Working to improve the speech intelligibility in the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, in-house sound designers and audio engineers Karsten Wolstad and Jonas Vest found themselves with Danish distributor Interstage for a demonstration of Cedar Audio’s DNS 8 Live. A test on a live production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet followed, and the system became a fixture in the theatre.
‘We had read and heard about the DNS, but it seemed to be used primarily in broadcast installations where the dynamic range is typically much lower than it is for stage productions, so we were interested to see how it would perform in our surroundings,’ Wolstad says. ‘It’s rare that a product that promises so much actually delivers on those promises. But I have to say, it works damn well.
‘It’s also remarkable when a new product offers something genuinely new,’ he continues. ‘In this case, the DNS 8 Live makes discrete stage miking possible because it completely eliminates the ambient noise while retaining the ambient feeling that’s necessary to stop the sound reinforcement seeming artificial.’
‘The DNS 8 Live is the ideal partner for all types of live sound,’ says Finn Juul of Interstage. ‘It offers eight separate channels and a dynamic Learn function that adjusts the processing to compensate for changing noise conditions. What’s more, there’s no noticeable latency in Cedar’s DNS devices, so they don’t lose sync in relation to the live action. The total latency of the DNS 8 Live is about 0.2ms, so it can be used in all situations without problems.
‘We were able to show that it’s perfect for uses outside of broadcast, and is ideal for theatres, live shows, conferences, conventions and anywhere else where the sound can benefit from being “tightened up”. It minimises feedback and dampens unwanted interference such as reverberation and background from the audience, as well as noise from things such as spotlights, scenery, and flooring. That’s why it’s already used by several major European rental companies in their high-end equipment and large-scale event rigs.’
