John Buitrago Selects DPA Microphones

Karol G's record-breaking "Mañana Será Bonito" stadium tour featured an incredible level of sonic precision thanks to Front of House Engineer John Buitrago.

With months of travel and dozens of performances, the tour demanded not just accuracy, but resilience from the equipment it used. To account for these needs, a variety of solutions from DPA Microphones were chosen by Buitrago to capture the energy of the show without compromising the authenticity of the music.

The mic setup was as dynamic as the performance itself. Horns were outfitted with DPA 4099 Instrument Mics — high SPL models for the trumpet and sax and low SPL for the flute — to deliver crisp, isolated tones on a B-stage nearly 80 feet from the main PA system, surrounded by the acoustical chaos and crowd energy of stadium reverberation in the massive venues, which hosted upwards of 100,000 spectators.

The 4099s were also used to cover percussion, from congas and tumbas to bongos and accordion. Overhead and spot duties for cymbals, toms and guitars were handled by DPA's 2011 Twin Diaphragm Cardioid and 2012 Compact Cardioid pencil microphones with stunning clarity, while the powerful 4055 Kick Drum Mic provided a full, punchy low end without the need for a second mic, ensuring perfect phase coherence.