Two worlds, one show The tour unfolds in two distinct halves. The first is a solo piano set, quiet and textural. The second shifts into modular synthesis and electronics. Harleys job was to make both halves feel like a single, seamless experience - which meant the piano half had to hold its own against what was coming after it, without losing any of its delicacy in the process.
Every piano is different Consistency is one of the greatest challenges in live touring. Each venue brings a different instrument, a different acoustic environment and a different system configuration. Every piano is different, Harley says. Some are brighter, others are warmer and still others are more aggressive. Your job is to listen to the source and reproduce it as faithfully as possible through the system you have.Textural playing, a tricky mid-range
Tiersens playing style added another layer of complexity. Yann plays in a very textural way, Harley explains. Hell hold notes and build layers of tone. If youre not careful, things can get mid-range-heavy quite quickly.
One kit for the piano To solve these challenges, Harley turned to the DPA DPK2015 Piano Stereo Kit, which includes a stereo pair of DPA 2015 Wide Cardioid Microphones. The 2015s were positioned inside the piano to capture both clarity and depth across the instruments full range. I was really interested to see how the piano kit would handle that, and it worked extremely well, he says.
The wide cardioid pickup pattern allowed Harley to capture the natural resonance of the piano while keeping unwanted bleed under control. Having that directional control is a godsend, he says. Especially when youre working with a very quiet, delicate instrument on a large system. You need microphones that keep everything tight and focused exactly where they need to be.
One practical benefit was the reduction in corrective EQ work. With cheaper microphones, you often hear the mid-range start to get fuzzy or unpleasant, and then youre reaching for EQ to fix problems the mics are introducing, Harley explains. I didnt have to do that with the 2015s. There were small adjustments, of course, but nothing drastic. Thats exactly what you want.
Low-end was another area where the 2015s delivered without additional tools. We experimented with other solutions for low-end weight, but in the end, I didnt need them, he explains. If you position the microphones correctly and tune the system properly, you get more than enough warmth and power from the piano itself. Most importantly, it doesnt muddy the mid-range.
The kit also held up practically on the road. Its absolutely rock-solid, Harley says. The kit comes in a great case, and everything is well thought out. It held up brilliantly throughout the tour.
What four decades of live sound teaches you Harleys confidence in DPA goes back decades, to the brands Br el & Kj r heritage. Ive known DPA products since the early days in the studio, he recalls. Even back then, they were superb. Theyve always been a sensible company making very high-quality products.
Across his career, Harley has also used DPA 4099 Instrument Microphones and d:facto Vocal Microphones on various projects. On this tour, the lesson was clear: when the source is quiet, delicate and changes every night, the microphone choice matters more, not less. DPA makes that job much easier, he says.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
15/06/2026
Detach from Direct-Attached: How Remote Editing with EVO Keeps Creative Teams Mo...
14/06/2026
Library captures 1960s R&B/pop drum sound
Following on from their recent wave of plug-in effects, Iconic Instruments have just launched an all-new virtual d...
14/06/2026
HBO Comedy Rooster Shot with URSA Cine 17K 65
Brie Clayton June 14, 2026
0 Comments
Large format brings viewers intimately close to characters.
Black...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production, Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it has given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what o...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
Two worlds, one show The tour unfolds in two distinct halves. The first is a solo piano set, quiet and textural. The second shifts into modular synthesis and electronics. Harleys job was to make both halves feel like a single, seamless experience - which meant the piano half had to hold its own against what was coming after it, without losing any of its delicacy in the process.
