American vocalists Patti Austin and Janis Siegel recently joined forces with Hong Kong diva Elisa Chan for two sell-out concerts in the Jazz World Live Series recently. The concerts were staged at the Hong Kong Baptist University in Kowloon Tong, where all three used DPA d:facto Vocal Microphones.

‘DPA Microphones have become a staple part of the Jazz World Live Series concerts because they are so reliable and of such high quality,’ says sound designer and FOH mix engineer, John Lin. ‘We have used d:facto Vocal Microphones on a number of occasions because the high-profile international artists we work with really appreciated the clarity they bring to their vocal performances. In the case of Patti, Janis and Elisa, this was especially noticeable because their voices cover such a wide dynamic range. Having a vocal microphone of this calibre meant that we could deliver true studio sound quality on the live stage with barely any EQ adjustment.’

To add to the overall look, Ken Kimura, managing director of DPA’s APAC office, suggested using different colour grids for the mics: ‘We make grids in a variety of finishes and for these concerts we fitted Patti Austin’s d:facto with a gold coloured grid and used a nickel finish on Janis Siegel and Elisa Chan’s microphones,’ he says. ‘Obviously, changing the colour makes no difference to the sound quality, but it does bring a little extra theatre to the staging, which the ladies really appreciated.’

DPA microphones were also used for the backing band. The piano used a matched stereo pair of d:dicate 4011A Cardioid Recording Microphones and d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones, while d:dicate 2011C Twin Diaphragm Cardioid Microphones were used for the snare, hi-hat and kick drum; d:vote 4099D Instrument Microphones were used for the toms and a pair of d:dicate 4011A microphones were used for overheads. The double bass was also miked by DPA because the player uses a d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphone for all his live performances.

‘The concerts were an enormous success and the sound was crystal clear,’ Lin adds. ‘All three ladies gave fantastic performances, particularly Patti Austin whose stage presence and voice were absolutely amazing and a perfect match for the d:facto Vocal Microphone. Using DPA for the Jazz World Live Series makes absolute sense because we can guarantee exceptional audio quality, and this in turn allows us to deliver a truly memorable experience for our audiences.’

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