DPA (Danish Professional Audio) makes exceptionally accurate microphones. Its background in producing precision test and measurement microphones has led to a range of models naturally suited to critical recording and broadcast applications. Expanding its range to include more mics for live music stages began with the popular DPA 4099 super-cardioid clip-on condenser instrument mics and the d:facto vocal mics. Last year saw the release of the DPA 4055 kick drum mic (see AT review from last year) and now there’s a whole drum mic kit.

KITTED OUT

The DDK4000 drum mic kit is a set of great mics that can be used to mic a drum kit… or anything else. There’s one DPA 4055 kick mic, three DPA 4099 instrument mics (nominally for hi-hat and two toms), a new DPA 2012 cardioid mic for snare drum, and a stereo pair of (also new) DPA 2015 wide cardioid mics for overheads. These are all condenser mics designed to deliver uncoloured drum sounds that can be processed to taste, or not, by the operator. This is a different approach to most popular dedicated live drum mics that are usually dynamic designs, for the skin drums anyway, with pre-shaped frequency responses and noticeably non-linear off-axis responses.

Hi-hat and overhead mics are commonly already condenser designs – they benefit from the superior transient response and detail. The choice of the type of condenser mic and placements vary depending on the operator. Some prefer a pair of small-diaphragm or large-diaphragm condenser mics above the drums and the DPA 2015s supplied as part of the drum mic set (or separately ordered) have been closely matched for this purpose. Others spot-mic the individual cymbals, usually from above, but some choose the clean looks and sound of under-cymbal mics.

The DDK4000 kit comes in a good protective penguin-type case with cutouts in the foam to hold the mics securely. Designed for the mics to travel with their stand-mounts attached saves some valuable time when setting up and breaking down. The case also contains several essential accessories. Three Microdot cables attach to the 4099 mics and terminate with the supplied MicroDot to XLR adapters and three flexible rubber mic clips for attaching the 4099s to drum rims.

4099 CLIP MICS

DPA 4099 mics are versatile and already somewhat known on live stages, usually attached to violins or other acoustic sources. They’re available with a wide range of ingenious mounting devices for different instruments, including DPA’s ingenious magnetic piano mounts. The 4099’s discreet size (45mm x 5.7mm) and integrated 145mm gooseneck allow for convenient and precise placement over the instrument without adding uncomfortable weight or bulk. The Microdot connectors on the mic end are small and neat. The cables are a couple of metres long, lightweight, and only 2.2mm thick so they’re not as cumbersome as connecting a relatively chunky regular mic lead.

Mics mounted on tom rims should be as light as possible to avoid them interfering with the tone of the drums (some drummers don’t like clip-on mics for this reason) so the 4099’s 17g (plus the clip) weight should avoid any issues. The gooseneck attaches securely to the rubber drum mount that attaches nicely to the rim, and you can get it to places a mic on a stand won’t reach. There are two 4099 models, Loud SPL and Extreme SPL, marked by a red or yellow band on the bottom of the gooseneck. The yellow Extreme SPL version is included in the drum mic kit. Combine the high SPL handling and a tight pickup pattern and they make a great choice for toms and hi-hat. Sensitivity is quite low (-54dB) in keeping with its close-mic function. The 2dB ‘Soft Boost’ at 10-12kHz adds some subtle air while the 80Hz low-cut helps remove rumble without cutting any of the drum lows.

Helga Volha Somava, Product Management Director, DPA Microphones: “The 2012 Cardioid and 2015 Wide Cardioid continue to build upon our other live microphone solutions, offering the same natural sound quality that people know, love and trust, with sonic and physical properties specifically designed to meet the needs of the live stage. Thanks to the superior SPL handling and excellent transient response, these microphones will serve as versatile and durable solutions for audio professionals everywhere.” 

The 2012 Compact Cardioid Microphone is a reliable, all-purpose pencil mic that performs well on any instrument. This mic combines a robust design with intricate sound pickup for accurate close miking on any stage setup. From horns and percussion to acoustic or electric guitars, bass cabinets and more, the 2012 can capture crystal clear, single instrument pickup with ease. Unlike the dynamic mics frequently used for close miking applications, the 2012 features an extended frequency range and flat frequency response in a small-form factor. The 2012’s excellent transient response also allows it to cope with high SPLs while being able to capture the most delicate of sounds. 

