Part of a world tour promoting 70 Strong, an album released earlier this year to celebrate his 70th birthday, American drummer Steve Gadd enthralled the Hong Kong City Hall audience recently. Key to the sound of his kit was use of DPA microphones

‘As this was a very high-profile event, concert promoter Clarence Chang wanted the sound to be absolutely first class,’ says Francis Lai, Market Development Manager at DPA’s APAC office. ‘He approached us for help with the microphone specification because he had used DPA mics for previous concerts, most notably for vocalist Ivan Rutherford and guitarist Robben Ford. On those occasions the microphones performed very well and therefore he felt confident in choosing DPA again.’

Lai, who was on-site during the concert to assist the local sound engineer, specified a d:dicate 4011C cardioid compact microphone for the snare drum, a d:dicate 2011C twin diaphragm cardioid microphone for the kick drum and a d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphone for the toms. He also specified a pair of d:dicate 4018A super cardioid microphones as overheads. DPA d:dicate 2011C microphones were also used to on the guitar amplifier and Leslie speaker, while the trumpet was miked with a d:dicate 4011A and a d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphone.

‘Clarity of sound is so important in Jazz music, especially in concert situations,’ Chang adds. ‘In the case of the Steve Gadd Band concert, DPA helped to reproduce the legendary drummer’s dynamic performance – from light brushes to hard driving clashes and snare, DPA ensured that every detail was heard.’

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