The Kalachakra 2014 event was held in a field equivalent to the length of four soccer fields, with the audience almost a kilometer away from the stage. “We had to be really careful to ensure that his voice was heard across the whole venue,” explains Remedios. “In addition to needing perfect reliability, given only one mic for a large audience, there was a high level of stage monitoring requirements for the surrounding Monks. I had contacted my friend and colleague Ron [Lorman] in New York, and explained that I was unsure that my previous mics would have the amount of gain that I needed. We additionally discussed the unique monitor needs for this event, as it was mandatory that the source element provided a flat response with substantial rear rejection.
Ron recommended the d:fine™ products and he put me in touch with the company during a visit to the U.S.DPA Inc. supplied me with four mics to try out, which I brought back to India. My team was extremely happy with the quality.”
Once the mics traveled up into the Himalayas, Reynolds’ audio team, led by Sound Engineer Suresh J, were able to put them to the test for the first time. “We chose to use the cardioid version of the mic for the Kalachakra,” adds Remedios. “We had never used DPA mics before, but one of the first things we noticed was that there was no coloration in the signal. His Holiness’ voice sounded extremely natural and transparent, and we were able to get the gain levels we wanted. The DPA
d:fine™ is certainly a big quantum leap from what we are used to, both in signal levels from the mic and overall quality of the design.”