For the Enrique Iglesias tour, Caipo handles mixing monitors and Divens serves as FOH engineer. They are using DPA
d:facto™ Vocal Microphones on the backup singers,
d:vote™ 4099D Instrument Microphones on the congas and percussion, and the
d:dicate™ 2011C Cardioid Microphone specifically for the snare drum.
“Enrique’s background singers stand next to the drum kit, so there was a lot of bleed in the mics we had been using before,” says Divens. “With the d:facto™ Vocal Microphones in place, that is no longer an issue. Because of the tighter pattern, we have less bleed or unwanted ambient noise issues from drums and percussion into the mics. The mics are clean, present and sit right in the mix. They don’t pick up anything but the amazing voices of the background singers, and that’s exactly what you look for in a vocal microphone.”
Caipo and Divens have also noticed the benefits the DPA microphones provide for EQing. “I find that I can put back some EQ that I would normally cut out, especially in the low mid area,” says Divens. “The top end of these mics are so smooth that I find myself adding only a touch of air for some added presence.”