The Dutch musician's rock opera was performed over three nights in Holland and a selection of DPA microphones were used to amplify vocalists and instrumentalists.
Flawless and amazing' that is how Front of House engineer Niels Jensen described DPA's d:facto Vocal Microphone after he deployed 18 of them to amplify the singers in a unique stage show entitled Ayreon Universe, which was performed over three nights at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland.
I absolutely love these microphones, Jensen says. Even with so many singers in such close proximity to each other I had no issues at all with bleed. The phasing was out of this world and the sound was so clean, I couldn't have wished for anything else.
The progressive metal/rock opera known as Ayreon Universe is the invention of Dutch singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Arjen A. Lucassen. The performances in Tilburg marked the first time Lucassen had staged the rock opera live, and as a result there was huge anticipation amongst Ayreon fans with over 9,000 people from more than 54 countries going along to watch. The whole project took over a year to come to fruition and was masterminded by Lucassen and his musical director Joost van den Broek. At each performance, Lucassen was joined on stage by 17 original Ayreon singers (including backing vocalists) and a hand-picked band of eight instrumentalists.
Niels Jensen's role was to coordinate and manage the audio team, which consisted of second FOH Jos Driessen, monitor engineer Gino Krishnadath, Freek de Greef, who looked after Wireless Systems, and recording engineer Dave Schinkel. Recognising the importance of these performances, Jensen chose DPA microphones for the task. Eighteen wireless d:facto 4018V Vocal Microphones were used for the singers. To pick up the sound of the drum as naturally as possible, Jensen close-miked the snare drum; using a d:facto 4018VL Linear capsule with a MMP-ES preamp mounted on a GSM4000 Gooseneck Mount and a d:vote drum clip. For the same reasons, he also used this solution on a high Leslie.
With this capsule we had nil bleed from the hi-hat or cymbals, where usually this can be a big issue to deal with, he explains.
He also specified DPA d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones and a selection of d:dicate 2011 Twin Diaphragm Cardioid and 4015 Wide Cardioid microphones to capture a range of instruments including drums, Leslie, digeridoo, flute and percussion. All the microphones were supplied by Amptec, DPA's distributor in the Netherlands.
The d:dicate 2011 microphones were used for kick drum, hi-hat, ride, snare bottom and bottom Leslie because they deliver sound straight from the source and with great clarity, he says. For the rack toms and floor toms we used d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones because they offer great linear response. They are honest and give you the true tone of the source. We also used d:dicate 4015s as overheads because their wide pick up perfectly captured the overall drum sound. We had 88 inputs in total with all the tracks and ambiances for recording included. Sound quality was the main reason why I chose DPA microphones for this project and I wasn't disappointed. The microphones integrated flawlessly into the Ayreon Universe setup and they all sounded amazing with hardly any EQ going on.
Jensen first started using DPA microphones a couple of years ago when he was introduced to the d:facto Vocal Microphone.
I loved the d:facto from the first moment I came across it, he says. The sound was so good that I immediately bought one as did Anneke van Giersbergen, the artist I was working with at the time. They are so defined, and you have no crazy proximity effect to deal with. The low handling noise is great, too wind gets no chance! I also like the fact that no phasing ends up in your mix. This is something everyone struggles with and the d:facto solves that for me.
It was Jensen's satisfaction with d:facto that inspired him to also use DPA for the instrumentalists taking part in Ayreon Universe, particularly the drummer.
We had an incredible drummer in the shape of Ed Warby on stage and I felt that his drums would sound great with DPA's as well, Jensen says. From the first soundcheck I knew we had made the right choice because Ed's drums sounded so lively and detailed. Overall it was like taking studio quality sound to a live show and that was really impressive.
Whether Ayreon Universe will be returning to the live stage remains to be seen all Jensen will say is that fans should keep a close eye on the Arjen Lucassen website.
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
16/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: FUJIFILM Execs on GFX ETERNA 55 Camera, Importance of Shallow-Dept...
16/10/2025
Squash's Most Ambitious Broadcast Production To Be Deployed at Comcast Busin...
16/10/2025
Main Street Sports Group Inks Deal With Omaha Productions, Launches Original-Con...
16/10/2025
A Historic Precursor? FIFA, HBS, DAZN Offer an Inside Look at Production of FIFA...
16/10/2025
Prime Video Offers Sneak Peak at New NBA on Prime StudioThe massive 13,000-sq-ft, two-story studio features a LED regulation half court and hoopBy Jason Dachman...
16/10/2025
SVG Remote Production Forum Draws Record Crowd for Visit to PGA TOUR Studios, De...
16/10/2025
BitFire's Ben Grafchik on How Growing Cloud Workflows Are Impacting the Live...
16/10/2025
AI technology is advancing quickly, bringing both new creative possibilities and...
