Survey Says: Upgrade Your Microphones

Atlanta, GA (May 6, 2026)―Five-time Emmy-winner Dirk Sciarrotta, now entering his 28th season as production sound mixer for Family Feud, recently upgraded the long-running game show’s iconic podium microphones.

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 mounted 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.

• DPA Microphones Expands Tuning Bandwidth for N-Series

Durability of the mics is crucial for 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 important.

“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.”

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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.”