DPA Microphones’ award-winning microphones played a key part in helping Thai rock band Carabao deliver a stunning live set when they performed at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, as part of a recent US and European tour.
Carabao incorporates 8 musicians, including Aed Carabao who has been using a DPA d:facto Vocal Microphone for some time. For the Los Angeles performance, Alan Sachsel – a long time friend of the band who helps with their US gigs and projects with US artists such as Carlos Santana – arranged for Carabao to be miked entirely with DPA Microphones.
Sachsel, who also works as a Sound Engineer at the San Jose Convention Centre, is fully versed in the benefits of DPA’s microphone technology, utilising DPA Microphones’ d:fine Headset Microphones regularly.
Sachsel contacted Eric Stahlhammer, Area Sales Manager for DPA Microphones, who arranged for the band to demo a selection of microphones at its LA gig. These included DPA Microphones d:vote Instrument Microphones, which were used on trumpet, flute, saxophone, snare bottom and saw (a traditional Thai instrument); DPA Microphones d:dicate 2011A and 2011C microphones, which were used for kick drum and snare top respectively; DPA d:facto Vocal Microphones for the singers and a d:dicate 4011C as an overhead.
“The sound was amazing,” Sachsel continued. “You could really hear a difference. The drummer, Uan, who also plays other instruments, said he’d never heard his kick and snare sound so good – and he loved the simple clips that attached the d:vote microphones to his flute and saxophone.”
Sachsel added that, with 4 lead guitarists on stage, spill from other instruments can become an issue, especially with vocal microphones. “This was where d:facto really scored,” he explained. “The band’s FOH engineer, Theera Chinhango had no problem with feedback or with the microphone picking up extraneous noise from other instruments. The microphones simply captured the sound of the vocals and delivered them with absolute clarity. Everyone was impressed by the quality of the vocals because they were crystal clear and you could hear every nuance of each singer’s voice.”
After completing their Los Angeles concert, Carabao played a concert in New York before heading to Europe for gigs in Norway, Sweden and Germany.
“The Los Angeles gig gave the band a good opportunity to see what DPA can do for their live sound.” Sachsel concluded. “Now they are back in Thailand, they are planning to invest in 5 or 6 DPA microphones, mainly for trumpet, saxophone, kick and snare – the instruments that they felt really came alive with the DPAs we used in LA.”