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DPA microphones amplify acoustic feel at MerleFest

DPA Microphones supported this year’s MerleFest, a bluegrass and Americana music festival held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. DPA Application Specialist Gabriel Antonini and Mid-Atlantic Sales Manager Chris Kontopanos comment: “Our microphones were used on multiple stages. Whether it’s banjo, mandolin, fiddle, any instrument, it was acoustic. Our job was to get out of the way to make it sound like there was no microphone at all.”

That philosophy resonated with engineers throughout the festival. At the B-Towns Americana Stage, Cameron Grogan of SE Systems relied on a full complement of DPA microphones, including the company’s DDK4000 Drum Microphone Kit and 2028 Vocal Microphone. “We had a full kit of DPAs on stage, including the drum miking kit”, he says. “We used the 2028s on vocals.”

While vocals play a critical role in bluegrass and Americana music, the genre’s intricate acoustic instrumentation presents its own set of challenges. DPA’s 4099 Core+ Instrument Microphones captured those details while maintaining separation on a busy stage. “I’m a big fan of the 4099”, says Front of House Engineer Joel Rose, who has worked with bands such as Railroad Earth and Green Sky Bluegrass, as well as the Bay Area touring audio company Ultrasound.

The 4099 could be found across the stages. “We used it on mandolin and fiddle, and we made a special solution for the banjo”, says Antonini. “We also put it on its own stand, so musicians could work the microphone.” Monitor Engineer Haley Coots of SE Systems adds: “World-class musicians come across these stages, who are focused so much on their tone, and you have to present that honestly.

“I use the 4099s because there is isolation within the capsule, and I’m able to accurately represent what they’re giving me because of the rejection”, she adds. Microphones from Austrian Audio, a DPA brand, were also used across the festival’s stages.

(Photo: DPA Microphones)

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