A selection of the company's microphones are now being used for events such as lectures, panel discussions, filming, live streaming and podcasting.
From its unique double-height dimensions to the extensive use of reflective marble surfaces in its construction, the Royal Academy of Art's new Benjamin West Lecture Theatre in London presents some unusual acoustic challenges.
Ensuring high quality sound is obviously a prerequisite for such a prestigious building, so it was imperative that the right microphones were chosen - ones that could cope with the unusual acoustics and the wide variety of uses that the Lecture Theatre covers.
“DPA microphones have proved to be the ideal solution because they allow any technician or engineer to jump in and achieve quality sound.” says Benji Fox, AV Events Manager at the RA. “We are using a selection of the company’s products in a number of different ways, including acoustic mics for lectures, belt packs and lapel mics for panel discussions and the new 6066 CORE Subminiature Headset Microphones for smaller panel discussions, filming and live streaming.”
Opened in 2018 as part of the landmark redevelopment of the RA's Burlington Gardens to mark its 250th anniversary, the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre signals a new stage for the RA's legacy of rigorous and lively debate. Hosting events such as the Festival of Ideas, the space has become a haven for celebrated thinkers from across the arts to share their ideas and opinions. In addition to its double height, the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre features bespoke seating and contemporary design.
The Lecture Theatre’s DPA inventory now includes two 4018 supercardioid microphones, which are positioned on custom lecterns at the front of the room.
"These are ideal for lectures because they have such good off-axis response, so even if the speaker moves to the side of the microphone, you can still hear them clearly," says Fox. "We also have five 4098 supercardioid mics rigged to a ceiling winch as pickups for ambient audio and to add to our hearing loop system. We do a lot of podcasting in the lecture hall, and these mics are great for providing high-quality stereo sound.
For panel discussions, the RA is using DPA 4080 miniature cardioid microphones that are usually attached to panellists’ lapels. Fox was introduced to these by an external contractor and was so impressed that he decided to try them out for himself.
"There are features on the 4080 that just work amazingly well - better, in fact, than any other manufacturer's capsule I have tried in the field," he says. "The unnecessary makeup gain on the 4080s, compared to the other capsules we've tried, means we need less EQ overall. In fact, I've been able to run some events with no EQ on the channels or on the master bus, something I thought was impossible before.
Fox adds that many of the RA's events are recorded for archive and podcast, with production handled by the in-house AV team.
“Whichever DPA mics we choose, from 4080s or our recently adopted 6066 Headset microphones, we know we will be making the best possible source recordings that will need the minimal amount of postproduction. The proven track record of DPA mics at the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre means that I am now looking to expand the RA’s stock across other sites and for a variety of specialised applications.”
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