Joan Baez tours Australia and New Zealand with DPA
Published: ASIA
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND: American folk singer/songwriter Joan Baez recently went on tour in Australia and New Zealand with DPA Microphones’ d:vote 4099 instrument mics. The musician and prominent activist’s audio engineer Jason Raboin used the mics to achieve the sound of the grand piano, mandolin and violin.
With two d:votes originally purchased for Dirk Powell (a multi-instrumentalist in the band who wanted free range of movement while playing his guitar, violin or mandolin) Ms Baez’s rig now features a total of four d:votes.
‘Dirk’s request sent me on a hunt for a mic system that not only did what he wanted, but that also sounds good, and is useable in monitors,’ explained Mr Raboin. ‘The d:vote 4099s were a clear choice. Since the mic mounts right onto the flat surface of the string instruments, I was initially worried that gain and monitors would be an issue, but the microphone has been really great. Sometimes Dirk plays fiddle right in front of the monitors and we’re fine. I think that’s something that every engineer worries about, not getting gain in your monitors if you use a condenser mic, but that’s definitely not the case with the d:votes.
‘Another thing that’s great about the d:votes is that when I’m using them for the piano, I can arrange the mics so the piano can be played with the lid closed,’ he continued. ‘People usually come up with all sorts of whacky solutions to accomplish this, but DPA has a mount that lets me affix the mics without any harm to even the most expensive instrument. And they still sound just as good. That was actually also one of the main selling points for Dirk.’
The compact size also proved a valuable feature during Ms Baez’s Australian tour, for which the crew flew, rather than drove, to each stop. To meet the travel budget, Mr Raboin had to pack only the audio essentials into a few pelican cases.
‘The d:votes are so tiny, they barely take up any space or weight,’ enthused Mr Raboin. ‘Also, while the mics are more expensive than the average condenser mic on the market, when you think about it in terms of return on investment – how many different places they can go, and so easily, because of their modularity and all the mounting options – it ultimately makes them less expensive than other solutions.’