Countryman Isomax Headset Mics on Tour with Dolly Parton Dolly Parton is in the midst of her Better Day tour to promote her new studio album of the same name. After completing a series of US performances in July early August, she left for the European leg of the tour, which will continue through mid-September. On the tour, she is using the Isomax headset microphone from Menlo Park, California-based Countryman Associates. Nashville-based Jason Glass serves as Parton's monitor engineer for the Better Day tour. "Dolly's voice is a versatile instrument," he notes. "It ranges from whispered speech to explosive laughter to childlike character voices, to belting out full-on gospel singing. The Isomax headset captures every nuance of her performance with pristine fidelity. Our monitor system includes ten downstage wedges --- all for Dolly's mix. As you can imagine, the headset's gain before feedback must be exceptional to keep such power in check while keeping her vocals on top of our ten-piece band. We usually work large venues like sports arenas and amphitheatres, but we occasionally do intimate theatres. Regardless of the venue, the audience is frequently a raucous bunch. The off-axis rejection of the Isomax is very helpful in minimizing the effect of these variables. "Dolly is an energetic performer," Glass continues. "The Isomax headset stays in place through some fairly frenetic action when adjusted to a comfortably snug fit, and that inspires confidence in the product." Currently, there are two Countryman Isomax headsets used onstage during the concert performances and Glass keeps several backup units ready-just in case. "I prefer the cardioid model's pattern for lead and duet vocals," he says. "We first started using the hypercardioid model in 2006, but we then switched to the cardioid pattern for the Better Day tour. It's a bit more forgiving in terms of placement near the performer's mouth. "When I began mixing monitors for Dolly in 2006, we auditioned at least eight of the world's most popular headsets, including those costing many times the price of the Isomax," he adds. "The microphone had to adhere to several rigid parameters, including cosmetics, comfort, physical stability in its placement and, of course, superb audio quality. The most difficult trait to accommodate was keeping the mic from blocking the audience's view of her mouth while maintaining great sound quality. Ultimately, the Isomax rose to the top as the perfect choice." Musical director, lead guitarist, and vocalist Kent Wells also uses an Isomax headset while performing two duets with Parton. Glass also wears a duplicate headset with matched output to the performers' sets. This enables him to know their exact levels and to "ring the wedges'" (adjust EQ settings to minimize the possibility of feedback). According to Glass, "The consistency from unit to unit is exceptional." As he focused his attention back to the business of the Better Day tour, Glass summarized his experience with Countryman's Isomax Headset microphones. "Over the years, I've worked with many headset microphones," he reports. "As a monitor engineer, I must balance many factors when choosing a microphone, and few microphones are as versatile as the Isomax. From a whisper to a scream, in a 105 db environment, while a performer dances across the stage with a musical instrument in hand, I know I can count on great sounding vocal input from Countryman's Isomax Headset." 
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