One of the qualities Elson really likes about DPA mics is its ability to control ambient noise and feedback. “During most of the show, the guys were singing between 40- to 100-feet in front of the PA and the
d:facto™ 4018’s worked great,” says Elson. “I really loved how they can sing in front of the PA and we didn’t have all of that crazy ambient noise in the mics. In the past, we had a lot of feedback problems, especially with the New Kids On The Block stage setups. With the d:facto™ 4018’s, when the guys were singing, you didn’t have all that ambient noise coming in. The rejection on them was really great and they still sounded solid when the guys backed off the microphones.”
In addition to his DPA mics, Elson mixed behind an Avid VENUE Profile digital console. “Another benefit to using DPA mics is that I had to use a lot less EQ on the toms and vocal mics,” adds Elson. “The
d:facto™ 4018 mic tends to have more body to the overall sound than other vocal mics I’ve used in the past. I also used a lot less compression with DPA mics. Management has said how great the vocals sounded on this tour. People out front heard nice, clear vocals. The DPA mics are a great live concert mic.”
Elson has spent the past four decades producing, mixing and touring with an incredible list of musicians and bands including Journey, Van Morrison, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Mr. Big, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, Bush, Jewel, Carole King and Europe. Elson started mixing with the New Kids On The Block in 2011 and the 2017 Total Package Tour was his fifth tour with the band.
Photo Credit: Marcello Ambriz