Before purchasing the system, Sound By Design used it on a wide range of classical events including the Mountbatten Festival of Music featuring military bands, a UK tour by opera diva Lesley Garrett, Classic FM Live and Louis Hoover's Salute to Sinatra. As Symphotec OMS - introduced to the UK last October - has become more and more established, it is being increasingly specified by the classical sector, and looks likely to become a new standard for orchestral rental companies.
"When amplifying orchestral instruments, transparency, sonic quality and aesthetic appearance are of the utmost importance," says Andy Callin, Sound By Design's managing director. ‘Symphotec meets all these requirements, and as a package it does exactly what it claims to do. The first time we used it, we knew the 'loan' system wouldn't be going back!"
Symphotec systems have also been specified for high-profile projects such as BBC TV's Songs Of Praise special broadcasts from the Royal Albert Hall, and by Britannia Row on the annual Let's Praise! worship event at Wembley Arena, with sound designer Derrick Zieba. "The Symphotec concept has really caught people's imagination," says Autograph's technical manager Mike Mann. "The system has found fans in all sorts of applications. It's a much less labour-intensive idea than bug-miking stringed instruments and gives a more natural result. For televised events, the small size of the capsules and the slim stands are a great bonus, and a Symphotec kit costs a fraction of the equivalent traditional microphone selection."
Designed in Germany, Symphotec OMS is based around a routing system which combines microphones into groups of up to five, reducing the number of channels which are usually needed to mix an orchestra on a front-of-house console.
(Lee Baldock)
