Dedicated to the art of music engineering, Simphiwe Smooth Mhlanga spent years training and honing his skills as a freelance sound engineer for both broadcast and live music, and his hard work has paid off. With a growing reputation, Smooth has become the top choice for some of South Africa's most promising talents, including the likes of Jabulani Sjava Hadebe, a singer, rapper and actor, as well as Kiernan Forbes, the late rapper and producer known as AKA. Additionally, as Sub-Saharan African music has recently seen an impressive surge in music sales and an increase in streams on all popular music platforms, Smooth's experience is needed now more than ever.
This global recognition for the musical style has opened the door for artists, producers and engineers from the region to showcase their talents and compete on an equal footing to their colleagues in more established markets. That's why, when Smooth gets tasked with miking live shows, the engineer knows he needs a high-quality solution that highlights both his and the performers' skills. Whether performing for 2,000 people or 10,000, the artists require a mic that offers pristine sound replication and the versatility to problem-solve on the spot. Working with DPA Specialist Keith Karimi from ApexPro in South Africa, Smooth selected the DPA Microphones 2028 Vocal Microphone to benefit all of Smooth's production work.
The DPA 2028 is a handheld vocal condenser mic that can be used wired or wirelessly and is perfect for capturing the energy of high-intensity performances. It is specifically designed for the live stage, and offers exceptional sound quality, transparency and versatility, explains Karimi.
This investment in DPA was a bold step for Smooth, who recognized the benefits of the solution for artists of all genres. Many performers may not initially be aware of the difference a top-quality microphone can make, he explains. However, once they've experienced DPA mics firsthand, they come to appreciate them greatly. The tonal quality that the 2028 achieves for vocal performances and spoken word is unmatched. It also has a dynamic range that is ideal for many artistic styles. Whether a singer is whispering the quietest lyrics or performing a louder, more intense song, DPA provides a consistent and desirable tone.
The benefits of the 2028 go beyond the artist's performance on the engineering side, Smooth has found that the response and EQ issues he previously experienced were solved once introducing DPA into his workflow. With the 2028, there are so few EQ changes needed; it is outstanding, he says. This is true for any of my clients who use the 2028. The mic is sensitive enough to allow more gain before feedback, but rugged enough to hold up on the road and during live shows. The 2028 has been more than worth the investment.
Having high-quality gear like the DPA 2028 is something that Smooth prides himself on being able to offer his clients. In turn, he has gained the respect of many of Africa's upcoming artists. He made the decision early on in his career to invest in top-tier microphones to ensure that the local artists with which he works receive the same level of professionalism in their equipment.
Being a freelance sound engineer is an incredible learning experience, Smooth shares. You are only as good as your last job and there are no second chances. This has taught me the value of having professional quality, well-maintained equipment that meets the highest industry standards on every single gig. DPA Microphones has provided that for me every time.
Smooth began his sound engineering career while still in high school, when he joined the production crew at Hope Restoration Ministries in Gauteng, South Africa. This experience led him to a passion for the art and the subsequent pursuit of formal training, specializing in film, television, radio and broadcast. Now, as a freelance sound engineer, he often collaborates with other like-minded young professionals to provide live production, outside broadcast and post-production services to creative and corporate clients in the region. He also credits his homeland for helping him grow his dedication, talent and vision, and hopes to increase visibility for South African music throughout the world.
As the beats of African music continue to captivate the world, the sound engineered by Smooth with the use of DPA will transform the way everyone experiences the style, adds Karimi.
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
30/08/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has adopted its FY 2025 Regulatory Fees Order that establishes the regulatory fee rates for the broadcast stati...
29/08/2025
Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight aga...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
29/08/2025
L3Harris Technologies has concentrated decades of expertise across the entire enterprise to develop affordable and reliable best-of-breed solutions to rapidly c...
29/08/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW Network and the Pac-12 Conference have announced a new media rights deal that will extend their broadcast partnership beginning with the ...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK Gracenote has released a new analysis of its global video dataset showing that the number of FAST channels grew nearly 14% from Q1 2025 and 76% since 2...
29/08/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced a series of improvements to its live sports streaming solution that the company said will improve fan engagement, protec...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES Fox Corp. and YouTube TV last night announced a renewal of the full portfolio of Fox networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business...
29/08/2025
Budapest, Hungary, August 2025 - The integration of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) with Lightware's Taurus universal matrix switchers delivers a new level of f...
29/08/2025
Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's best-known streaming television channels, today announced it will launch Studio Live, a next-generation uni...
29/08/2025
In an era when AI and cyber resilience are essential, Scality will mark the 10th anniversary of Scality Day on October 16, 2025 in Paris. This flagship global e...
29/08/2025
Disguise's In-House Creative and Technical Teams Pre-Visualised, Programmed and Delivered Content for the Experience, All Powered by EX 3+
Technology solu...
29/08/2025
Disguise will be demonstrating the latest workflows for TV, film and live events on a number of partner booths at the show
Disguise, the industry-leading tech...
