BRIT Award winning artist and songwriter Emeli Sande has switched to a DPA d:facto Vocal Microphone for live gigs after taking advice from her sound engineers who felt the microphone would be the perfect complement for her chameleon-like, note perfect voice.
Sande s Front of House engineer Gerard Albo, who has been mixing her recent Arena tour, has long been a fan of DPA Microphones and regularly uses the companys products. However, it was while chatting to Sande s monitor engineer Andy Williamson that the subject of vocal microphones came up.
It was actually Andy who suggested the d:facto for Emeli, Albo says, and it turned out to be a great choice. The d:facto, in conjunction with our Sennheiser 6000 wireless system, makes her voice sound very natural with beautiful definition at the top end. This gives a HiFi feel to her live performances, without much spill. On this tour, when Emeli sang and played piano in the middle of the Arena for six songs, I had no feedback issues. The microphone is incredibly stable, even in front of the PA.
Albo, who trained as a sound engineer in France and London, has been mixing FOH since 1996. He has worked across all genres and with some incredible artists including Amy Winehouse, A-HA, Anastacia, Patti Smith, Tom Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, Basement Jaxx and Belle & Sebastian. He was recommended to Emelie Sande by Steve Martin, her production manager and founder of Tourhouse Productions.
Steve does an amazing job and all the crew are very well looked after, Albo says. We all have our own responsibilities and for me this means specifying the audio equipment - the PA, microphones and FOH console. I use DPA microphones extensively, especially when Im mixing orchestral and Jazz concerts. I bought a DPA 3511ER Cardioid Compact stereo kit in early 2000 and used it to mic piano for Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chick Corea and Katia Labeque. I was always able to achieve great results, and this was how I started my relationship with DPA.
Albo adds that he now wont go anywhere without his 3511ER kit or his large number of d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones, which he uses with various clips for all types of instruments.
The d:vote condenser mics are great because they sound fantastic and are perfect for all kinds of situations, he says. They give me excellent level before feedback and a very natural sound, which results in a powerful orchestral mix that sounds magical.
For Sande s recent live gigs, supplied by Capital Sound, Albo used d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones on percussion, brass, Hammond organ with Leslie speakers and underneath the snare drum.
I was able to close mic and still get a very clean sound with a beautiful high end, he says. As we were recording some concerts for DVD release, I also used DPA to capture the atmospheric sound of the audience. I got two d:dicate ST4011A Cardioid and ST4015A Wide Cardioid stereo pairs and set them up as atmospheric mics. The 4015A Wide Cardioids were used as a spaced stereo pair positioned at the FOH mixing desk and pointed back towards the stage. This gave a very open representation of what it felt like to be an audience member because they picked up the atmosphere and energy of the show via both the PA system and the audiences reaction. The 4011As were positioned as an XY stereo pair stage left, facing the audience. The combination of this set up and these cardioids gave a very honest and natural sounding representation of the audience and its reaction to the show, while rejecting most of the on-stage noise due to their directionality. The results were spectacular, and we were all delighted.
Reliability combined with a great sound are key reasons why Albo chooses DPA, but equally important is the technical support he receives.
When you are working with prestigious artists like Emeli, it is vital to have great support and thats what I get from DPA and Sound Network, he says. For instance, on this latest tour Sound Network organised last minute equipment and technical support for a show we were doing in Dublin. That was very much appreciated, especially as it was all done at very short notice.
Emeli Sande s Arena tour came to an end with a concert in Albania in November 2017. Albos next move is to head off to Los Angeles in 2018 for some exciting new projects.
d:vote 4099s will definitely be travelling with me because I always have a pair in my carry-on luggage, just in case I need them, he says.
dpamicrophones.com
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
BRIT Award winning artist and songwriter Emeli Sande has switched to a DPA d:facto Vocal Microphone for live gigs after taking advice from her sound engineers who felt the microphone would be the perfect complement for her chameleon-like, note perfect voice.
