explains Felix Remedios, owner of Reynolds Sound & Lighting Services. ‘This event focuses on His Holiness speaking to a crowd of 100 to 200 thousand people over a number of days. This would be stressful on anyone’s voice, and required the assurance of long-term comfort and the ability to maintain critical placement. The DPA d:fine made it possible for us to ensure that his voice was loud and clear, and that all of the attendees could hear every word he spoke.’
The event was held in a field equivalent to the length of four football fields, with the audience almost a kilometer away from the stage. ‘We had to be really careful to ensure that his voice was heard across the whole venue,’ Remedios says. ‘In addition to needing perfect reliability, given only one mic for a large audience, there was a high level of stage monitoring requirements for the surrounding Monks.
‘I had contacted my friend and colleague Ron [Lorman] in New York, and explained that I was unsure that my previous mics would have the amount of gain that I needed. We additionally discussed the unique monitor needs for this event, as it was mandatory that the source element provided a flat response with substantial rear rejection. Ron recommended the d:fine products and he put me in touch with the company during a visit to the US. DPA Inc supplied me with four mics to try out, which I brought back to India. My team was extremely happy with the quality.’
Once the mics travelled into the Himalayas, the Reynolds team, led by Sound Engineer Suresh J, put them to the test for the first time: ‘We chose to use the cardioid version of the mic for the Kalachakra,’ Remedios says. ‘We had never used DPA mics before, but one of the first things we noticed was that there was no coloration in the signal. His Holiness’ voice sounded extremely natural and transparent, and we were able to get the gain levels we wanted. The DPA d:fine is certainly a quantum leap forward from what we are used to, both in signal levels from the mic and overall quality of the design.’
In addition to the location of the prayer meeting, the set-up of the stage and personal preferences of His Holiness also provided a unique set of challenges. The Dalai Lama sits on a throne, surrounded by senior monks: ‘Since we have worked with him for several years, we know that the microphone must always be placed beside him on stage so he or a member of his team can put it on him,’ continues Remedios. ‘In order for a mic to get the perfect amount of gain it must sit exactly in the correct position. Happily, the DPA d:fine is designed in a manner that even an untrained person can affix the mic. The Dalai Lama’s media team representative, Jigme Tsering, was able to fit it onto His Holiness each day. It worked out so well that on the last day the Dalai Lama put the microphone on himself and was very pleased.
‘The Dalai Lama’s media team was so pleased with the quality of the microphone that they asked to keep it for his smaller prayer meetings,’ Remedios adds. ‘Of course, we obliged and gifted them one. We also decided to follow suit. As one of the largest audio rental companies in the country, we work with the biggest corporate houses for several important, large-scale events. We plan to use DPA on all of them.’
More: www.dpamicrophones.com