16/10/2025
In 2017, Imani Ellis launched CultureCon, a conference that's become a must-attend event for more than 10,000 diverse creatives and Black professionals to c...
16/10/2025
It might still be a little early to break out the tinsel and mistletoe, but Spotify's already queuing up some holiday magic. This year's Spotify Singles...
16/10/2025
Earlier this year, our in-house publishing imprint, Spotify Audiobooks, put out ...
16/10/2025
VAMPIRE has been integrated onto GM Defenses Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), providing a mobile solution to effectively and affordably counter small drone threat...
16/10/2025
The AgilePod mounted on the host aircraft....
16/10/2025
60% say infotainment systems are a critical purchasing or leasing consideration,...
16/10/2025
NEW YORK The Broadcasters Foundation of America has launched its 2025 Year-End Giving Campaign, which seeks to raise donations from tax-deductible personal and ...
16/10/2025
Roku has added several new features to its user interface and operating system meant to make it easier to discover and personalize content, the company said....
16/10/2025
NEW YORK CNN has announced that its All Access subscription tier will launch in the U.S. on Oct. 28, providing audiences with a centralized destination for CNN&...
16/10/2025
Student Spotlight: Alan Villanueva The graduate student and saxophonist, who performed on Natalia Lafourcades Latin Grammy-nominated Live at Carnegie Hall alb...
16/10/2025
The XR Sports Alliance (XRSA) has announced the third cohort of members. The new members include Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), the Vegas Golden Kni...
16/10/2025
NEW YORK The Broadcasters Foundation of America has launched its 2025 Year-End Giving Campaign which seeks to raise donations from tax-deductible personal and c...
16/10/2025
NEW YORK Australia's Nine Network and the NHL today announced a media partnership that will bring the world's premier professional ice hockey league to ...
16/10/2025
Parks Associates has released new data showing that nearly half (45%) of U.S. internet homes watch free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services and 89% of U.S...
16/10/2025
TROY, Mich. -New data from J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Study shows that residential wireless internet providers are growing...
16/10/2025
TV's most charming detective drama * Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investi...
16/10/2025
Back to All News
Thailand's Legendary Outlaw Returns: Tee Yai: Born to be ...
16/10/2025
Back to All News
Christmas Is Just Around The Corner: Home For Christmas Season...
16/10/2025
Back to All News
Trist n Ulloa Stars in El crimen de Pazos, the New Netflix Ser...
16/10/2025
ABS Completes Redomiciliation to Dubai Development Authority as Part of Strategi...
16/10/2025
This Saturday October 18 Katja Mia will burst onto the radio airwaves for the first time as she joins 2FM. Katja will be standing in for Bl thnaid Treacy on Sat...
16/10/2025
This October, RT is delighted to support Wexford Festival Opera, Babor International Arts Festival for Children, Open House Dublin and 36 other arts and cultu...
16/10/2025
GeForce NOW is more than just a platform to stream fresh games every week - it offers celebrations for the gamers who make it epic, with member rewards to sweet...
15/10/2025
Across the world, early-career reporters are interrogating systems that shape daily life, from mortuaries and classrooms to the corridors of legal education and...
15/10/2025
St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open VideoThe NHL franchise worked with production firms 2WEI and 4th Floor CreativeBy Mark J Burns,...
15/10/2025
Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsors...
15/10/2025
By Paige Bethmann
Before my grandmother passed away in 2019, I went to visit her in the hospital where she'd been for a few weeks. When I arrived, the nurs...
15/10/2025
Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making ...
15/10/2025
People turn to DJ for a listening experience that feels personal, dynamic, and j...
15/10/2025
Las personas recurren a DJ para vivir una experiencia de escucha personal, din m...
15/10/2025
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen and luminary actor Jeremy Allen White came togethe...
15/10/2025
At Spotify, we're all about supporting rising talent and helping them connec...
15/10/2025
New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS ...
15/10/2025
SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across th...
15/10/2025
One of humanity's most profound questions continues: Is there any place in our galaxy suitable for life beyond Earth? NASA intends to find out, with the hel...
15/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
15/10/2025
Scality, a global leader in cyber-resilient storage software for the AI era, today announced the advancement of its comprehensive AI ecosystem certification pro...
15/10/2025
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today unveiled key highlights of the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, scheduled for Feb. 15 19 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Go...
15/10/2025
At NAB Show New York 2025 (Stand 244), Interra Systems will showcase the future of media QC, monitoring, and captioning, highlighting its award-winning, AI- and...
15/10/2025
Grass Valley today announced that RMC BFM, part of the CMA-CGM Group and France's third-largest private media group, has chosen Grass Valley's productio...
The Dutch musician's rock opera was performed over three nights in Holland and a selection of DPA microphones were used to amplify vocalists and instrumentalists.
