PENCIL MICROPHONES

DPA Microphones’ Recording Microphone Series contains a wide range of versatile pencil microphones that can be used for all of your high-end audio amplifying and recording needs. Known worldwide as an industry standard in the recording branch, these mics offer amazing sound in virtually any situation. You can rely on them to give you the sound you need in the studio, concert halls, on the stage, close miked on a wide variety of musical instruments, or even in news, broadcast and sports situations, where top-quality sound is required.

The DPA take on these pencil microphones is that you can mix and match the capsules and amplifiers in almost every configuration due to the modularity of this series. This allows you to change the form factor of the mic from a traditional long cylinder to a very compact designed type using the MMP-ER/ES Modular Active Cable, XLR and MMP-GR/GS Modular Active Cable, MicroDot. The latter even allows you to connect your high performance capsule to a wireless transmitter via the extensive DPA range of adapters suiting the transmitter of your choice.

Nonetheless, we recommend that you try a DPA omni first because, when used close to the sound source, the equal frequency response makes these mics a flexible addition in your audio toolbox. It will often give a more natural sound, it can handle extremely high sound pressure levels, it does not suffer from proximity effect and is not as sensitive to wind, pop or handling noise.

A cardiod microphone is in its definition damped -6 dB at the 90° side entry of the microphone but for many the word cardioid covers in general microphones with a directional approach versus the omnidirectional microphone that picks up sound from all directions.



Due to their nature, directional mics are often used on the live stage – both during concerts as well as spoken-word events, to capture the focused sound of an instrument or voice. The narrow angle of sensitivity helps to minimize the bleed from other sounds on a busy stage. One thing to note with cardioid mics is the proximity effect, which causes an increase in bass response the closer the microphone is moved to the sound source.

Therefore when judging mic specifications you should always look for the statement telling you at what distance the flat frequency response has been measured. In addition, cardioid mics are far more sensitive to wind, pop and handling noises than omni mics, so be sure to take precautions to guard against this.

Due to their nature, supercardioid mics are often used on the live stage – both during concerts as well as spoken-word events, to capture the focused sound of an instrument or voice. The narrow angle of sensitivity helps to minimize the bleed from other sounds on a busy stage. One thing to note with supercardioid mics is the proximity effect, which causes an increase in bass response the closer the microphone is moved to the sound source. In addition, supercardioid mics are far more sensitive to wind, pop and handling noises than omni mics, so be sure to take precautions to guard against this.

The standard ‘rule’ is that you don’t use a shotgun mic or a hypercardioid indoors, but I do that all the time with DPA, and it sounds incredible. With DPA mics, there’s no single way to do something, they can be used wherever and they’ll work perfectly every time.”

 

Our Stereo Kits are matched within ±0.5 dB or ±1 dB on frequency response depending on the kit you choose. The stereo kits are available with:
 

• 2006 Twin Diaphragm Omnidirectional Microphone
• 2011 Twin Diaphragm Cardioid Microphone
• 4006 Omnidirectional Microphone
• 4007 Omnidirectional Microphone
• 4011 Cardioid Microphone
• 4015 Wide Cardioid Microphone
• 4041 Large Diaphragm Microphone

Best off-axis performance of any mic

For optimal directional mics, the only difference off axis should be a lower sensitivity. The frequency responses should be as uniform as possible. These mics feature unrivaled frequency-independent off-axis attenuation. Higher isolation can be obtained using interference tube technologies for shotgun mics.

Keeping the directional characteristic and behavior intact over a wide frequency range is an engineering art form. Test the off-axis responses of these pencil mics against any professional microphone –  they are pure art and you will appreciate the difference.

Bear in mind that the output of a microphone is a 360° total (not only on omnis!) and poor off-axis sound cannot be treated separately afterwards. As the first part of the audio chain, microphones set the limit for the level of sonic excellence you are able to achieve.
 

A truly flexible range

Any of our modular pencil microphone capsules can be transformed into a new configuration by combining it with one of our modular preamplifiers in the same range. This provides signal integrity, noise elimination and tight specifications. This transformation can be done at any time, and with no tools needed (except 4041, which has its own preamplifier).
 

Unique electronics design

With some of these microphones offering up to 120 dB dynamic range, the series is hard to beat. The electronics design is optimized for the capsules as well as for the connection via long cable runs. The electronics allows you to get all the best out of the individual pre-polarized condenser capsules.

In the electronics design, the CMRR (relevant for rejection of Radio Frequency Interference) is between >60 dB and >40 dB using the DPA Microphones’ philosophy of transformerless Impedance Balancing with Active Drive.

 

Microphones for recording music in project studios (home studios)

A continuing trend in the music business is the increase in high-quality, home-based project studios. While primarily for convenience, they need to contain top-quality equipment, including microphones. The twin-diaphragm mics in this series are the best choice for a project studio. Choose between the 2006A Twin Diaphragm Omnidirectional Microphone or the 2011A Twin Diaphragm Cardioid Microphone, depending on your specific needs. These mics performs as well as more exclusive microphones.

They are premium-class microphones and redefine the term value for money.
 

Microphones for concert halls

Recording classical symphonies in a large concert hall setting, has different challenges than recording rhythmic bands in a studio, but still great sounds starts with great microphones.

The 4006 Omnidirectional Microphone and the 4011 Cardioid Microphone combine the best microphone capsules with the best preamplifiers to deliver superior sound for high-quality reproductions of the acoustics of halls, churches and other pristine recording venues. The range is wide and provides superb-sounding microphones with any type of pickup pattern required for your specific needs.  Within the series there are a wide variety of capsules matching any recording need. This series also contains a range of meticulously matched stereo and surround kits that can be used in conjunction with the S5 Surround Mount to capture amazing surround sound recordings of classical symphonies.
 

Floor standing mics for classical singers

Classically-trained opera singers are used to using their voice to fill up the hall. These singers can sing at extremely high SPL, which can cause distortion in the microphone. Additionally, the right amount of "air" between the singer and the microphone is essential to give it a classical sound, so close miking, which is also done for other music genres cannot be used here. Recording these singers in concert is often done using elegant floor-standing microphones, which have the correct audio quality as well as visual impact for the performance.




Available in either a cardioid or a supercardioid variant, these floor stand mics are our best solution for the highest-quality sound capture in both recording and live performance situations. Both variants are widely customizable; available in a range of boom lengths to meet any need. The 4011F Floor Stand Microphone is the cardioid variant, which provides a natural response to voice and a noise rejecting quality. No equalization is needed to remove any microphone artifacts; voice intelligibility is straight out of the mic. The 4018F Floor Stand Microphone is the highly-directional supercardioid variant, which secures an identical sound color around the microphone. The usual rear lobe heard on most supercardioids is minimized making it much more isolated without sudden frequency dependent peaks and dips. This mic is highly customizable; available in a range of boom lengths to meet any need.
 

Microphones for film and TV

A properly boomed actor sounds very natural to the ear. Shotgun boom microphones are a staple in most film sound engineers arsenal of tools.



The 4017B Shotgun Microphone is equipped with a highly-directional hypercardioid pickup pattern; obtained using an interference tube that provides excellent off-axis rejection. Its unique directional pattern is useful when you need exceptionally high directivity with high background noise rejection. It is convenient when you cannot place the mic close enough to the sound source. The 4018C Supercardioid Microphone, Compact has a highly-directional supercardioid pickup pattern with a smooth and uniform off-axis frequency response. It is designed for use in long-distance film miking applications.