British cult band Depeche Mode began a world tour last May to celebrate their latest album, "Spirit." In the first leg of the tour, the band played 34 shows in front of 1.5 million fans in 21 European countries. The musicians then continue their tour in North and South America.
To make sure Depeche Mode's unique sound comes across as it should in different venues around the world, sound engineer Antony King has put his trust in a wide variety of beyerdynamic products. "Unlike the studio, where we have optimal conditions for audio work, getting a good live sound always means successfully overcoming the challenges the venue throws at us. And when it comes to dealing with such unavoidable circumstances, it's great to be able to rely on technology designed to overcome any obstacle," explains Antony King.
The experienced sound engineer uses the beyerdynamic TG 1000 digital wireless system to make sure he can deal with any RF interference anywhere in the world – as well as achieve the best possible sound quality. A TG1000 handheld transmitter with an interchangeable TG MM1w capsule is used to tune the sound system during show setup at each venue. Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan and guitarist Martin Gore use TG 1000 handheld transmitters with TG V70w hypercardioid capsules for their vocals. Peter Gordeno, the musician who traditionally accompanies the band, uses the wired version for his vocals, the TG V70 dynamic microphone.
beyerdynamic drum microphones
On drummer Christian Eigner's kick drum, Antony King uses a TG D70 (hypercardioid dynamic microphone) and a TG D71 boundary microphone (half-cardioid condenser microphone) to create the desired sound.
The toms are miked with the TG D57, TG D58, M 201 TG, TG D50 and TG D70. An MC 930 condenser microphone is used on the hi-hat. Two MC 840 microphones and two M 160 double-ribbon microphones serve as overheads. The sturdy, stable beyerdynamic GST 500 was chosen as the microphone stand.
