The ‘epic biblical adventure’ Godspeed: A Rock Opera enjoyed a limited showing at the El Portal Theatre in Hollywood, recently, where it was supported by a six-piece rock band and 16 singers and dancers. In order to address its mix opera and rock, music composer and Emmy-nominated TV Show Creator Sammy Oriti selected DPA Microphones’ d:fine 88 Directional Headset Microphones for all of his vocalists.
‘Our FOH engineer Dennis Moody had a great mix for our preview show at El Portal, which is a live room,’ he explains. ‘I expected problems, but DPA’s d:fine Headsets provided 12 channels of lead and background vocals. Many audience members believed we were running playback harmonies, but it was all live.’
With plans to take the show on the road in Manila, Philippines, Oriti and Moody are already aiming to add DPA to their tour rider: ‘It would be foolish to try out a different product when we just had a successful experience with all 16 singers on stage,’ Oriti says. ‘We noticed that the DPA mics did not distort like the handheld brand we used previously and the flat frequency response proved to work much better.’
Though the production team used a competitor handheld microphone for the four singers who portrayed Pontius Pilate and the Pharisees, they are considering making a change to their equipment on the road. In order to use the microphones in a wireless arrangement, the duo chose Lectrosonics transmitters: ‘The mics and the transmitters worked amazingly together,’ says Oriti. ’We had zero problems with frequencies and nothing but a clear signal.’
Having selected DPA on Moody’s recommendation, Oriti says there is a ‘spectacular difference in quality’ from his previous headsets to which he had been loyal to for years. ‘There is no feedback and no bleed. The mics were very present in the mix and have great tone. We also recorded our Saturday night performance and, when we played it back in the studio, we were surprised by how little background noise got picked up. I’m sold on DPA Microphones for sure,’ he says.
Jay Baumgardner at NRG Studios mixed the production. Since it’s a rock opera, Oriti wanted to ensure that it did not sound like just another musical. While it was originally filmed for archive and to promote future bookings, Oriti is also considering releasing the film as a potential concert performance on Netflix.
As Godspeed was initially written and produced for charity fundraising purposes, Oriti says the opera would not have been possible without the use of DPA Microphones, Lectrosonics and Ambisonic Systems, which provided the full-range line arrays for the theatre. ‘Godspeed really did get a lot of love from these brands. ‘I am thankful that I listened to Dennis and specified DPA for the production. Thank you to DPA’s product specialist, James Capparelle, for helping with the mic selection and to the representatives from all of our supporters.’
A two-time Emmy-nominee, Oriti was a recent recipient of the United Nations’ Global Officials of Dignity (GOD) Awards, which is presented to ‘the greatest humanitarians of the world.’ Supported by Executive Producers Richard and Esther Stewart, Oriti brought Godspeed: A Rock Opera to life with the help of Cirector and Choreographer Jeffrey Polk, Musical Director Michael Lee and Casting Director Peter Wise.
