On December 18th, after the success of the previous year, the DPA day was proposed again at the Splash Recording Studio in Naples. During the event Gianni Cafiero and Salvatore Zocco, responsible for Casale Bauer, presented the most recent developments of the Danish house as well as some products of well-established quality, through an amazing recording session conducted by the sound engineer Massimiliano Aluzzi which saw the participation of musicians such as Mario Castiglia, Pino Tafuto, the Sunrise Vocal Ensemble, subsequently analyzed in the direction where the results obtained by the various shooting techniques were compared and criticized.
Among the products presented the new release of d: facto a microphone supercardioid handheld of high quality that can also be used in the studio and in broadcast applications, thanks to its modular design it is in fact possible to easily switch from a supercardioid capsule to an omnidirectional one for use in different contexts.
The updated version provides additional compatibility with wireless transmitters of brands like Lectrosonics, Sennheiser, Shure e Sony, in addition to those of the Wisycom company already compatible in the first series. The concept of modularity is also maintained for the protective grille, consisting of three removable layers (external grille, anti-wind filter and anti-pop filter) which determine an effective immunity to noise and allow thorough cleaning.
The tracking phase showed the microphone's ability to handle very high sound pressure levels without ever clipping. In addition, several tests were performed on the frequency response on and off axis, always obtaining an almost linear response: this feature allows the singer to have greater freedom of movement than the microphone, especially in live contexts.
Several microphones were used for the piano recording ST4011C, a pair of DV4099P, ST4006A, d: screet 4090.
Let's see its characteristics.
• ST4011C.
The main characteristics of the MMC4011 cardioid capsule are its directional quality and attention to detail, so these microphones are widely used in environments such as theaters, concert halls or in movie studios (for example for voiceovers or foleys. artists) where greater attention to dynamics is required.
They are capable of handling very high sound pressure levels, and also provide the ability to attenuate the output signal thanks to a 20 dB pad switch. The frequency response is linear over the entire range.
• DV4099P in pairs
These easy-to-apply microphones have been positioned close to the strings making possible effective isolation from external sound events. Once arranged, thanks to the convenient anchoring system, it was possible to vary the angle to capture the different nuances of the sound. The supercardioid feature allows the management of a very wide dynamics without easily incurring problems of saturation or feedback. Also for these microphones there is the possibility of use with wireless systems thanks to special adapters.
• ST4006A
These are omnidirectional condenser microphones with a very natural response: from 10Hz to 20 kHz (± 2 dB), ideal especially for use in concert halls, they lend themselves well to AB microphone recording but also to close-up techniques of various instruments or voices (even outdoors). The result in any case will be a natural sound with very low background noise.
• d: screet 4090
It is an omnidirectional condenser microphone with a natural and open sound.
It is suitable for shooting instruments in the studio or on stage. It can be used with any instrument, from acoustic guitar to piano to wind instruments.
Various other microphones were used and discussed including the pair ST4015C cardioid and the SMK4081.
This initiative, in addition to offering professionals and enthusiasts the opportunity to get to know DPA products up close, also testing their quality first hand, was also an opportunity to learn the recording techniques and deal with the various professional figures involved.
The philosophy adopted by DPA to "reproduce the sound as it is" was more than evident from the tests conducted, the concept can be summarized in the word "transparency". The participating artists immediately realized this natural transparency, witnessing and appreciating the genuineness in the rendering of their voices and the instruments used in the rehearsals.
Here is a taste of the day through two videos made by Kafirstudio di Gianni Cafiero.
Teaser video
Piano microphone shot