While the 2012 excels at single instrument pickup, the 2015 Compact Wide Cardioid Microphone performs best as a stereo pair on drum kits and instrument groups. Featuring uniform, wide cardioid directionality and a linear frequency response, a selected pair of 2015 mics offers spacious sound for horn groups, vibraphones, xylophones and other large instruments. When closely positioned, the mics are also ideal for large grand pianos or for use as overheads on drum kits. This stereo pair can capture balanced sound of the entire instrument with less bleed from the stage. Additionally, the compact design of the 2015 allows for unobtrusive placement at venues of any size, while its durable, reinforced construction means it will last from stage to stage. 

Both solutions are pre-polarised condenser mics, each with a specifically designed 17mm (0.67-inch) capsule perfectly tailored for its intended application. Like most DPA mics, the 2012 and 2015 come in a zip pouch, along with a microphone holder and windscreen. Additional accessories such as a stereo boom, gooseneck mount and corresponding shock mounts are also available. 

Pricing in Australia for the 2012 Cardioid Microphone begins at A$1249, while a stereo pair of 2015 Wide Cardioid Microphones starts at A$2379 RRP. 

Accuracy through precision is what DPA (Danish Professional Audio) is about. It’s the DNA coming through from its Bruel & Kjaer (B&K) roots, which had been developing measurement microphones since the 1950s and had some success in the 1980s with mics aimed more at musical sources.

I met them when a sales rep gave me a pair of Series 4000 professional microphones to try on a US tour with Tina Turner in 1985 — best overheads I’d ever used. For Australian readers, enigmatic singer Stephen Cummings album ‘Lovetown’ was recorded with one B&K 4007 omni, it was the only good mic I had at the time. That was 1988, I recall Stephen recording the vocals curled up on the floor of the vocal booth cradling the 4007. The album sounds good and I’ve always credited the B&K mic.

In the early 1990s Ole Brøsted Sørensen and Morten Støve left B&K and started DPA to focus on pro audio products and it seems to have worked out well for both companies. One of DPA’s first releases, the 4006 omni, was directly adapted from an original B&K measurement mic and remains one of the world’s favourite recording mics, renowned for its clarity and transparency.

Currently best known at live shows for their DPA 4099 super-cardioid clip-on condenser mics, generally regarded as the best available for many acoustic instruments, especially strings, I’m also seeing more singers using the newer DPA d:facto 4018 handheld condenser. Both of these are premium quality and professionally priced microphones — soon to be joined on stage by the exciting new DPA 4055 kick drum microphone. A thoroughly modern design, it accepts and challenges some of the preconceptions and expectations for a kick mic while inviting the important question – what makes a great kick mic?

IN THE BEGINNING…

In the beginning there was the AKG D12, released in 1953 as the world’s first unidirectional microphone. Designed for vocals mic with a bass chamber in the rear compartment to give a fuller sound, it had a strong, wooly response below 100Hz with a big proximity effect. Originally used as voice mics for radio and TV but with the rise of rock bands and 1970s PAs, with all those W-bins, the thick response up close and high level handling made them a natural for kick drums. The big square body also looked the part… just had to remember the silver side is the front.

Over the decades the boof of the W’s has made way for the doof of processed 18-inch subs with low frequency response now deeper than the old PAs would deliver. Kick drums don’t need to go down quite as low as the big bass drops the kids love but a contemporary kick mic still needs to reproduce lower frequencies more accurately for the modern PAs. The other end of the kick sound is the click and that hasn’t changed greatly over time, it needs to be pronounced and fast. The pronounced part is mainly boosted HF EQ, the fast attack is more about accurate transient response, that comes from the mic capsule following the sound waves as precisely as possible, a specialty of small diaphragm condenser mics.

The treatment of the low-mid frequencies has always been part of most kick sounds and part of the art. The most common use of EQ on channels has always been the high-pass filter, and rightly so, the next most common used to be scooping some mid-range out of the kick mic – somewhere between 250Hz–500Hz and cut to taste, it made the drum sound bigger by emphasising the lows and highs, especially with dynamic vocal-style mics — think: D12, 421s, RE20. Along the way, kick mics with tailored EQs became a thing with aggressive built-in cuts to the low-mids, big boosts up high and strong low frequencies – think: D6, Beta 52A, e602.

The DPA 4055 kick mic is not like any of these. For a start it’s a condenser mic, long used for recording drums but for live use all of the above are dynamic mics. Under the bonnet of the 4055 is a small-diaphragm capsule (17mm), with its characteristics tailored specifically for kick drum usage. The package is designed to better handle the rough and tumble of rowdy gigs. (Live mics live on the edge, just ask any SM58.)

