DPA Microphones & For The Record Live Celebrate Scorsese

When For The Record Live made its triumphant return to Beverly Hills in the all-new production, Scorsese: American Crime Requiem at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Sound Designer Ben Soldate turned to DPA Microphones to deliver crisp, clear audio for the all-star casts' celebration of the work of the great filmmaker, Martin Scorsese.

Soldate said: "When we got ready to spec the Scorsese show for Wallis Annenberg in Beverly Hills, DPA was the obvious choice. I got in touch with a DPA representative who was extremely helpful and generous with my introduction to DPA.

"Thanks to DPA's cooperation, every single mic on stage was a DPA with the exception of one, and they have performed wonderfully. DPA mics work like they should. You never bring up a channel with a DPA mic and worry if it's going to fail.

"The starting point that DPA gets you to is much higher than anything else in terms of clarity, tone and sound. You open the box, put the microphone on the sound source and you're already further than you are with most other microphones. DPA is a no brainer choice for me."

Scorsese: American Crime Requiem is mixed very much like a rock concert that features a seven-piece band on stage with 12 performers. Each cast member is miked with a d:fine 4088 Directional Headset Microphone and d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones are used on the drums (kick, snare tops, snare bottoms and three toms), piano and horns. DPA d:dicate 2011 Twin Diaphragm Cardioid Microphones are used for overheads. The bass and guitar are sent directly into the console.

Soldate added: "I became aware of DPA Microphones through the suggestions of other audio professionals. Based on their recommendations and my research, I found that DPA has a lot to offer. My first introduction to DPA was working with For The Record on the Scorsese show at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2015.

"The festival provided the d:fine 4088s and I immediately noticed a difference. The previous headsets would always struggle with feedback as the cast would spend a lot of time in front of the PA. With the d:fine 4088s we had none of those issues and the clarity was unbelievable. Everyone was impressed."

From that point on, Soldate has been using the d:fine 4088s or the d:fine 88 Directional Headset Microphones on all of the For The Record productions he's involved with, including the John Hughes version of the show, For The Record - The Brat Pack, an 80's inspired tribute to teen movies.

"In terms of performance and use, the DPA's are fantastic," Soldate concluded. "They are very easy to set up, easy to put on and they stay in place and you don't have to worry about it. After this production, we're convinced that DPA is the way forward for the company for as many shows as we can. Everyone was commenting on the clarity and the power that the band and the cast had, and how they could understand every word, and that's thanks in large part to the microphone choice."

The acclaimed For The Record series is a unique, genre-bending form of live entertainment that turns the soundtracks of the films of iconic filmmakers into thrilling immersive theatrical concerts. Scorsese: American Crime Requiem explores over 40 years of Scorsese's storytelling, his passion for music and the people who make it. The show stars an eclectic mix of artists from the worlds of music, stage and screen who perform an epic set list from GoodFellas, Casino, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street and more. Scorsese: American Crime Requiem rolls a rock concert, theatrical drama and nightclub act into a single show.

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