
A selection of the company's microphones are now being used for events such as lectures, panel discussions, filming, live streaming and podcasts.
From its unique double-height dimensions to the extensive use of reflective marble surfaces used during its construction, the Royal Academy of Art's new Benjamin West Lecture Theatre in London presents some unusual acoustic challenges.
Ensuring high quality sound is obviously a prerequisite for such a prestigious building and it was therefore imperative that the right microphones were chosen ones that could cope with the unusual acoustics and with the wide variety of uses that the Lecture Theatre covers.
DPA microphones have proved to be the ideal solution because they allow any technician or engineer to jump in and achieve quality sound. says Benji Fox, AV Events Manager at the RA. We are using a selection of the company's products in a number of different ways, including acoustic mics for lectures, belt packs and lapel mics for panel discussions and the new 6066 CORE Subminiature Headset Microphones for smaller panel discussions, filming and live streaming.
Opened in 2018 as part of the RA's Burlington Gardens' landmark redevelopment to mark its 250th anniversary, the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre signals a new stage to the RA's heritage of rigorous and lively debate. Hosting events such as the Festival of Ideas, this space has become a haven for celebrated thinkers from across the arts to come and share their ideas and opinions. As well as being double-height, the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre also showcases bespoke seating and modern design.
The Lecture Theatre's DPA inventory now includes two 4018 supercardioid microphones, which are positioned on custom lecterns at the front of the room.
These are ideal for lectures because they have such good off axis response, so speakers can still be clearly heard, even if they move to the side of the microphone, Fox says. We also have five 4098 supercardioid mics rigged on a ceiling winch as pickups for ambient audio and to add to our hearing loop system. We do a lot of podcasts in the Lecture Theatre and these mics are great for delivering high quality stereo sound.
For panel discussions, the RA is using DPA 4080 miniature cardioid microphones that are usually attached to panellists' lapels. Fox was introduced to these by an external contractor and was so impressed that he decided to try them out for himself.
"There are features on the 4080 that simply work amazingly well - actually better than all the other manufacturers' lapel capsules that I have tried on site, he says. The unnecessary makeup gain on the 4080s, compared to the other capsules we've tried, means that we need less EQ overall. In fact I've been able to run a few events with no EQ on channels or on the master bus, something I previously thought was unachievable.
Fox adds that many of the RA's events are recorded for archive and for podcast, with the production handled by the in-house AV team.
Whichever DPA mics we choose, from 4080s or our recently adopted 6066 Headset microphones, we know we will be making the best possible source recordings that will need the minimal amount of postproduction. The proven track record of DPA mics at the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre means that I am now looking to expand the RA's stock across other sites and for a variety of specialised applications.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
04/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/02/2026
Katie Vitolins Announced as Vice President of Alumni Products and Services An alumna and former trustee, Vitolins will lead the relaunch of Berklee's alum...
03/02/2026
Tagboard, a modern, interactive graphics system for news, sports, and entertainm...
03/02/2026
Studio Network Solutions (SNS) announces the launch of Trio, a new S3-compatible cloud storage service fully integrated with EVO for media backup, archival, and...
03/02/2026
50 Production Trucks at center of 160 U.S.-based productions...
03/02/2026
Nielsen, which specializes in audience measurement, data, and media intelligence, announces that it is piloting a new methodology enhancement to more accurately...
03/02/2026
Appear's X Platform will be used by NBC Sports to deliver video compression, satellite modulation and transport stream aggregation for its production of the...
03/02/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
03/02/2026
NHL Network announces its comprehensive programming schedule for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, underscoring the highly anticipated return of NHL players to...
03/02/2026
NBC Sports has chosen Canon to deliver 115 Canon UHD broadcast lenses for its production of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Canon will also send suppo...
03/02/2026
Audio-Technica equipment will be used by NBC Sports to deliver much of its audio capture requirements across all sporting venues for its production of the 2026 ...
03/02/2026
NBC Sports will use Cisco to deliver AI networking technology for its all-IP production of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, including the deployment of...
03/02/2026
NBC Sports will utilize Chyron PRIME CG to produce live broadcast graphics to display names, athlete information, scores, statistics, leaderboards, headshots an...
