SOUND REPRODUCTION SCORES A DIRECT HIT FOR DPA MICROPHONES WITH POPULAR FIRST-PERSON COMBAT VIDEO GAME TITANFALL 2

For over a decade, Rick Hernandez has been tasked with recording sound effects and ambiences for some of the world’s biggest video games and films. Since sound recording can easily be affected by wind, weather and inaccurate imaging, having the right equipment is extremely important. During Hernandez’s time as the audio director on Respawn Entertainment’s popular science-fiction, first person shooter video game, Titanfall 2, he came to rely on a selection of DPA microphones in order to capture accurate and realistic sounds in these variable conditions. 

For Titanfall 2, Hernandez used DPA’s d:dicate™ 4017B-R Shotgun Microphones with Rycote® Windshields for point source ambience recordings, d:screet™ 4060 Omnidirectional Microphones mostly for live weapons recordings and the d:mension™ 5100 Mobile Surround Microphone for 5.1 ambience recordings.

“We used DPA’s d:dicate™ 4017B-R Shotgun Microphone the most on Titanfall 2, especially for the machinery and metal impacts for the Titan footsteps and motions,” says Hernandez. “With its supercardioid pattern, the d:dicate™ 4017B-R was great for point source recording as it has excellent off-axis rejection that is necessary when recording out on the field. It also has remarkable clarity, and when used with the Rycote suspension mount, it is incredibly reliable. The d:dicate™ 4017B-R has really good output and wide dynamics with low noise that results in pristine, transparent signal reproduction. Because of its versatility, it is my go-to mic when recording in the field and when I need great isolation.”

For his live weapon recording needs, Hernandez relied on DPA’s d:screet™ 4060 mics. “The d:screet™ 4060’s are high-sensitivity omnidirectional miniature condensers and are available in stereo matched pairs.” adds Hernandez. “Ours came with boundary layer mounts, but we mostly used it clipped on our ears or mounted directly on guns and other weapons to get a first person binaural experience for Titanfall 2. We didn’t really use it to record gunshots, but rather the mechanical aspects of guns. Gun shots don’t sound radically different from gun to gun, but the mechanical aspects are, and this is the true voice of the guns in our games.”

Hernandez also called on DPA’s d:mension™ 5100 mobile surround microphone for his 5.1 ambience recordings. “The d:mension™ 5100 has a wide dynamic range and low sensitivity to wind noise making it great for surround recordings both indoors and outdoors,” says Hernandez. “It is a great solution that is really fast, efficient and transparent. It is incredibly easy to setup and has a very wide and astonishingly accurate 5.1 imaging. The d:mension™ 5100 is in its own class when it comes to high quality surrounds, recording and convenience.”

In the few years Hernandez has been using DPA microphones, he has been very impressed. “I love recording the sounds of nature and ambiences in surround sound and using DPA mics to do so has allowed me to record with stellar results. I am very impressed with the company and try to use them whenever possible. I am so pleased with DPA that I used the d:dicate™ 4017B in the recordings of two of my soundpacks: Rupture, published by SoundMorph and Dimensions, published independently.” Hernandez is currently working on a VR game, where he is using DPA microphones to record the sound for the weapons.