29/08/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Accedo will showcase Accedo Compose, its AI agent-powered modular orchestration layer that assists streaming providers in transitioning client...
29/08/2025
LOS ANGELES Cineverse has announced that it is working with Xperi to bring four of its streaming channels to automobiles for the first time as part of the DTS A...
29/08/2025
DALLAS & ATLANTA Gray Media has announced an agreement with the sports streaming service Victory+ to simulcast 17 Dallas Stars NHL games in 15 television market...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK AND CULVER CITY Comcast NBCUniversal and Amazon have announced new and extended distribution agreements that will expand the content available on their...
29/08/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. RED Digital Cinema will feature its Cine-Broadcast Module supporting live broadcast workflows during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Ams...
29/08/2025
29 Aug 2025
Kyivstar Rings Opening Bell at Nasdaq Marking Landmark Listing and ...
29/08/2025
More than half of all NFL games live on Sky for the first timeFriday 29 August 2025
Sky Sports has announced a new three-year deal with the NFL, extending its ...
29/08/2025
Back to All News
RIV4LRIES: The Trailer of the New Series With Samuele Carrino ...
29/08/2025
Get ready for an inspiring and emotional insight into the world of competitive Irish dancing with My Story: Tomi Champion of the World airing on RT 2 this monda...
29/08/2025
RT has today announced that David McCullagh is to be the new presenter of RT Radio 1's flagship Today programme, which airs every weekday at 10am, replaci...
28/08/2025
By Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs
If you want to tell untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got ...
28/08/2025
Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Sundance Institute-supported Amer...
28/08/2025
Corridos have been a cornerstone of M sica Mexicana for generations, telling stories rooted in everyday life. Now, a new chapter is taking shape: motivational c...
28/08/2025
Los corridos han sido un pilar de la M sica Mexicana durante generaciones, contando historias enraizadas en la vida cotidiana. Ahora, un nuevo cap tulo est tom...
28/08/2025
Earlier this month, we promised our Verano Forever party would bring the heat, a...
28/08/2025
L3Harris will provide the Polish F-16V fleet with the Viper Shield electronic warfare system as part of an upgrade program....
28/08/2025
Bilbao, August 26, 2025 - AgileTV, an international television and video technol...
28/08/2025
Ken Wilkinson is an Emmy Awards nominated New York audio engineer who specialises in production sound mixing for film, commercial, episodic and documentary work...
28/08/2025
NEW YORK FuboTV today announced that it will launch Fubo Sports, a skinny bundle that focuses on sports with a subscription price of $56 monthly....
28/08/2025
NEVADA City, Calif. At IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, Telestream will debut its new Global Ingest strategy, introducing a next-generation ingest arc...
28/08/2025
Dr. Rhoda Bernard Releases Groundbreaking Debut Book on Accessible Arts Educatio...
28/08/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has named Oliver Gappa as Sales Di...
28/08/2025
AI-based voice enhancement will be among a series of innovations making their IBC 2025 debut on the DHD stand B46 in Hall 8 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Cent...
28/08/2025
Telef nica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA), the leading system integrator and service provider in the media sector in Spain, with the support of Appear, the globa...
28/08/2025
To fully immerse sailing fans in the world's biggest offshore yacht race, production company, Optical Media turned to LiveU's On-site Production solutio...
28/08/2025
Working with Calrec on its most recent overhaul, radio and television broadcaster, WNED has migrated to a fully IP infrastructure with multiple Type R consoles,...
28/08/2025
Cleeng, the Subscriber Retention Management (SRM ) inventor, has unveiled Cleeng Pro, the first-ever direct-to-consumer (D2C) subscription management platform t...
28/08/2025
Zixi, the industry leader in live broadcast-quality video over IP, today announced that French media distribution platform OKAST has selected Zixi to enable rel...
28/08/2025
Solution offers a streamlined, speaker-free architecture to optimize integration with premium external loudspeakers and advanced loudness metering
Nixer Pro Au...
28/08/2025
Cinegy, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Vision One Touch Film Production Services L.L...
28/08/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will debut its new Global Ingest strategy at IBC2025, introducing a next-generation ingest architect...
28/08/2025
Tier 1 operator selects Broadpeak to power high-performance, unified CDN solution across Norway, Sweden and Finland
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and moneti...
28/08/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that 24 Frames Digital, one of India's leading live event streaming service providers, has chose...
28/08/2025
Meet VisualOn at IBC2025: See What's Next in AI-Powered Video Streaming Join VisualOn at IBC2025 and discover how our AI-driven Optimizer and advanced media...
Dedicated to the art of music engineering, Simphiwe Smooth Mhlanga spent years training and honing his skills as a freelance sound engineer for both broadcast and live music, and his hard work has paid off. With a growing reputation, Smooth has become the top choice for some of South Africa's most promising talents, including the likes of Jabulani Sjava Hadebe, a singer, rapper and actor, as well as Kiernan Forbes, the late rapper and producer known as AKA. Additionally, as Sub-Saharan African music has recently seen an impressive surge in music sales and an increase in streams on all popular music platforms, Smooth's experience is needed now more than ever. 
