
Welsh National Opera has put on powerful performances for audiences across South Wales for the past 75 years. The historic organization performs a range of shows from smaller productions to those with hundreds of people, some of which require additional audio equipment. The opera house brought on Sound Designer Sebastian Frost to help with the audio on various productions, such as Kiss Me Kate, Migrations and most recently, Candide.
To showcase the orchestra, which was on stage behind the performers during the production of Candide, Frost knew he needed microphones that would provide a consistent, clean sound. The sound designer chose to close mic all the high strings using DPA Microphones' 4099 Instrument Microphone and put the rest of the orchestra on the 2012 Compact Cardioid Microphone. He also used a 4055 Kick Drum Microphone for the show. For the theater's production of Migrations last year, Frost deployed DPA's 2011 Twin Diaphragm Cardioid and 4011 Cardioid Condenser Microphones.
The microphones provide an enormous level of conformity and smoothness in terms of sound, says Frost. They make it much quicker and easier, especially with an opera schedule that has no previews and very few dress rehearsals. By using one brand across the board, you know how the mics are going to respond and react. Plus, it helps keep everything in the same sound space to get an even, smooth coverage of the orchestra, which is ideal.
The durability of the microphones has proven to be an important feature for Frost. DPA microphones are incredibly reliable. I think that is a big reason why I continually specify DPA, he explains. I have been using DPA Microphones for a very long time; I know the mics are always going to do the job. It is second nature for me at this point to know which microphone to use in each environment and situation.
For Welsh National Opera's production of Candide, Frost explained his choice to use DPA's instrument and cardioid mics. I love the coverage patterns, they're even and controlled, he shares. The frequency response of the 2012s allows me to use the same microphone throughout the orchestra, and the 4099s are absolutely the standard for close miking. I would not choose any other brand.
No matter the production, Frost says he will continue to use DPA Microphones. I tend to send a lot of fallback down to the orchestra, and the DPA microphones respond beautifully well because of their tight coverage patterns, he says. Using only DPA also makes for a much better performance and provides a really great experience that audiences love.
Frost trained at the Guildhall School of Music Drama before setting out as a sound designer for both corporate and theater companies, including West End and Broadway. Prior to joining Welsh National Opera, Frost was involved in immersive shows at Secret Cinema in London and served as the sound designer for 20 years with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, an annual series of musical performances by the British armed forces. He has designed the sound for hundreds of productions and shows no signs of stopping.
Welsh National Opera has been bringing the power, drama and raw emotion of opera to audiences since it was first founded in 1943. With a strong history and roots in the communities of South Wales, the organization aims to entertain and inspire audiences while putting on a transformative experience for those watching. Welsh National Opera's 2023-2024 season includes powerful shows like Ainadamar, La traviata and Cos fan tutte.
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...
08/09/2026
Visitors to Grass Valley's booth at IBC2026 will be introduced to new Framelight X capabilities that connect content acquisition, management, editing and pu...
08/09/2026
BCNEXXT will showcase the latest evolution of Vipe at IBC2026 (Stand 2.B09), introducing a series of innovations designed to deliver higher-quality audience exp...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Ad Insertion Platform (AIP), a leading innovator in advanced ad insertion technologies, to...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics and augmented and virtual production, is announcing a major package of enhancements to its Suite 7 soft...
08/09/2026
Big Blue Marble is supporting TDF, French infrastructure and network operator, broadcasting Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and radio services, as a techno...
08/09/2026
Agents work inside a single production environment, from incoming wire copy to a live studio show...
08/09/2026
Building on their strategic partnership, Ceeblue and Layercake make the unthinkable possible: scalable sub-second streaming over standard DRM, SSAI, and CDN wor...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics, augmented and virtual production, is completing the environment for fast-paced broadcast production wi...
08/09/2026
A SaaS portfolio built to work together, helping operators grow audiences, monetise smarter and run leaner, on their own terms
At IBC 2026 (stand 1.B49) Synam...
08/09/2026
Accedo, global provider of video streaming software and services, has been selected by PlayOn Sports, a national leader in high school sports technology, to exp...
08/09/2026
LiveU, the leader in live IP-video solutions, is enabling The Associated Press to take global newsgathering to the next stage with intelligent connectivity and ...
08/09/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced the latest evolution of it...
