Fry says he is delighted with the new DPA
d:screet™ 6000 Series – both in terms of the sound quality they are delivering and their robustness and aesthetics.
“They are so tiny that they just disappear. With a 4061, if it isn’t well hidden you can definitely see a microphone, especially if you are double miking, but with these you just mistake them for a small mole. They are effectively invisible. The actors prefer wearing them too, because they are less obtrusive.”
Fry adds that often in the preview period when his sound team are trying out different mic positions, he will get notes from producers and directors about mics being too visible.
“Since switching to
d:screet™ 6061 mics I’ve had significantly fewer notes.” he says. “Plus they sound as great as the original 4061s – and they are incredibly water resistant. In the past if you have a scene where the actors come in to contact with water you have to go to extreme measures to protect the microphones, or use something like a heavy duty d:screet™ 4661, but the IP rating on these makes them seem impervious to water.”
As well as preparing for the San Francisco and Hamburg productions of Harry Potter, opening in 2019 and 2020 respectively, Fry has just opened an adaptation of the best-selling novel, Alys, Always, at the Bridge Theatre, London. Again, the cast are miked up using DPA 6061 microphones, this time utilising the Sony DWT-B03R mini digital transmitters. Although Gareth Fry is best known for his cutting-edge work in theatre, he has also designed events and exhibitions such as the landmark V&A David Bowie Is exhibition, and sound effects for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. His book Sound Design for the Stage has just been published by Crowood Press.
Photo Credit: Matt Murphy