Designed to kick the bass to the next level, DPA Microphones’ 4055 takes the traditional concept of a kick drum mic and turns it on its head — no more pre-tailored sound — now you can take sound design back into your own hands. The 4055 delivers clarity and linear frequency response, both on-axis and off-axis. Its low frequency response and dynamics are superb and result in a tight, natural, well-defined sound — the best low-end with detailed mids and highs.

The 4055 is one of the only kick drum mics that is not sonically pre-tailored to fit a traditional sound in a specific genre. Its performance allows a professional sound designer to create the exact sound s/he is listening for — regardless of the music genre. Want more attack? Slide the 4055 into the bass drum and point it directly at the beater. For a super-low-end sound, place the 4055 at the hole, just on the outside of the front head. Here, the level of sub and lows are represented the most.

Not only does the position inside or outside the kick drum give you different sounds but working with the angles of the microphone just outside the hole will deliver nuances of the drum sound. No matter what sound preference you have, the 4055 captures the true sound of a kick drum, whether it is used in classic, jazz, rock or any other genre.

The 4055 is placed in a large, robust housing and there is wind damping foam just in front of the capsule, behind the grille. A specially-designed shock mount also suspends the capsule inside the housing to avoid vibrations from the stage. The shock mount together with the extra wind damping ensures that the 4055 captures only the source. The 4055 is easy to position, both inside and outside the drum. Its unique asymmetric design makes it quite easy to place the mic through the drum hole without ripping the front resonator skin.

Released in 2019, the movie Joker quickly became one of the top-rated films of the year. The flick’s pop culture relevance made it a perfect fit for London-based concert promotion and production company Senbla Live Events’ “film in concert” series. As pioneers of this production model, the team at Senbla knew that translating the film into a live show would require an audio solution with a pristine level of clarity. 

With 25 years’ experience using DPA Microphones, Phil Wright, sound designer and front of house engineer for “Joker – Live in Concert,” trusted the brand to deliver. Working with AV production supplier SFL, Wright chose to make it a fully DPA spec. “I’ve always had DPA on strings, but it has been my dream to do a solely DPA show,” says Wright. “Some people were hesitant about whether it would truly make a difference, but now everybody who has heard the show has said that it’s great and there’s a significant uplift.“

The show features a 48-piece orchestra comprised of conventional strings, brass and woodwinds sections, with DPA mics utilised throughout. The brand’s 4099 CORE Instrument Microphones are featured on nearly the entire strings section, with exception of the principal solo cello, which has a 4011-ES Compact Cardioid microphone. The woodwind section has 4011 Cardioid Microphones on every instrument, while the percussion section is mainly comprised of 2011 Twin Diaphragm Cardioid microphones. The two outliers are the timpani, which utilises a pair of 4011 Cardioid microphones, and the orchestral big brass drum, which features a shock-mounted 4011 mic. 

“When it comes to mics on strings, DPA is an industry standard, the world over,” says Wright. “The inception of the CORE by DPA technology for the 4099 series has been amazing. Even when I had the original 4099s [and 4061s] on strings in the past, I always thought they were great. But then you put CORE 4099s on a string section and you’re aware that the distortion is that much lower, and they are sonically much purer.” 

As the orchestra plays alongside the full film, the tour also incorporates unconventional instruments, sound effects and dialogue that are electronically stemmed for performance. In addition to DPA and Wright, the show came together with the help of Orchestrator Jeff Atmajian and Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. The trio collaborated to re-create musical scores to fit the final edit of the film, compose interlude and outro musical pieces, and put the entire project together for a groundbreaking film experience. Wright built stems and worked alongside Atmajian and Guðnadóttir to create the perfect soundscape to match the film. He also produced all the midi files, punches and streamers, creating a visual guide for Atmajian to keep himself and the orchestra in time with the film. 

Wright’s background as a performer, and his early career in live sound and concert production for companies like National Youth Theatre and Royal Albert Hall, make him a perfect fit for the “Joker – Live in Concert” tour. When not working with Senbla, Wright is found in West London, producing immersive audio for Sonosphere, at the state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos room in Metropolis Studios. There, Wright continues to rely on his DPAs. The 4006 Omnidirectional, 4015 Wide Cardioid and 4040 Capsule Microphones were most recently used for an Atmos recording of Jack Savoretti’s cover of The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights. “I’m often asked to play back Savoretti’s recording in the studio for demos,” explains Wright. “The sense of space created by the DPAs is so linear and natural that it feels like you are right there with him in the room.”