DPA Mics Record 'Les Misérables'

Vocals for Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables were recorded live on set, with the cast singing to a live piano accompaniment played to them through earpieces. When the orchestra was recorded later in postproduction, the musicians took their lead from the performances.

Simon Hayes

Production sound mixer Simon Hayes, who was responsible for capturing all of the film’s audio content, used 50 DPA 4071 lavalier microphones to record the vocals. “Normally when I am recording a film I prioritize boom mics, especially if the scene is being shot with a single camera,” explains Hayes. “But with Les Misérables, Tom [Hooper] wanted all the angles covered from all sides to capture the perfect performance. Our solution was to come at the recording from a different angle and make lavalier microphones our priority.”