Almost every day, the Bowmer and Thomas theatres have two different shows each. “We go from one play to another play with a band onstage or a Shakespeare to a thirty-person musical with a seven-person pit,” adds Horvath. “We chose DPA for its dependability, clarity, transparency, size discretion and ease of placement. DPA’s
4099 mics clip onto the instruments so the placement is the same every time. It’s our Swiss army microphone that we use in our orchestra pit. The 4099 can work on anything and fit anywhere. We often have to hide microphones on instruments and on stage. The transparent sound and the low profile of the 4099 is perfect for almost any scenario.”
At the OSF, Horvath uses the
4061 lavalier mics for the actors in more traditional musicals. “We used them in Hairspray and a play with music, Cambodian Rock Band, last season,” he adds. “I haven’t found any lavalier that works the way the 4061 works. Straight out of the box, it has a nice warmth and clarity. You can see it on the channel EQ. When using the 4061, you’ll see a flatter EQ because it just captures the sound you want. We love the low profile of the 4061. Our actors really appreciate how small they are and how light and effortless it is to wear the lavs. The small profile helps our actors feel like they are not wearing a microphone. Many of our guest sound designers ask for the 4061.”
Horvath uses the
4066 headset mics for musicals that need a little more output. “Typically, our rock and hip-hop musicals need to have flexibility and high gain before feedback,” he says. “The 4066 gives you that awesome clean and transparent DPA sound quality with lots of headroom. I love how easily you can manipulate the headset. I see us always using DPAs; they have become a standard in modern theatrical design. Every sound designer that comes through wants DPA.”
The OSF 2020 season begins February 28, with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Angus Bowmer Theatre. For more information, visit:
www.osfashland.org/2020.
Photo Credits
Photo 1:
Hairspray —The Broadway Musical (2019): Madeline Day, Matthew Ranaudo. Photo by Jenny Graham, Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Photo 2:
Hairspray —The Broadway Musical (2019): Taylor Fagins. Photo by Jenny Graham, Oregon Shakespeare Festival.