Wireless vocals, zero compromise

The engineer behind the sound

Martijn Van Renterghem has built his career across theater productions, concerts and large-scale touring. As director of A-Live Sound LTD, he has also grown its rental division into a provider of full tour packages throughout the UK and Europe. On the Marti Pellow tour, he serves as monitor engineer — and the challenge he faces every night is consistency.

Every show, a different room

Scottish singer, Marti Pellow performs across a wide range of settings — arena tours, theater shows and festivals. Each brings different stage conditions and ambient noise levels. For Van Renterghem, the system must sound the same across all of them.

The hardest thing to solve in wireless

For Van Renterghem, the biggest test of any wireless system is simple: does it sound like a wire? Most don't pass.

"We were among the first users of DPA's N-Series, and we jumped on it very quickly," Van Renterghem says. "What really stood out was how natural it sounds. I can't notice a difference in sound between a wired microphone and a wireless one with the N-Series, which is something you can't say about many wireless systems."

That quality — wireless transparency — is what led Van Renterghem to make DPA Microphones' N-Series Digital Wireless System a core part of the tour's audio workflow, deployed for handheld vocal applications.

A mid-tour decision

The tour started with the DPA 4018 VL capsule. As the shows moved through louder environments, with enthusiastic audiences and challenging stage conditions, Van Renterghem made the call to switch to the 2028 Vocal Handheld Microphone.

"Marti performs across a variety of settings from arena tours to theater shows and festivals, so we needed a system that could adapt," Van Renterghem adds. "The DPA 2028 is a bit more enclosed, which helps in louder environments, while still maintaining that incredibly natural sound."

The N-Series transmitters themselves also stood out for practical reasons. Their clean, discreet appearance and lack of external screens make them well-suited for on-camera use.

"They look neat, they're lightweight and the noise floor is incredibly low," he says. "Marti really likes the feel and the sound; it's just very natural."

Eighty musicians, one standard

The challenge of consistency scales up dramatically on orchestral performances. With up to 80 musicians on stage, every input must react the same way. Van Renterghem's answer is to go all-in on DPA microphones, including the 4099 Instrument Mic, across every source.

"During orchestral performances, which feature up to 80 musicians, we rely exclusively on DPA microphones, such as the 4099 Instrument Mic, to ensure tonal consistency across every input," Van Renterghem explains. "When you go all-in with DPA, everything reacts the same way. You hear the source, not the microphone. That's especially important in orchestral settings where clarity and realism are critical."

Other engineers are noticing

A-Live has expanded its use of the N-Series Digital Wireless System beyond the Marti Pellow tour, integrating it into its broader rental inventory across additional shows and festivals. The reactions from other engineers have been consistent with Van Renterghem's own experience.

"The response from engineers and artists alike has been overwhelmingly positive," adds Van Renterghem. "Industry professionals already trust the DPA brand, so they're keen to try it. Once they hear it, they understand why it stands out."