ATLANTA ― For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-running game show “Family Feud.” Now entering his 28th season, Sciarrotta recently upgraded the show’s iconic podium microphones to DPA Microphones’ 4018 Supercardioids, selecting 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,” he says. “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 — five 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 full scope of the production setup and the durability of the DPA mics are a perfect complement to the scale of the show, which records between 160 and 200 syndicated episodes per season, plus additional primetime specials. With contestants often nervously tapping podiums and host Steve Harvey frequently grabbing and bending the microphones for comedic effect, isolation from physical impact is critical.
“Mr. Harvey hits the podium more than anybody,” Sciarrotta laughs. “He’ll grab the mic, bend it back toward him and speak right into it. My reflex as a mixer is to pull it down, but for comedic effect, we push it. With proximity it booms and gets thicker, but these mics handle it beautifully.” For similar reasons, the integrated shock mounting has also proven essential. “Those shock mounts absorb so much, and that makes it easier in post-production as well. We don’t want to hear much of the podium hits on air.”
Equally important is isolation. With five contestants standing shoulder to shoulder per team, minimizing bleed is critical for clean mixes. “The supercardioid pattern gives me perfect isolation between contestants,” adds Sciarrotta. “I try to minimize voices bleeding into other mics. These microphones are very directional, and that is extremely helpful. When contestants stand back and speak normally, it sounds great across the board. Even when they lean in, with the DPAs, the worst I might get is a plosive, and that’s easy to manage.”
Beyond performance, DPA’s customer support ultimately played a pivotal role in Sciarrotta’s decision to upgrade. “DPA was very responsive through the entire process,” he says. “The team came right to me, and we tested them on the spot. That kind of service is fantastic.”
After two seasons of demanding production, the results speak for themselves. “I haven’t had any problems at all,” he says. “They’re one of my favorite mics that I’ve ever used. They sound and look great, and they handle everything we throw at them.”