As all eyes were fixated on the actors who graced the stage of the 86th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night, audiences ears were tuned to the musical accompaniments of the shows orchestra, which performed remotely from Capitol Records. Since the piano was positioned among the noisy percussion instruments, the shows Orchestra Mixer and Orchestra Setup Coordinator needed a way to isolate its sound. To accomplish this for the piano, the duo used a combination of DPA Microphones d:dicate 4011A Cardioid Microphones and d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones. He also positioned a pair of d:dicate 4011E Hanging Microphones for the orchestras drum kit.
By using the unique combination of d:dicate 4011As and d:vote 4099s, the duo was able to close the lid of the Steinway Grand Piano, giving live and television audience members a full appreciation of the pristine instruments sound during the different presenters entrances, transitions and other musical performances throughout the event. An additional pair of d:dicate 4011Es were also applied as overheads for the drums, which allowed them to pick up the full ambiance of the kit.
Theres a large orchestra and rhythm section, with percussion, so we wanted to isolate the piano in order to get a really good sound, explains Orchestra Setup Coordinator Dan Vicari. Weve been using DPAs microphones during the Oscars for years, so we knew that this setup would give us really great sound. The mics truly help us get the perfect sound without a lot of other noise coming in, which is often hard to do on a piano.
Orchestra Mixer Tommy Vicari echoes his brothers sentiments. Since we wanted to put the mics inside the piano and close the top, we needed broad microphones that provide brightness to the sound, he says. Usually when you dampen the piano by closing the top, the sound of the instrument becomes dulled. Since I had brass blowing toward the piano, and the strings coming the other way, I needed to shelter the piano. By using the DPA d:dicate and d:vote mics, we were able to get the clarity from the piano that we were looking to achieve, while still protecting the sound from outside noise.
With the added difficulty of performing from a remote location, outside of the theater, the Vicari brothers also needed microphones with audio quality that could hold up to the transmission of the sound. This was necessary in order to still provide the feeling of hearing live music in the venue.
We were thinking of using either the d:vote or d:dicate, but we ultimately decided that the combination sounded the best for what we were looking to achieve, explains Dan.
I always pick my mics based on the instrument, because I want the orchestra to sound as perfect as possible, adds Tommy. I usually use a variety of applications, techniques and mic positions, but choosing the right mic is key to any live event, recording or broadcast. In this situation, using both the d:dicates and d:votes was the ideal solution.
DPAs microphones are world-renowned for providing an ultimate sound in broadcast, recording and live applications. With its state-of-the-art components that have been carefully selected to provide optimal neutrality, accuracy and exceptionally low distortion, d:dicate Recording Microphones have a directional quality that is perfect for isolating sound. More natural-sounding than any other internal microphone or pickup, the d:vote Instrument Microphones reject unwanted noise, which allow it to accurately capture the true voice of acoustic instruments, such as a grand piano.
Each audio professionals in their own right, the Vicari brothers have been working on the Oscars for more than a decade. A live sound engineer by trade, Dan also owns LAFX Recording Services, an audio equipment rental company for major recording studios. An award-winning sound mixer/engineer/producer, Tommy has worked on such major motion pictures as Wall-E, The Help and Iron Man 2.
ABOUT DPA:
DPA Microphones is the leading Danish Professional Audio manufacturer of high-quality condenser microphone solutions for professional applications. DPAs ultimate goal is to always provide its customers with the absolute finest possible microphone solutions for all its markets, which include live sound, installation, recording, theatre and broadcast. When it comes to the design process, DPA takes no shortcuts. Nor does the company compromise on its manufacturing process, which is done at the DPA factory in Denmark. As a result, DPAs products are globally praised for their exceptional clarity and transparency, unparalleled specifications, supreme reliability and, above all, pure, uncolored and undistorted sound.
For more information on DPA Microphones, please visit www.dpamicrophones.com.
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...
22/10/2025
Prime Video Inks Deal To Present NFL Black Friday Game Worldwide By SVG Staff
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 10:06 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story ...
22/10/2025
NBA Tip-Off: ESPN Goes 1080p HDR End-to-End, Flipping HDR Switch on REMI and REM...
22/10/2025
FloSports Empowers Division II, III Athletic Departments With Turnkey Production...
22/10/2025
Wall Street Video Summit Debuts, Bringing Together 200 Financial Enterprise Vide...
22/10/2025
Dueling Pianos: International Chopin Piano Competition Is as Competitive as a Ba...
22/10/2025
In 1995, a young Colombian artist released an album that would change Latin pop ...
22/10/2025
Over the past few months, a photovoltaic system has been installed on a three-he...
22/10/2025
The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...
22/10/2025
L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...
22/10/2025
Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...
22/10/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...
22/10/2025
ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...
22/10/2025
The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...
22/10/2025
LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...
22/10/2025
BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...
22/10/2025
October 22nd, 2025 TRIBECA ANNOUNCES STAR-STUDDED LINEUP OF MEMBERSHIP EVENTS F...
22/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF partner to deliver a comprehensive drone defense solution combining Rohde & S...
22/10/2025
European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...
22/10/2025
Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...
22/10/2025
First Look Hidden Assets Series 3
Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player
WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT
The Crimin...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...
21/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...
21/10/2025
Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...
21/10/2025
Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...
21/10/2025
Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...
21/10/2025
SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...
21/10/2025
As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...
21/10/2025
Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...
21/10/2025
New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...
21/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
21/10/2025
September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...
21/10/2025
Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly
Increase ...
21/10/2025
During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YU...
21/10/2025
RENNES, France BBright and GlobalM have conducted a technical trial validating Ultra HD interoperability across the entire contribution chain in the cloud, achi...
21/10/2025
Kokusai Denki Electric America will mark the U.S. debut of a new 4K camera at the 2025 NAB New York, Oct. 22-23. Now available, the Z-HD6500-S1 UHD/HD productio...
21/10/2025
Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting, and quality assurance solutions, will showcase its entire NEXTGEN TV ...
21/10/2025
Radio Azzurra FM, longest-running radio station in the province of Novara, northwest Italy, has invested in an DHD SX2 audio routing and mixing console for inte...
21/10/2025
Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, has announced the appointment of G Morgan as Executive Vice President of...
As all eyes were fixated on the actors who graced the stage of the 86th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night, audiences ears were tuned to the musical accompaniments of the shows orchestra, which performed remotely from Capitol Records. Since the piano was positioned among the noisy percussion instruments, the shows Orchestra Mixer and Orchestra Setup Coordinator needed a way to isolate its sound. To accomplish this for the piano, the duo used a combination of DPA Microphones d:dicate 4011A Cardioid Microphones and d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones. He also positioned a pair of d:dicate 4011E Hanging Microphones for the orchestras drum kit.
