Legendary FOH Mix Engineer Kevin Elson captured crystal clear sound with d:facto 4018 Vocal and d:vote 4099 Instrument Mics.
During the late 80's and 90's, New Kids On The Block took the world by storm with their super-catchy songs and clean cut good looks. Selling out concerts in record time, Danny, Donnie, Joe, Jordan and Jon gave birth to the boyband phenomenon. Today, New Kids On The Block is proving it still has the right stuff. The band sounded better than ever as it sold out arenas on its 2017 Total Package Tour. Because of his long history and record of success, legendary FOH Mix Engineer Kevin Elson chose DPA Microphones for the tour.
I was first introduced to DPA by my friend and colleague Eddie Caipo a few years back when we worked together on Christina Aguilera's shows, says Elson. He had some DPA capsules with him and the first one I tried was the d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphone on the toms. I was also able to use the d:facto 4018 Vocal Microphone on the New Kids On The Block cruise about a year ago. I tried it on one of the guys for a solo performance and he really liked it a lot, so I told him I wanted to mic the whole group for the Total Package Tour.
On the Total Package Tour, Elson used d:facto 4018 mics for all of the New Kids' vocals, as well as the d:vote 4099 on the toms. On the vocal side, I found the d:facto 4018's are such solid, reliable mics, adds Elson. Instead of taking everything away to try to make them sound full, I ended up being able to add some air up top. This allowed me to work the microphones rather than the mics dictating what I did. As far as drums, we got less cymbal bleed into the toms' mics. The cymbals were pretty close, maybe an inch of clearance, and the d:vote 4099 did a great job of eliminating splash from the cymbals and isolating the toms.
One of the qualities Elson really likes about DPA mics is its ability to control ambient noise and feedback. During most of the show, the guys were singing between 40- to 100-feet in front of the PA and the d:facto 4018's worked great, says Elson. I really loved how they can sing in front of the PA and we didn't have all of that crazy ambient noise in the mics. In the past, we had a lot of feedback problems, especially with the New Kids On The Block stage setups. With the d:facto 4018's, when the guys were singing, you didn't have all that ambient noise coming in. The rejection on them was really great and they still sounded solid when the guys backed off the microphones.
In addition to his DPA mics, Elson mixed behind an Avid VENUE Profile digital console. Another benefit to using DPA mics is that I had to use a lot less EQ on the toms and vocal mics, adds Elson. The d:facto 4018 mic tends to have more body to the overall sound than other vocal mics I've used in the past. I also used a lot less compression with DPA mics. Management has said how great the vocals sounded on this tour. People out front heard nice, clear vocals. The DPA mics are a great live concert mic.
Elson has spent the past four decades producing, mixing and touring with an incredible list of musicians and bands including Journey, Van Morrison, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Mr. Big, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, Bush, Jewel, Carole King and Europe. Elson started mixing with the New Kids On The Block in 2011 and the 2017 Total Package Tour was his fifth tour with the band.
Photo Credit: Marcello Ambriz
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
IPC Expands Brazilian Presence with New Channel Partner CCATech
Industry veterans Carlos Abrah o and Bruno Lopes strengthen local support and expand IPCs prese...
20/08/2026
Zixi Enters Mauritius Market Through Strategic Deployment with MTC Jockey Club
Worlds Oldest Horse Racing Club in the Southern Hemisphere Selects Zixis Softwar...
20/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Di...
20/08/2026
Audiences reveal appetite for multicultural Australia on-screen 20 August 2026
Dr Georgie McClean, Dr Rebecca Huntley (L-R)
By Dr Georgie McClean and Dr Rebec...
20/08/2026
How Mavis Studio Is Expanding Live Production Teaching at Sussex
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays a student about to mix be...
20/08/2026
Vertical Unscripted Series Legal Queens Captured with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Reality TV veteran Eric Gardner create...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
Legendary FOH Mix Engineer Kevin Elson captured crystal clear sound with d:facto 4018 Vocal and d:vote 4099 Instrument Mics.
