ARLINGTON, TEXAS ― For seasoned Sound Designer and Adjunct Professor Bill Eickenloff, achieving clear, reliable vocal reinforcement in live theater requires tools that perform flawlessly night after night. With decades of experience spanning university productions, regional theater and professional venues, Eickenloff has built his workflow around microphones that can withstand the realities of musical theater while maintaining exceptional sound quality. DPA Microphones has become a central part of that approach.
Eickenloff’s relationship with DPA Microphones spans nearly two decades, long before his recent adoption of the DPA 2061 Omnidirectional Lavalier. Throughout his work in higher education and professional theater environments, DPA has consistently represented a benchmark for sound quality, and he turns to the brand’s mics whenever budgets allow. DPA’s 4061 Omnidirectional Lavalier was initially his preferred choice for principal roles, while lower-cost alternatives were often reserved for ensemble performers.
“I’ve been using DPA microphones pretty much the entire time I have been teaching in universities,” Eickenloff says. “The 4061 has always been my gold standard. At one point, I was told flat out, ‘You can’t buy any more 4061s.’ But I didn’t want a mic I had to fight with every night and the fallback options just weren’t delivering the sound or reliability I needed.”
That challenge ultimately led him to explore the DPA 2061, a microphone positioned at a more accessible price point while still carrying DPA’s core sonic characteristics. Initially cautious, Eickenloff approached the 2061 the same way he evaluates any new tool, by incorporating it directly into production. “I replaced mics on actors who were already wearing 4061s with the 2061 and listened,” he says. “That’s the only test that matters.”
Those early trials took place during productions such as “All Shook Up,” where Eickenloff deployed the 2061 on principal performers using his existing wireless setup. The microphone integrated seamlessly into his workflow, requiring only subtle EQ adjustments while maintaining the natural vocal quality he expects from DPA. “The timbre was right where it needed to be,” he explains. “It sounded like a DPA. I wasn’t doing extreme EQ, and it handled belting without falling apart.”
In blind listening tests conducted with his students, the results were telling. “They could immediately identify other brands,” Eickenloff says. “But when it came to the 4061 versus the 2061, they couldn’t tell which was which. That was a big moment for me.”
Today, Eickenloff’s microphone inventory reflects a strategic evolution rather than a compromise. His current setup includes a combination of DPA 2061s for broad theatrical deployment, DPA 4061s —including a few of the new CORE+ models with MicroLock® connectors — for premium applications and DPA 6061 Subminiature Microphones when ultra-low visibility is required. “The 2061 lets me put a DPA on more actors,” he says. “I’m not reserving it just for ensemble. I’m using it on leads, and I don’t feel like I’m giving anything up sonically.”
Beyond sound quality, Eickenloff points to reliability and consistency as defining benefits of DPA mics, especially in demanding theatrical environments where performers sweat, move aggressively and perform night after night. “The mics just behave,” he notes. “That’s huge in theater. I know what I’m going to get every time I open the fader.”
He also highlights DPA’s MicroLock® connector as a standout advancement in his workflow. “That was always the weak point with lavaliers,” he says. “MicroLock® is rock solid. It’s one of those things you don’t think about until it saves you during a show.”
Additional productions continue to reinforce his confidence in the DPA ecosystem. For “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” Eickenloff deployed a mix of DPA lavaliers alongside a dual-ear headset solution for a performer handling multiple rapid costume changes. “That actor played eight different characters,” he explains. “There’s no way a single-ear rig survives that. A dual-ear headset is the only solution, and DPA is the only brand I trust to stay in place and sound consistent.”
For Eickenloff, the ultimate success of any microphone choice comes down to what the audience hears or doesn’t hear. “The audience doesn’t care what mic we’re using,” he says. “They just know they can understand every word and every note. If they’re not thinking about sound, then I’ve done my job.”
As theater production continues to evolve under tighter constraints, Eickenloff sees the DPA 2061 as a critical tool for maintaining high standards without compromise. “It has allowed me to keep DPA quality on stage, even when budgets say otherwise,” he concludes. “That’s not just helpful, it’s essential.”