Aladdin Finds a Whole New World of Audio Solutions with DPA Microphones 01 May 2014
Aladdin is the most recent of Disney 's beloved animated films to come to life on Broadway and DPA Microphones is in a leading role for this musical comedy, engaging audiences with dramatic sound and theatrical adventures. To help make the magical experience come alive, Ken Travis, sound designer for the show, calls on the company's d:screet 4061 Omnidirectional Microphones to close-mic the entire cast, along with a combination of d:dicate 2011C Twin Diaphragm Cardioid and d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones to amplify the natural sound of the orchestra.
Featuring all of the original Academy Award-winning songs from the hit animated film, as well as new material written especially for the stage production, Aladdin combines elements of magic, adventure and comedy to captivate audiences. For Travis, this means producing a phenomenal sound to bring the cinematic experience to stage in the most vibrant way possible, lending this his desire to create an audio masterpiece that feels like the original film mixed with a classic Broadway musical. Whether costumes had to be designed around the mics or actors were equipped with several mics to account for costume changes, every setup was tested to achieve optimal audio amplification.
This is the most collaborative production at this level that I have ever been involved with, Travis shares. For instance, we were working directly with the costume designers because we don't want any wires to be seen on the cast. One unique thing we created was a prosthetic chin for the Genie, which has a DPA d:screet 4061 inside. While designing the chin, we tried multiple microphones, manufacturers and styles in order to find the perfect sound. The day we switched to the d:screet 4061 everyone said, wow, whatever you guys did to the Genie, that's it!'
Like the Genie, the entire ensemble uses d:screet 4061s, as Travis finds they provide a natural sound, with the benefit of being easily concealable. The mics are also designed to withstand the toughest of conditions, including humidity and sweat, and have a reinforced cable relief built to handle the constant twists, bends and pulls, which is perfect for a production of this magnitude.
Since the show requires as many as 72 costume changes in four minutes, the mics are hidden along the actors' hairline or turban to ensure the fast-paced environment is always perfectly wired for sound, allowing the ensemble to instead focus on their performances rather than mic placement.
Sometimes the cast only has a second to make sure the mic is in the proper placement after a wardrobe change, shares Travis. In those instances, we tell them to try and hit their mark, but just in case, we also built a transmitter for the mics that we hide in the costumes, such as under a jewel in the turbans. There are some cases when cast members are triple-miked because they'll have multiple hat and turban changes. Whether the number requires an actor put on a new turban, which covers the primary mic, or take off a turban to reveal another hat, equipped with a backup mic, we always have a redundant mic just so we don't lose any audio.
While it was crucial to Travis to find the best sound solution for the cast, he knew the orchestra also plays a big role in the Broadway experience. For Aladdin, a song such as A Friend Like Me, which is three minutes long in the movie, is a 10-minute production onstage. When it came time to select the mics to amplify the orchestra, Travis tested every mic available to ensure the sound quality of the instruments matched the vocal abilities of the performers. Again, DPA Microphones was the clear winner.
I'm never happy with the sound of snare drums, so we wanted to try different microphone varieties and pick whichever sounded the best, recalls Travis. Eric [Mayer, president of DPA, Inc.] suggested we try the d:dicate 2011C microphonesM. He felt they were just what we were looking for, so we included one in our blind test and he was right.
After finding the perfect orchestra mic, the audio team needed a setup to match, so they hung two d:dicate 2011C Twin Diaphragm Cardioids from a custom harness above the grand piano and orchestra to create what Travis describes as a very accurate sound. Additionally, they clipped d:vote 4099s to the toms and ethnic drums. From piano, guitar and strings to woodwinds, brass and drums, the d:vote 4099 sounds incredible on every instrument as it amplifies their natural acoustics and removes any unwanted noise. Ideal for the Broadway stage, a single d:vote model can reinforce an entire orchestra.
What we like about this setup is that the piano goes from very legato into the Genie performances that are really rocking, he explains. Those songs were our biggest test for the d:vote 4099s and d:dicate 2011Cs, because we use a lot of snares and ethnic drums, which can get loud. Some mics don't seem to reproduce that type of sound very accurately, but both micsstood up to the challenge. We are really happy with the sound, so we're trying the d:votes on some brass instruments next.
Per Travis' request, Masque Sound supplied a custom audio equipment package, which included the DPA d:screet 4061 mics, to support his creative design for the show, which opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on March 20. His vision was additionally brought to life by associate sound designer Alex Hawthorn, production audio head Lucas Indelicato and front of house mixer Gabe Wood, who each had a hand in selecting all of the DPA mics.
Travis is no stranger to the theater environment, as he has been providing his audio genius to the Great White Way since 1997. His recent works include Newsies; Jekyll & Hyde; and A Christmas Story, the Musical, both on and off-Broadwa
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
19/04/2024
Thank You for visiting us at NAB 2024!
Thank you for joining us at the ToolsOnAir booth during NAB Show 2024!
We were delighted to showcase our latest inno...
19/04/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 18: (L-R) John Early and Theda Hammel attend the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Stress Positions premiere at Library Center Theatre on ...
19/04/2024
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
19/04/2024
Pictured: Midnight Family
By Stephanie Ornelas
A great way to get to know a city as culturally unique and rich as Mexico City is to listen to the stories tol...
19/04/2024
St. Louis, MO - April 18, 2024 - Studio Network Solutions (SNS) announced today that MOD won three prestigious industry awards at NAB Show 2024 held this week i...
19/04/2024
Spotify's mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the ...
19/04/2024
It's a beautiful day to be a Swiftie. Today, Taylor Swift dropped her 11th s...
19/04/2024
MELBOURNE, Fla., April 19, 2024 - The Board of Directors of L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.16 per common share, payab...
