DPA helped sound engineer Julien Prouti re beat natural and man-made interference during an outdoor event to mark the birth of St. Martin of Tours.
The Diocese responsible for the French city of Tours has been organising events to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the birth of its patron saint, St. Martin of Tours. Alongside special masses in the city's Cathedral, the Saint's anniversary was also celebrated with a large, open-air mass in Marmoutiers where he founded a small hermitage in the fourth century - now the site of a ruined Abbey.
Sound engineer Julien Prouti re, of Tours-based audio company Multi Sceni, was responsible for specifying audio equipment for these events, many of which were broadcast by local radio and television. High on his list of priorities was a selection of DPA microphones, which were chosen for their ability to deliver clear, amplified sound.
The open air mass in Marmoutiers was particularly tricky to set up because it was held by the river Loire, close to a very busy road, he explains. The mass was conducted by an Archbishop and a number of other celebrants. They stood on a 20 x 8 meter stage and we also had to amplify an orchestra of 20 people and a chorus of 80 voices all of which were located below the stage. Avoiding feedback was our main issue because of the proximity of the sound system, but we also had to contend with wind, which got stronger and stronger in the two hours leading up to the start of the mass.
Multi Sceni has an extensive selection of DPA microphones, all of which were supplied by DPA's French distributor Audio , and Prouti re called on these resources to mic this prestigious event.
Initially, I chose a range of supercardioid microphones including the d:fine 4088 Directional Headset Microphone, which I was planning to use for the Archbishop. But because the wind increased in strength during the day, I had to change my mind. In the end we used d:fine 4066 Omnidirectional Headset Microphones because they are so linear off axis that the risk of feedback was very small and they were also better able to deal with wind noise.
The final microphone set up included four d:dicate 4011 Cardioid Microphones with active MMP-E cables, which were used to capture the sound of the choir, plus four more for the orchestra.
These included some with MMP-C compact preamplifiers, which I chose because they had less visual impact, Prouti re says. All these microphones are exceptionally accurate with very low distortion. They are also extremely directional, which meant we could pick up the sound of the singers and instruments and not the ambient traffic noise.
The Archbishop conducting the mass was eventually fitted with a d:fine 4066 Omnidirectional Headset Microphone, plus a d:screet 4060 Omnidirectional lapel microphone for added security, just in case Prouti re lost the headset signal. The other priests had access to two 45cm d:screet SC4098 Supercardioid podium microphones, which was also chosen for its directionality and rejection of background and wind noise.
The sound from all of the microphones was perfect, despite the wind, and we didn't have any issues with feedback, Prouti re says.
Working outside the confines of a church building gave Prouti re more freedom than usual when it came to choosing a sound system.
Our main problem was the lack of damping tarps, as the Abbey ruins around the stage had to be visible, he says. We were also expecting a large number of spectators filling an area with a depth of over 50 meters, so I needed a sound system with real kick.
To this end, he chose a Y10 Adamson line array with eight speakers on each side, plus full-frontal Adamson M15 speakers and two Wave speakers to brighten up the front row. These were calibrated by his colleague Julien Benezet and he used a Yamaha CL5 to control the entire kit.
Over 5,000 people attended the outdoor mass in Marmoutiers, while as many as 3,000 have regularly attended the special masses for St. Martin that have taken place over the summer in Tours Cathedral.
I'm using DPA microphones all the time now, and on many different shows, Prouti re adds. I love the modularity of DPA's range and I'm really keen on the phase response and natural sound I get from every capsule. These microphones are particularly recognizable in the high frequencies even with your eyes closed you can tell when you are using a DPA. The sound they capture is very true to the performance, which as a musician as well as a sound engineer is something I really appreciate.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
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...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
Latino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 ...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
DPA helped sound engineer Julien Prouti re beat natural and man-made interference during an outdoor event to mark the birth of St. Martin of Tours.
