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:screet™ 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.
“After we first started using the
d:vote™ 4099s, I would get comments from brass players about how easy it was to switch a d:vote™ 4099 from a trumpet to flugelhorn,” says McConnell. “When students listen back to live recordings, they always note how transparent the microphone sounds. I remember the first event we did with a DPA
d:facto™ vocal mic. As soon as the MC started speaking, another faculty member turned to me and asked how I made the person speaking sound so great. I showed him the EQ, which was flat, and told him it was good placement and a great microphone.”