While performing in 2018, Whale Rock Music & Arts Festival used an array of AKG by Harman microphones for show-stopping performances from artists like Coffis Brothers & the Mountain Men, B & The Hive and many more.
Formerly known as Beaverstock, the event is a two-day outdoor music and arts festival held every September at Castoro Cellars winery. Established in 2013, Whale Rock Music & Arts Festival featured performances on two stages—the Main Stage and the Stomping Grounds stage, which was built on the bed of a 1957 Chevy flatbed. The Stomping Grounds stage was fitted with Harman AKG D7, Harman C7, Harman C451B and Harman D112 microphones to ensure it provided exceptional sounds for an eclectic mix of artists.
“Whenever an act finished on the Main Stage, another act started playing on the Stomping Grounds stage, so the music never stopped but there are never two bands playing at the same time,” said Promoter of Whale Rock Music & Arts Festival, Luke Udsen: “We used AKG mics on the Stomping Grounds stage, which was awesome.”
Live Sound Engineer for the Stomping Grounds stage, Johnny Valdez, used Harman AKG C7 and Harman D7 microphones to capture detailed vocals from a tightly packed stage. Harman AKG D7 mics were also used on guitar amps for their crisp, clean sound. Valdez also used the iconic Harman AKG D112 mic on the kick drums for a solid low-end response and a pair of Harman AKG C451B small-diaphragm condenser microphones were used overhead drum kits, bongos and congas mics to deliver a smooth, airy sound.
Valdez said: “The AKG C451Bs worked really well as overhead mics, we didn’t have any feedback issues at all, which is a common problem,” said Valdez: “I also used two C451Bs in an XY stereo configuration to mic up a bluegrass band that wanted a more traditional sound. It sounded great.”
The sound crew weren’t the only ones impressed with the superb sound quality the artists also loved performing with Harman AKG microphones. “The AKG C7 and D7 mics have excellent clarity and the feedback rejection is amazing,” said Josh Barret, Bassist and Producer of B & The Hive. “We’re a rock band with a female lead vocalist, so she needs a mic that can pick up every little nuance of her voice for everything from soft ballads to hard rock and these mics did a great job.”
