School of Music meets live challenge with DPA
- Details
When McConnell recently found that he wasn’t satisfied with the sound he was capturing on the string bass and cello instruments during performances, he turned to Jeff Suchy at Apex Audio to find the best solution. After testing various clip-on mics and pick-ups, the duo ultimately selected DPA Microphones’ d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphone as the right tool for the job.
Though these have now become a staple at the school, the use of the d:vote 4099 wasn’t McConnell’s first foray into DPA mics. “I initially discovered DPA a decade ago, when I was trying to close-mic a grand piano, with a closed lid, through a PA system,” he explains. “DPA’s d:screet 4060 Miniature Omnidirectional Microphone helped me get the sound I was looking for, for that application. Soon after, I used a d:screet 4060 on a solo violin (with the included string mount) with similar success. From that point on, I was a big fan of DPA.”
More recently, McConnell turned to DPA after having a tough time finding a good mic position for string bass and cello performers who moved around the stage while playing. “I heard about the d:vote 4099 and purchased three of them, based mainly on my previous experience with the brand,” he says. “It was better than I could have hoped. The microphone stayed in place while the musicians performed. After that, I bought them for the entire cello section.”
DPA microphones are used in almost every Collinsworth School of Music event, especially those that rely on a PA system. The school produces roughly 400 live events each academic year, with most of them taking place off-campus in churches, grade schools and public venues.
In all, the university’s DPA inventory consists of 51 DPA d:vote 4099 instrument mics, 11 d:screet 4060/4061 Stereo Kits, four wired d:facto 4018VL Vocal Linear Microphones, one wireless d:facto 4018V Vocal Microphone for Shure and seven d:fine 4088 Directional Headset Microphones.
(Jim Evans)
