A live televised debate ahead of recent national elections in the Netherlands saw 14 of the country’s top politicians wearing DPA d:fine™ In-Ear Broadcast Headset Microphones in order to perfectly capture and broadcast every word spoken.
Targeted at broadcast hosts and guests who use In-Ear monitors to communicate with their producers backstage or to hear foldback from people interviewed outside the studio, d:fine™ In-Ear Broadcast Headset Microphones combine the exceptional sound quality of a DPA microphone with a state of the art In-Ear monitoring solution.
For this event, they were the prefect choice because all the politicians on stage needed to to hear each other speak, while presenter and host Rob Trip needed an in-ear solution to listen to and communicate with producers backstage.
Against a backdrop of populism, nationalism and anti-European sentiment, this year’s Dutch elections were seen by many as an indicator of how votes might be cast in the forthcoming elections in France and Germany. The day before the election an estimated two-thirds of Dutch voters were still undecided and the televised debate was therefore considered vital by all parties as they tried to secure votes.
DPA’s d:fine™ In-Ear Broadcast Headset Microphones were chosen by Dutch news channel NOS, which broadcast the debate to an audience of over two million people. NOS and United, the company responsible for the broadcast audio mix, took advice from long-time DPA user Hendrik de Winter, of Winter Audio Service. He recommended the d:fine™ In-Ear solution and the microphones were duly sourced from live broadcast specialists Ampco Flashlight Rental. A total of 16 headsets were supplied – one for each of the 14 politicians, one for Rob Trip, and one spare. Among the politicians taking part were Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Geert Wilders of the Freedom Party; Jesse Klaver of Groen Links (the Green Party); Alexander Pechtold of D66 (Left of Centre Liberal Democrats) and Sybrand van Haesma Buma of CDA (Christian Democrats.
Rogier van Ganzewinkel, Ampco Flashlight’s Project Manager, says: “The debates took place in the central hall of the Dutch Parliament building in the Hague. This is a venue with notoriously poor acoustics so on-stage monitors were not an option. We chose d:fine™ In-Ear Broadcast Headset Microphones for two reasons – sound quality and aesthetics. DPA headset microphones are often used on Dutch television, so we had no doubts about their sound quality. In terms of aesthetics, the headsets worked well because they were so small and discreet, plus they fitted any head size and could be used by people wearing glasses and earrings.”
Van Ganzewinkel adds that everyone was impressed by the quality of the in-ear monitor, which is an integral part of the In-Ear headset’s design. By combining two parallel systems, DPA has successfully eliminated the need for separate In-Ear Monitors and headset microphones. This solves the irritating problem broadcast studio hosts and guests face when they have two sets of components and wires to deal with. It also offers a solution that is simple to fit, comfortable to wear and unobtrusive for both the host and the viewer.
“The In-Ear headsets worked perfectly and there were no sound issues,” Van Ganzewinkel says. “The presenter and the politicians were very pleased because they could hear all the off-stage directions and talkback. They also commented on how comfortable the headsets were and how quick and easy they were to fit.”
The Dutch elections took place on March 15th and when all votes were counted Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s centre-right, liberal VVD party once again took charge after winning 33 seats and becoming the largest party in the Netherlands’ 150-seat Parliament. The pre-election live debate is available at this link: https://youtu.be/aYgyrUR0ob8
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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.
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