08/09/2026
Compact, power-efficient X Platform performance brings broadcast-grade reliability and ultra-low latency to space-constrained remote production (REMI) workflows...
08/09/2026
Zixi, the leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Kiloview, a leading provider of professional IP video encoding and decoding solutions, t...
08/09/2026
Collaboration gives content owners scalable CDN capacity and broadcasters enhanced flexibility, including for C-band transition planning
Quortex today announce...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/09/2026
By Ramona Flume and Lucy Spicer
There's a particular kind of magic that hap...
07/09/2026
Two new full-range, flat-response cabinets introduced
HeadRush have recently introduced a pair of new full-range, flat-response cabinets designed for player...
07/09/2026
Answering questions about AI in game audio
GameSoundCon, the largest professional conference for video game music and sound design, have announced that they...
07/09/2026
New directional headset mic on show at IBC
Just ahead of this week's IBC show, DPA have announced the launch of a new directional headset that's bee...
07/09/2026
We are not building systems to replace human decision-making; we are building systems that execute our decisions at machine speed. The media companies that win ...
07/09/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces New Lower Price for Blackmagic PYXIS 6K and Blackmag...
07/09/2026
GB Labs to Unveil Core.ONE at IBC2026, an Intelligent Storage Platform for Media...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Freddie Meredith joins cast of SNL UK ahead of start of Season 2
Freddie Meredith Images
ZIP (3MB)
Saturday Night Live UK announces ...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Sky and NFTS team up to launch new routes into screen careers
Sky has today announced a new apprenticeship programme, with application...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Sky Sports announces most comprehensive NFL coverage to...
07/09/2026
Dolby, MainConcept, Techex and J nger Audio will showcase the industry's first demonstration of Serial Audio Definition Model (S-ADM) in a cloud-based produ...
07/09/2026
dB Broadcast will showcase APIS Hive, its software platform for designing, deploying and managing modern broadcast infrastructures, at IBC 2026.
Developed from...
07/09/2026
552,000 streams on RT Player
The historic fight, which saw Katie Taylor become...
06/09/2026
Recreates Rolands TB-303 & MC-202
BS-203 MacroAcidizer is the first virtual instrument from Born Second, and it offers a recreation of two Roland classics -...
06/09/2026
London, UK September 2026 PlayBox Technology is inviting broadcasters, OTT and FAST operators, content owners and media organisations worldwide to become De...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
05/09/2026
MK2 & Bass system control app improved
HEDD Audio have just launched a new and improved version of the control software that pairs with their MK2 and Bass m...
05/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
05/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/09/2026
InSync Technology, the leading provider of premium video conversion solutions, will showcase a new generation of products at IBC 2026, designed to help broadcas...
05/09/2026
GlobalM successfully supported quattro media GmbH and World Rowing, the world governing body of the Olympic sport of Rowing, with the international distribution...
05/09/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-In recognition of his exceptional work to understand the chemistry of carbohydrates and the role they play in health and disease, Scripps Family Ch...
04/09/2026
Media organisations interested in the Media Innovation Europe 3.0 Business Innovation Synergizer (BIS) can now consult a new FAQ document providing additional a...
04/09/2026
Eluvio will demonstrate updates to its Content Fabric platform at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Stand 8.MS5, and Future Tech Zone, Hall 14, Stand 14.A58, September 11-14). C...
04/09/2026
LiveU has joined the IBC Accelerator's Smart Stories consortium, a multi-vendor initiative developing an open standard for Story Context interoperability in...
04/09/2026
Telos Alliance will demonstrate new audio observability capabilities at IBC2026 (Stand 8.D37, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), covering monitoring of audio heal...
04/09/2026
World Team Tennis (WTT) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports, the sports division of Versant. USA Sports will air all six of WTT's live mat...
04/09/2026
Gravity Media has appointed Alex Pannell as Chief Business Officer. Pannell joins from Appear, where he served as Chief Commercial Officer. He will be based in ...
04/09/2026
By Carrie Bowden
Staff Writer
Dalet has announced new agentic workflow capabilities for Dalia, its AI platform for media organizations, ahead of IBC2026. The ...
04/09/2026
L-Acoustics has achieved EN 54 certification across a portfolio of loudspeakers,...
04/09/2026
EVS and Matrox Video have announced a technology partnership integrating Matrox ...