Spirit of Atlanta is a non-profit youth organization that provides musicians and performers aged 16 to 21 with opportunities to develop skills in music, marching and performing arts through an intensive tour.
With a strong emphasis on both teamwork and personal growth, Spirit of Atlanta fosters an environment where young people can learn valuable life skills. Often considered the “NFL of marching bands,” the organisation competes against similar organisations across the country. This year, the group travelled over 6,500 miles (approx. 10460 km) — from Georgia to Texas, up into Pennsylvania, and across to Indianapolis — for the 2024 Drum Corps International World Championships. To enhance the group’s 12-minute production with a full percussion-filled front ensemble, Spirit of Atlanta relies on a variety of DPA Microphones. This includes the brand’s 4099 Instrument Mics on snare, trombone, flugelhorn, trumpet, trombone and aluphone; 4097 Micro Shotguns to amplify bongos; 2015 Wide Cardioids mounted onto the marimbas; and 4055 Kick Drum Mics mounted on each of the gong drums. “We turned to DPA after looking to create a more acoustic, clear sound from our performers on the football field,” says Ken Masaki, Head of Audio Design, Spirit of Atlanta. “Since working with the brand, I’ve come to the conclusion that they are the best microphones to help amplify our performances.”
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According to Masaki, one of the main benefits of using DPA for the Spirit of Atlanta performances has been the clarity of the mics. “Before DPA, I had to apply a lot of processing to the instruments, but I have been able to avoid that with the DPA mics,” he explains. “Now, with any of the DPA solutions, I typically just use a low-pass filter, cut some low-mids for feedback reasons, and it sounds extremely accurate to the instrument, which is great.”
For local DPA Microphones enquiries, visit Amber Technology.
