How MerleFest’s engineers made the microphones go unheard

Thousands of bluegrass fans gathered in the rolling hills of North Carolina for MerleFest 2026, but the real work of the weekend happened behind the scenes. Unlike festivals built on heavy processing and massive production, MerleFest is built on the subtleties of acoustic performance. Every banjo roll, fiddle phrase and vocal harmony carries weight, and preserving that character on a live stage takes more than good ears.

The challenge for the engineers running sound across the festival's stages was to capture that nuance without ever calling attention to how they did it. On a festival stage packed with acoustic instruments and open vocal mics, isolating each performer while keeping the natural tone intact is not simple. The gear has to support the music without becoming part of the story.

When the technology has to go unheard

That was the mandate for the teams running sound throughout the weekend. "We used all of our DPA microphones on multiple stages at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina," says DPA Application Specialist Gabriel Antonini and Mid-Atlantic Sales Manager Chris Kontopanos. "Whether it's banjo, mandolin, fiddle, any instrument, it was acoustic. Our job was to get out of the way to make it sound like there was no microphone at all. That's what came through the PA."

Keeping the drum kit punchy without losing the room

At the B-Towns Americana Stage, Cameron Grogan of SE Systems relied on a full complement of DPA microphones, including the DDK4000 Drum Microphone Kit. "We had a full kit of DPAs on stage, including the full drum miking kit," says Grogan. "Those are beautiful mics — punchy, open, natural, everything you want in the drum kit."

Vocals that leave room to breathe

Grogan's setup also included the 2028 Vocal Microphone. "We also used the 2028s on vocals, which were phenomenal," he says. "They've got a great low-mid body that is present, but not overpowering. Turn it up, it still sounds excellent. The 2028 blows me away; everything about it is great. As an engineer at a festival, there's enough hard things going on. Knowing you can gain up a mic and it's going to be clean, and you're going to get power out of it, there's nothing more you can ask for. I would love to use DPA again in the future because it makes my job easy, and it makes the stage cleaner."

Dale Bode, front of house engineer and production manager for The Wilder Blue, found the same microphones well-suited to one of the festival's busiest stages. "I got to use all those vocal mics; they're nice," he says. "I need lots of headroom, and they give me all of it. So, they were great. I really enjoyed the warmth."

Isolating instruments without losing the room's honesty

Vocals are only part of the bluegrass and Americana sound. The genre's intricate acoustic instrumentation presents its own challenge: capturing detail while keeping separation on a busy stage. That's where the 4099 CORE+ Instrument Microphone proved valuable. "I'm a big fan of the 4099," says front of house engineer Joel Rose, who has worked with bands such as Railroad Earth and Green Sky Bluegrass, as well as the Bay Area touring audio company ULTRASOUND. "I've done a lot of work in the bluegrass scene, and the mandolin player for Green Sky uses the 4099 for clarity and even response."

The microphone turned up across the festival's stages, on instruments central to the MerleFest sound. "The 4099 was a great asset at the festival," adds Antonini. "We used it on mandolin and fiddle, and we made a special solution for the banjo. We also put the 4099 on its own stand, so musicians could work the microphone and get the perfect sound for their music."

For monitor engineer Haley Coots of SE Systems, the microphone's ability to isolate instruments while maintaining a natural presentation makes it indispensable in an acoustic environment. "World-class musicians come across these stages, who are focused so much on their tone, and you have to present that honestly," she says. "I use the 4099s because there is isolation within the capsule, and I'm able to accurately represent what they're giving me because of the rejection. You can definitely tell the difference. When the musicians feel that on stage, they're comfortable and it translates out front [to the audience]. So, when they're happy, FOH is happy and the audience is happy, that makes every bit of difference."

Music, moments and memories

"MerleFest, just like DPA, is about music, moments and memories," adds Antonini. "We made a lot of friends and a lot of memories there. I hope we can go back next year as well."

Microphones from Austrian Audio, a DPA brand, were also used across the festival's stages, further supporting the event's commitment to authentic, natural sound reproduction.