Pristine Drum Sound for Legendary Rock Band
Veteran Front of House (FOH) engineer Keith 'Meaux' Windhorst has been working with legendary rock band Journey for over three decades. As the go-to man for capturing the iconic drum kit of Steve Smith, Meaux relies on a selection of microphones from DPA Microphones to deliver pristine sound.
According to Meaux, the monumental task of capturing the clear, precise sound of each drum, cymbal and chime is made possible with six DPA d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones for all of the toms and two d:dicate 2011 Twin Diaphragm Cardioid Microphones on all three snare drums and one bottom snare.
'We have a lot of mics in a very tight space,' explains Meaux. 'Our drum kit is on a 10-foot riser, and when you go into big arenas, you deal with different reflections and different sounds. As far as the mics go, the d:vote 4099s and d:dicate 2011Cs sound great and are isolating.'
Consistent EQ and Natural Sound
Meaux praises DPA microphones for delivering a true representation of 'what goes in, comes out.' Unlike other companies that build a predetermined EQ curve into the element of the microphone, DPA mics react naturally to specific EQ patterns. This means Meaux can rely on his ear for standard EQ, knowing that any boost or cut will be accurately reflected in the sound.
Streamlined Hardware and Comfortable Headset
In addition to the drum kit, Meaux also uses a DPA d:fine 4088 Directional Headset Microphone for keyboard player Jonathan Cain. 'The previous headset we had on Jonathan sounded okay, but it was big and bulky,' says Meaux. 'I love the DPA hardware – it's easy to conform the hardware to each drum, and it's not visually distracting.'
Journey's North American Tour
Journey's 58-city co-headlining North American tour with Def Leppard wraps up on October 7 at the Forum in Los Angeles.