19/04/2024
PARIS Intel has announced that its plans for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 will include using artificial intelligence technology powered by Intel ...
19/04/2024
LAS VEGAS Technologists working on all aspects of the 8K media production chain offered an optimistic update at the 2024 NAB Show on the state of 8K in video pr...
19/04/2024
OpenDrives New Software-Defined Platform Atlas Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of the...
19/04/2024
Grass Valley Showcases Next-Generation T3 Series 4K/HD Digital Recording and Pla...
19/04/2024
NiTRo's M-CUBE Studio Levels Up Esports Productions with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton April 19, 2024
0 Comments
Esports' rapid rise to popularity can...
19/04/2024
Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 19
Brie Clayton April 19, 2024
0 Comments
Major update adds new DaVinci Neural Engine AI tools, new color ...
19/04/2024
Sony Pictures Entertainment is reportedly in talks with Apollo Global Management to make a bid to acquire Paramount which itself is currently discussing a merge...
19/04/2024
Simon Wilkinson, head of VFX at 1185 films, talks about the technology behind the newly-released horror
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: April 19, 2024
Simo...
19/04/2024
The global electronics company is said to be considering joining forces with investment firm Apollo Management to bid for Paramount Global
By Jenny Priestley
...
19/04/2024
The report broke the economic footprint of EBU member sports broadcasting into three main areas
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: April 19, 2024
The report b...
19/04/2024
CBS Stations has launched CBS News California Investigates , with Julie Watts named regional CBS California correspondent. She will uncover and raise awarenes...
19/04/2024
MediaCo Holding, which owns radio stations WQHT (Hot 97) and WBLS in New York, said it acquired Estrella Media's Spanish-language video, audio and digital c...
19/04/2024
Netflix has ordered season five of fantasy drama The Witcher, which will be the final season. Production has recently begun on season four, and the two remainin...
19/04/2024
DirecTV Stream said it added eight more The CW affiliates to its lineup on Thursday....
19/04/2024
CBS has renewed Elsbeth for the 2024-2025 season. The drama, with Carrie Preston in the lead role, debuted February 29....
19/04/2024
With the Bears picking first, NBCUniversal Local's properties in Chicago plan extensive coverage of the NFL draft next week....
19/04/2024
PHILADELPHIA As government subsidies for broadband services come to an end, Comcast has launched NOW, a new product portfolio of lower-cost Internet, mobile and...
19/04/2024
DirecTV Stream has added more local CW stations for its streaming customers in Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Hartford-New Haven Conn., Phoenix, San ...
19/04/2024
NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES MediaCo Holding Inc. has announced that it has acquired all of Estrella Media's network, content, digital, and commercial operations....
19/04/2024
SAN JOSE, Calif. Adobe has announced that the all-new Adobe Express mobile app is available to all users, bringing features powered by Adobe Firefly generative ...
19/04/2024
LOS GATOS, Calif. Netflix reported another blockbuster quarter by adding 9.33 million new subscribers in Q1, 2024 as global paid memberships hit 269.6 million, ...
19/04/2024
The Current State of the Industry and the Future Impact of AI
Hillary Lewis April 18, 2024
0 Comments
The Entertainment Industry: How did we get here ...
19/04/2024
After Effects Tutorial Text Blur Reveal
Andy Ford April 18, 2024
0 Comments
Here's a way to do a quick blur reveal for your text layer. Start by...
19/04/2024
Hollyland Mars M1 Enhanced Wireless Transmitter / Receiver
Colin Smith April 18, 2024
0 Comments
This tutorial shows the new wireless transmitter rece...
19/04/2024
Resolve Fusion: Writing Expressions with Lua
Simon Ubsdell April 18, 2024
0 Comments
The answer to the very frequently-asked question: what is the pro...
19/04/2024
B+C and Next TV have announced the winners of Best of Show Awards for the 2024 NAB Show. The awards were judged by a panel of industry experts at the convention...
19/04/2024
Cate Blanchett narrates the Netflix series Our Living World, which premieres April 17. The four-part series looks at the extraordinary creatures around the glob...
19/04/2024
Apple TV Plus has a spinoff of For All Mankind in the works. It is called Star City and details the cosmonauts, engineers and intelligence officers working behi...
19/04/2024
Jacquie Walker, longtime anchor at WIVB Buffalo, will step down from the anchor desk. She has spent over 40 years at WIVB and her last day as an anchor is May 2...
19/04/2024
Bob Hearts Abishola will premiere in broadcast syndication this fall on such station groups as Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair, Hearst Television, Tegna, E.W. Scr...
19/04/2024
Live With Kelly and Mark remains TV's top entertainment talk show as Kelly Ripa and her co-host and husband Mark Consuelo celebrate their one-year anniversa...
19/04/2024
Sean McLaughlin has been named VP of news for Graham Media Group. He had been senior VP of local news at E.W. Scripps. He will will be responsible for developi...
19/04/2024
Netflix has shared the first trailer from One Hundred Years of Solitude, a series based on the esteemed novel by Gabriel Garc a M rquez. The streamer is on boar...
19/04/2024
NAB 2024 in Review: West Hall - SportsTech Buzz From AWS, Appear, Ateme, The Swi...
19/04/2024
NAB 2024 Draws 61,000+ Attendees With More Than Half Attending the Show for the ...
19/04/2024
Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI support European OTIC in Berlin for O-RAN conformance ...
19/04/2024
Wuppertal April 19, 2024
Riedel launches Bolero Connect for seamless integration with PunQtum A pioneer in the field of digital intercom, Riedel has recently ...
Aladdin Finds a Whole New World of Audio Solutions with DPA Microphones 01 May 2014
