Tech Manager Sam Day Delivers Immersive Production of “Albert Herring” Using DPA Mics

LEEDS, UK, SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 ― Technical Manager Sam Day,a longstanding advocate of DPA Microphones, recently turned to the brand to achieve pristine sound capture for an innovative in-the-round production of “Albert Herring” at Opera North’sHoward Assembly Room. When staging the intimate production, Day knew he would need to capture the nuanced dynamics of operatic vocals and orchestral richness.

“In the late stages of planning, I was informed we could not use any radio or body mics, which are typically essential for this kind of production,” explains Day. “That completely changed our approach, so I immediately reached out to DPA UK knowing I could trust the brand’s mics to deliver outstanding results with the quality and control I needed.” The performance space, an intimate venue far smaller and more controlled than a traditional opera house, meant Day would need to capture a wide dynamic range while managing bleed and directionality. He carefully selected a combination of DPA Microphones to suit the unique spatial requirements of the in-the-round setup.

To capture the singers, he deployed two 4006 Omnidirectional, fourteen 4011 Cardioid and eight 4017 Shotgun mics, all carefully positioned to suit the staging. For the orchestra, he deployed eight additional 4011s and two 4099 Instrument mics, supplemented by other solutions to ensure a full, balanced capture across the ensemble.

“Every mic was selected based on its polar pattern to manage bleed and maintain clarity throughout the space,” notes Day. “The 4006s were the basis for the entire production because of how incredibly clear and accurate they are. You get what you hear in the room, and that makes mixing easier, more creative and less about fixing problems. The 4011s and 4006s were suspended from the venue’s lighting bars to provide broad, clean vocal capture. The 4017s played a critical role in picking up singers facing away from those mics and filled in the gaps with incredible precision.”

Staging the opera in-the-round brought an unusual set of acoustic hurdles. “The orchestra and singers were incredibly close together, and everything was happening in all directions,” says Day. “Balancing clarity and spatial nuance in that setup, especially without individual miking, meant I had to rely on microphones that were both forgiving and hyper-accurate. Opera singers have a huge dynamic range and, in a smaller, more controlled space like the Assembly Room, mics are closer to the source. Having solutions that can handle high SPLs without distortion is absolutely essential.”

He also praises the modular design of the DPA mics. “The flexibility to swap out a capsule or preamp is a real benefit. The thoughtfulness behind the manufacturing is clear — it’s all built for the end-user.”