RENEE GRANT-WILLIAMS AND DPA MICROPHONES CREATE MASTERFUL SOUND
(Press Release | Posted 2003-06-04)
Nationally recognized vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams, together with veteran engineer/producer, Russ Ragsdale, recently presented their fifth annual Voice Power Master Class Workshop for singers and public speakers in Nashville, Tennessee. This time, however, they had a new secret weapon, allowing Renee to move freely throughout the room, speak, sing, and emote with crystal clear tone and remarkable presence: the DPA 4066 Adjustable Miniature Microphone Headband, from DPA Microphones.
Renee Grant-Williams is no stranger to popular music’s most famous singers. Her students include the likes of Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Christina Aguilera, The Dixie Chicks, Martina McBride, and Bob Weir. For Renee’s Voice Power Master Class Workshop, students come from all over the country. “In fact,” states Renee, “Some of my more famous clients have come from these master classes. In this last class, we had students from Alaska, Florida, California, and Maine, and they all want to be the best singer they can be. They all expect us to deliver excellent sound and an excellent presentation, and the DPA 4066 helps us achieve those goals.”
Renee comments, “I am a very active speaker, and I like to have a lot of freedom to move around the crowd. The DPA 4066, which we used as a wireless mic, was a terrific addition to our workshop. The DPA 4066 is exactly what I’ve been looking for, and it delivered the type of rich clarity that I’d expect from a much larger diaphragm studio microphone.”
Russ Ragsdale engineered the most recent Voice Power workshop, and is Renee’s right-hand man when it comes to sound, tone, and recording. Ragsdale notes, “We’re constantly recording and presenting in different settings, each of which creates a new set of challenges and obstacles, such as wind, semblance, and low rumble. The DPA 4066 performed wonderfully, and the addition of the DPA DUA6003 miniature grids gave it a 3dB soft boost in the 8-20 kHz range that created a nice, natural sound with added presence. It is really amazing that such a tiny microphone can deliver such excellent sound quality.”
When asked about EQ-ing Renee, Ragsdale explains, “In my opinion, it’s best to get a good sound and nail it down early on. I usually start with the best mic at the front end of the system, all the way through to the best EQ at the back end, but the EQ is used to fix something that’s wrong. Having an excellent sounding mic like DPA 4066 allows me to eliminate much, if not all, of the EQ-ing I have to do with other mics in order to compensate for their shortcomings.”
Prior to using the DPA 4066, capturing audio from master class participants and panelists without the use of a separate mic proved difficult for Renee and Russ. However, that all changed during the last workshop. Renee notes, “In the past when using a lav mic I wasn’t able to record comments and questions from panelists and attendees. The little 4066 picked up everything, so all of the audio from the whole workshop was recorded!”
Ragsdale also notes, “There were 125 people attending the last master class, all of whom sang wonderfully. At several points during the workshop the whole room was singing, and when we listened back to the recording, the single DPA 4066 had captured sound that was practically choir-like!”
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DPA Microphones, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of DPA Microphones A/S - a leading manufacturer of high quality condenser microphones and microphone solutions for professional applications in studio, broadcast, theatre, video/film and sound reinforcement environments.
For more info about Renee Grant-Williams and Voice Power, visit: http://www.myvoicecoach.com
