DPA Still Big On The London Scene

DPA Microphones new d:facto™ Vocal Microphone continues to prove a popular choice, as the company highlights its growing presence around London music venues.
"Since its launch in 2012, this eagerly awaited addition to the DPA condenser microphone range has been a big hit with a wide range of vocalists who appreciate its ability to bring true studio sound quality to the live stage," a statement from DPA said.
"d:facto Vocal Microphones offer an extraordinarily natural sound, superior gain before feedback and extreme SPL handling."
Two London venues quick to adopt the d:facto Vocal Microphone are The Union Chapel in Islington and the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Dean Street, Soho.
Sound engineer and producer Les Mommsen, of 4AM Productions, is head technician at Union Chapel, an award-winning 900 capacity venue housed within a 136 year old Victorian Gothic Revival Church.
He says: "The type of concerts we have vary and have included the likes of Bono, The Edge, Elton John and Bryan May through folk legends like Fairport Convention, Martin Carthy and Billy Bragg to Jazz and contemporary classical music; most notably being a performance by the Phillip Glass ensemble in December last year. We tend to cover all genres of music, though we do operate as an acoustic venue so most artists either already perform acoustic music or play a special acoustic show for the venue."
A large proportion of the equipment that artists need to play at the Union Chapel is provided by the venue, which has invested heavily in high quality gear.
"The addition of the DPA d:facto Vocal Microphone to our microphone stock has massively improved our ability to deliver natural and detailed acoustic music to our audiences," Mommsen says.
"For some time now we have been looking to provide a high quality vocal condenser microphone because the venue is a very special place for musicians to perform and is especially rewarding for vocalists as the room's acoustics support and enhance the voice in a very pleasing way. We want the audience to feel a direct and personal connection with the music and the musicians on stage, so it makes sense to carry this philosophy through to the sound. When we heard that DPA were launching the d:facto Vocal Microphone, it was high on our list of microphones to try as we were sure that, being a DPA product, it would be clean, detailed and transparent."
Across London at Pizza Express Jazz Club, the d:facto Vocal Microphone is generating similar reaction.
Sound engineer Luc Saint-Martin, of Oneland Productions, says: "In terms of genre, Pizza Express Jazz Club is quite varied. Even though it is called a jazz club, it covers lots of music styles from straight ahead to contemporary, via Latin, smooth jazz, acoustic and electric."
Saint-Martin's decision to invest in a wired version of the d:facto Vocal Microphone was made soon after the unit was launched.
"I've had a good relationship with Sound Network and use many DPA products," he explains.
"When Sound Network told me DPA was launching d:facto, it was a logical step to try it out as I didn't have a great handheld vocal microphone and it definitely ticked that box. I especially like its versatile, modular design. Depending on what you need, you can use a variety of different capsules so it can either be used as a handheld, or mounted on a stand for any other application."
www.dpamicrophones.com
(IT/JP)