Veteran production sound mixer and five-time Emmy Award winner Dirk Sciarrotta has upgraded the microphones on the game show Family Feud to DPA Microphones 4018 supercardioids. Now entering his 28th season with the program, Sciarrotta selected 12 of the microphones for both the syndicated series and its primetime celebrity specials.
Before making the switch, Sciarrotta conducted extensive A/B testing, mounting both the DPA 4018 and the show’s previous microphones into identical podiums.
The main reason for our upgrade was that our prior mics were aging and no longer available, Sciarrotta said. Every test we did matched or exceeded what we were using. The DPA sound was equally as good, if not better, and the shock mount was 100 times better than what we had before. Aside from audio quality, they’re part of the look of Family Feud, being seen in every shot, so they had to not only sound great but also look good.
Sciarrotta has found ample success in the upgrade, mounting the 13-inch podium mics directly into the 12 speaking positions. The configuration includes five microphones per family podium and two for the faceoff podium. The DPA microphones are hardwired into a splitter feeding a Yamaha CL5 at front of house and a Calrec Apollo for broadcast production.
Sciarrotta works alongside two A2s, a front-of-house mixer and a playback mixer, with an added Pro Tools recordist for celebrity episodes. The DPA 4018 microphones meet the sonic and visual standards of the legacy game show.
For more information, visit dpamicrophones.com.
