Belgian sound specialist 4ears is using a range of DPA microphones to deliver “the perfect sound quality” for a diverse range of live music events.
In recent weeks the company has been working with Belgian band SX, which used DPA’s d:facto™ Vocal Microphones to great effect at a concert at the Ancienne Belgique concert hall in Brussels.
Headed by experienced broadcast and live sound engineer and production manager, Peter Vandergoten, 4ears provides sound mixing and recording equipment to many top Belgium acts and events such as Salvatore Adamo, Ghinzu, Absynthe Minded, Night of the Proms and Rock Werchter. Over the years Vandergoten has built up an impressive collection of DPA microphones including eight d:vote™ 4099 Instrument Microphones that are regularly used for both rock and classical productions.
“Many bands that I work with combine acoustic instruments in a ‘rock’ setup,” Vandergoten say. “Before the DPA d:vote™ 4099 Instrument Microphone was introduced I would use d:screet™ 4060 or 4061 Miniature Microphones to amplify classical or acoustic instruments because they sounded very good. However, when the d:vote™ 4099 came along I was more than happy to make the switch because this microphone gives such a wide range of great results. It has a small setup, it is presented in an elegant way, and it comes with a wide variety of mounting adaptors that give engineers like myself the potential to use it on lots of different kinds of instruments.”
Vandergoten’s collection includes eight DPA d:vote™ 4099 Instrument Microphones, with different mounting adaptors. “It’s such a versatile tool because it can be used with many different instruments – from drums to violins, for example,” he says.
Vandergoten also has four DPA d:dictate™ 2011 Recording Microphones and he has recently been using these as stereo pairs to record live Adamo performances.
“These microphones allow me to provide the artist with a really clear and representative recording of the concert,” he explains. “In the case of Adamo, I always provide him with a mix from the left/right with the recorded d:dicate™ 2011 mics working as a stereo pair. They give me an excellent and natural sound that I have never been able to match using any other microphone set-up.”
DPA’s recently introduced hand-held d:facto™ Vocal Microphone is also proving to be a versatile tool for Vandergoten and his team. Since acquiring four d:facto™ Vocal Microphones from Amptec, DPA’s distributor in Belgium, Vandergoten has deployed them on numerous occasions on both lead and backing vocals.
“I now use them for virtually every band I work with, in both wired and wireless configuration,” he says. “It is an excellent microphone that gives a wonderful, natural sound and is also aesthetically pleasing. Thanks to its minimal crosstalk from on-stage sources such as drums, guitar, monitors, etc, this microphone is proving to be a real workhorse for me and one that I can use in all situations – live, recording and broadcast.”
Vandergoten adds that his customers are equally delighted with the d:facto™. “In fact, the artists I work with are always very positive about the whole experience of using DPA microphones,” he says.
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ABOUT DPA MICROPHONES:
DPA Microphones is the leading Danish Professional Audio manufacturer of high-quality condenser microphone solutions for professional applications. DPA’s ultimate goal is to always provide its customers with the absolute finest possible microphone solutions for all its markets, which include live sound, installation, recording, theatre and broadcast. When it comes to the design process, DPA takes no shortcuts. Nor does the company compromise on its manufacturing process, which is done at the DPA factory in Denmark. As a result, DPA’s products are globally praised for their exceptional clarity and transparency, unparalleled specifications, supreme reliability and, above all, pure, uncolored and undistorted sound.
For more information, please visit www.dpamicrophones.com