03/02/2026
NBC Sports will utilize Grass Valley to deliver advanced signal conversion, rout...
03/02/2026
NBC Sports will utilize Planar to deliver leading-edge fine pixel pitch LED video wall technology for its production of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics...
03/02/2026
Taking place in two venues, the 2026 production celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the Super Bowl of Dogs'
When the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show conc...
03/02/2026
For the indoor production, NEP Specialty Capture has mounted a 100-ft. overhead ...
03/02/2026
MTVG Edge, the production-services supplier's software-based production solu...
03/02/2026
In the league's second year, new partnerships enhance broadcast quality for ...
03/02/2026
Rocket Surgery will showcase the combined creative strength of Ross Video, with ...
03/02/2026
NBC Sports will utilize Sony Electronics to deliver imaging, monitoring, and tec...
03/02/2026
SMT will provide TVI (broadcast television interface) support services for figur...
03/02/2026
Spotify's annual Best New Artist celebration returned to Los Angeles last ni...
03/02/2026
The smash-hit series The Hospital: In the Deep End returns to shine a spotlight ...
03/02/2026
FoMa Antares: Redefining Camera Stabilization for Modern ProductionsIn high-end broadcast and cinematic environments, precision, reliability, and flexibility ar...
03/02/2026
Viper Shield's robust phase of flight-testing production representative hard...
03/02/2026
Countries throughout the Indo-Pacific have made the ability to defend their people and sovereign borders a top priority, but no single nation can monitor every ...
03/02/2026
U.S. Marine loads a round in an 81 mm mortar system during an exercise. (Credit: U.S. Marines)...
03/02/2026
9905MPx Card features unprecedented level of density with four independent signa...
03/02/2026
Champaign, IL - November 15, 2021 - Cobalt Digital, announced today that three of its products have received 2021 NAB Show Product of the Year Awards. Cobalt, ...
03/02/2026
Cobalt is pleased to confirm that Log4j vulnerability does NOT affect ANY Cobalt products including the HPF-9000 frame.
Given the recent concerns regarding wi...
03/02/2026
Software-based embedding and de-embedding solution will be highlighted at NAB 20...
03/02/2026
Series developed to fill an industry need.
Champaign, IL April 13, 2022 Cobalt Digital will introduce a new series of BlueBox Group (BBG) EO/OE 12G mini...
03/02/2026
Company receives Best in Shows from Next TV and TVB Europe, and two Product of the Year awards from NAB
Champaign, IL - May 6, 2022 - Cobalt Digital Inc. head...
03/02/2026
IBC Preview - IBC Stand 10.B44Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt
Cobalt will al...
03/02/2026
IBC Stand 10.B44Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt
Dr. Ciro Noronha, CTO, tapped as a panelist and speaker by many - and then there's the party!
Amsterda...
03/02/2026
IBC Stand 10.B44Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt
Growth Drives Cobalt Digital to Promote Dr. Ciro Noronha to CTO, and Appoint Anthony Tan as Director of Sale...
03/02/2026
IBC Stand 10.B44Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt
Dr. Ciro Noronha, CTO, tappe...
03/02/2026
Manufacturer plans also include solutions that provide a path to the cloud and redundancy updatesCABSAT Stand S1-I42Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt
Dubai - ...
03/02/2026
Award-Winning Product Portfolio is Being Presented on Smart Video Group Stand, and Company's Berend Blokzijl is Scheduled to Share RIST Insight on Innovatio...
03/02/2026
NEW Location IBC Stand 10.F42 Same Hall, NEW StandJournalists: Click to visi...
03/02/2026
TVBEurope spoke with our very own Dr. Ciro Noronha about RIST and more.Reliable Internet Stream Transport (RIST) is growing in popularity for contribution and d...
03/02/2026
NEW Location IBC Stand 10.F42 Same Hall, NEW StandJournalists: Click to visi...
03/02/2026
NEW Location IBC Stand 10.F42 Same Hall, NEW StandJournalists: Click to visit CobaltCatch Cobalt's Blue WAVE of Innovation in a New LocationHighlights t...