Sound Designer Ken Travis Continues To Dazzle Broadway Audiences With Big, Cinematic Sound

DPA Microphones’ New d:screet 6060 CORE Subminiature Microphone’s Compact Size and Ability to Repel Sweat Prove to be Major Asset for Theater Applications

NEW YORK,  MARCH 14, 2019 – For the past 15 years,
Ken Travis has been impressing theater audiences with his innovative sound
designs for some of Broadway’s biggest productions and national tours. With a
distinguished Broadway resume that includes Newsies,
Jekyll & Hyde, Scandalous, A Christmas Story, Memphis, Barefoot in the Park
and Steel Magnolias, Travis continues
to rely on a selection of microphones from DPA
Microphones to create a big, cinematic sound with the flexibility
to capture all of the grandeur of the great white way.

Travis was first
introduced to DPA by an industry colleague in 2002. Since then, he’s used a
variety of DPA mics — including the
company’s d:screet 4061
Miniature Omnidirectional Microphones and/or d:fine 4066 Omnidirectional Headset Microphones — for every Broadway show he’s
designed.

When Travis was chosen to design the sound
for the hugely successful Broadway hit, Aladdin,
he once again turned to DPA. For Aladdin,
Travis relies on DPA’s d:screet 4061 and recently switched to the
new d:screet 6060 CORE Subminiature
Microphone for the cast. In the orchestra pit, Travis turns to DPA’s d:dicate 2011 Twin Diaphragm
Cardioid Microphones, d:dicate
4011 Cardioid Microphones and d:vote
4099 Instrument Mics.

“The d:screet
4061 has been my go-to lavalier due to its incredibly transparent sound,” he says.
“The human voice and head are very complicated so it’s great to have a
microphone like the d:screet 4061 that works so well. We recently switched
to the new d:screet 6060 CORE mic for our genie as it is smaller and seems to
shed the sweat even better. I really hate seeing microphones on the actors, so
I work with costume and hair to hide them as best I can.”

Prior to
using the d:screet 4061’s on Aladdin,
Travis worked on Rain, a musical by Michael John LaChuisa, where it rained the
entire show. “I ordered ‘waterproof’ microphones from a company and placed them
on the actors alongside a DPA d:screet 4061. We never ended up using the
competition for the production since the DPAs held up so well in that extreme
environment. I knew I could trust them moving forward. The d:screet 4061 has
been great with regards to moisture and makeup.”

In addition to the Broadway production,
Travis has designed the sound for every global production of Aladdin including the North American Tour, West End,
Hamburg, Japan and Australia shows, all using DPA mics whenever possible. 

For
orchestras, Travis relies on the d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphone to provide
clear and natural sound. “When I design a new musical, I have my set selection
of microphones for the orchestra,” Travis says. “On a recent production of Last Days of Summer, the band was onstage
and the bleed between the wind section and the strings was problematic. I used
a d:vote 4099 mic with the violin mount and it solved all issues and the
musicians loved the way it sounded.”

Since Travis’ implementation of the d:vote
4099 on past Broadway shows, DPA has
released a new, upgraded instrument microphone, the d:vote CORE 4099
Instrument Microphone that adds another layer of sound quality.
The CORE by DPA amplifier is a powerful new technology that brings more clarity
and details to music across the entire dynamic range.

Travis will continue to use DPA mics for his upcoming
projects, including Ever After at the
Alliance Theatre in Atlanta and Life
After at The Old Globe in San Diego. Although the productions couldn’t
be any more different, the versatility and flexibility of DPA’s mics will allow
him to use them for both productions with the utmost confidence.

ABOUT DPA MICROPHONES:

DPA Microphones is the
leading Danish Professional Audio manufacturer of high-quality condenser
microphone solutions for professional applications. DPA’s ultimate goal is to
always provide its customers with the absolute finest possible microphone
solutions for all its markets, which include live sound, installation,
recording, theatre and broadcast. When it comes to the design process, DPA
takes no shortcuts. Nor does the company compromise on its manufacturing
process, which is done at the DPA factory in Denmark. As a result, DPA’s
products are globally praised for their exceptional clarity and transparency,
unparalleled specifications, supreme reliability and, above all, pure,
uncolored and undistorted sound. For more information, please visit www.dpamicrophones.com.

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