Sanch Electronics

DPA Microphones are central to a very specialised recording setup being used in the Caribbean by the Danish manufacturer's Trinidad and Tobago distributor, Sanch Electronix.

Sanch has been at the forefront of audio engineering in the region since 1984. The company specialises in recording live acoustic music with emphasis on the steelpan, using the Microsoft High Definition Compatible Digital (HDCD) recording process invented by audio engineer Keith O Johnson and computer software designer Michael Pflaumer. Sanch has produced a number of CDs for local and international record labels as well as almost 50 titles for the Sanch label, launched in 1995.

The Sanch recording system consists of a central pair of specially matched DPA 4006 omni mics flanked on either side by two DPA 4004 high intensity omnis positioned symmetrically where the conductor would usually stand. The mic outputs are mixed on a customised console designed by Keith O Johnson and the resulting stereo output is amplified, fed to an HDCD encoder and stored on a digital recorder.

Managing director Simeon L Sandiford explains that Sanch chose DPA for the superb transient response and dynamic headroom of the transducers, which are especially suitable for capturing the complex percussive sound of large steel orchestras recorded in outdoor environments.

"Sanch's philosophy is to record musicians playing real music in real spaces in real time," he says. "Our CDs create a soundstage that is huge, transparent and palpable with precise imaging and delineation of instruments. Even with large steel orchestras in excess of 100 players, it is possible to discern the different voices of instruments that are distinguished solely by the size of their notes and the length of their 'skirts'. This hyperfine resolution of subtle nuances can be attributed to the delicate blend of art and science used in the crafting of DPA microphones. These instruments allow the listener to perceive rather than hear a recorded performance."