"During my last year at the Berklee College of Music, I took a three-week trip to Ghana as part of a study abroad program, but also to follow my father's work in the country," says Masetti. "My father is a doctor and was working on a humanitarian project to help build a nonprofit hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. I wanted to find a way to further his efforts and utilize my passion for music to help the people of Ghana.
"That's where the idea of musicXchange first came about. musicXchange aims to provide free high-quality recording opportunities to local artists in economically disadvantaged communities, and support different kinds of music therapy and music education programs in their local communities. In Ghana, the people really believe in the power of music."
While in Ghana, he relied on the d:screet 4080 Miniature Cardioid Microphone, d:dicate 4017B Shotgun Microphone, d:dicate 4011F Cardioid Microphone Boom and d:facto Vocal Microphone for various applications, like recording interviews for a documentary about his work, providing free recording sessions to local artists and hosting local concert events in various cities in the region. Usually traditional music is played in a common setting like a summer hut or regular outdoor space, so MUSICXCHANGE didn't record any music in a studio. Instead, Masetti brought the recording studio to the people.
"For the outdoor recording, I used the d:dicate 4011F in an ORTF configuration along with the d:screet 4080 Lavalier," he explains. "The music was often accompanied by dancing, but we only had to worry about making minor adjustments in the placement of the musicians so that it would result in better sound. It was very interactive recording work to create the exact setting that represents the music and the DPA mics always did a great job in capturing the audio."
One feature that caught the attention of Masetti and his team is the d:dicate 4011F mic's embedded 20dB pad switch in the centre of the XLR connector. "That helped us because the microphones were closer to the sound source and sometimes the signal was coming in too hot," he says. "Not being in a traditional studio, I needed more options, so the extra gain control on the microphones was a very big help."
While in Ghana, musicXchange also organized four live concert events in the cities of Tamale, Obuasi, Accra and Aflao. "We created a partnership with the local communities and interacted by providing free musical events, accompanied by some conversation about the project," he says. "We used the d:facto Vocal Microphones during these events and during a performance by Dela Botri, a master musician of the Ghanaian flute. The d:facto mic gave us great audio and complemented the sound from Dela Botri's flute because of its extremely linear off axis frequency response."
In the future, Masetti hopes to develop a nonprofit recording studio in Ghana. "Eventually, I would like to see musicXchange in many different countries around the world," he says. "I see us continuing to use DPA, as we will surely continue the work that we started and, most importantly, make sure that it becomes a sustainable practice and can empower others."
(Jim Evans)
