DPA Highlights Advantages of Miniature Microphones for Recording Applications

DPA Microphones is shining the spotlight on its range of bodyworn and miniature microphones. The Danish company is launching a new campaign highlighting the benefits of using these small and versatile microphones to record high quality audio. During IBC 2015, DPA will exhibit the latest additions to its range of microphones.
 
DPA’s hugely popular range of bodyworn microphones are the focus of a new campaign that will highlight the advantages of using these tiny mics to record high-quality audio, particularly the human voice, and increasingly in direct connection with the available high-quality wireless transmitters.

Already the mainstay of many film, television and theatre productions, DPA intends to highlight its range of Bodyworn Mics as “the perfect solution for all situations where both body and voice need to be free.” Headset or miniature, visible or concealed, DPA’s d:fine and d:screet series of bodyworn microphones are increasingly being adopted in new applications, from live to film and television productions, where typically sound was captured at a distance.

Over the years, DPA’s Bodyworn Microphones have found their way into some highly unusual places, including the costumes worn by the cast of the film Les Misérables, Scarlett Johansson’s t-shirt in the film Lucy and the jacket worn by Tom Hardy in Mad Max:Fury Road. Now, the Danish manufacturer intends to highlight “bodyworn” microphone solutions as an alternative for consistent proximity sound, regardless of the extreme demands and surrounding conditions.
 

“DPA Bodyworn Microphones are so reliable that you can have them rigged under makeup or clothes and you know they are going to work all day and not give you any problems,” says Oscar-winning production sound mixer Simon Hayes who uses them on most of his movies. Most recently this included Marvel’s film adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy, in which DPA d:screet Mics took precedence over booms in a lot of scenes. “This meant that, in the final mix, at least 75% of the dialogue that made its way into the movie was recorded on DPA d:screet 4071s and 4061s,” Hayes says.

DPA’s new campaign will encourage users to experience the flexibility of the modular adapter system, which allows them to switch to a new wireless system without having to buy a whole new mic. The sales campaign offers customers a free adapter when they buy any microphone from the d:fine Headset and d:screet Miniature Microphone series.

DPA will back its campaign with a series of webinars that will highlight the advantages of using bodyworn microphones to record voice. These will cover a range of topics including the importance of speech intelligibility in audio and video productions, how to choose the right microphone for specific bodyworn situations and how to place it properly so that it gives the best results. There will also be opportunities to learn about miniature capsule technology and the large range of accessories and adapters that are available for application requiring a big sound and a small footprint.
Webinars will be recorded as a resource for DPA users and will be available to view online, alongside an already extensive selection of instructional videos on DPA’s website.
 
DPA Microphones at IBC 2015
DPA Microphones will use the IBC 2015 platform (Amsterdam RAI, 11-15 September 2015) to exhibit the latest additions to its range of broadcast microphones. On show will be the new d:facto Interview Microphone, which was launched in April at NAB 2015. This high-end handheld reporter’s mic features an omnidirectional 2006V capsule, based on DPA’s original 2006, but with sensitivity adjusted down 12 dB to accommodate typical interview mic and wireless handle sensitivities. This omnidirectional pattern is preferred for handheld interview use because precision is less critical and native reductions in wind and handling noise, which is further lowered in the mic by a rubber suspension mount built into the d:facto head.
DPA, in conjunction with its Dutch distributor Amptec, will also be showing the recently launched d:fine In-Ear Broadcast Headset Microphone. Targeted at broadcast hosts and guests who use in-ear monitors to communicate with their producers backstage or to hear foldback from people interviewed outside the studio, the d:fine In-Ear Microphone is built on the same d:fine capsules and mechanical design. This model incorporates two cables — microphone and in-ear — that run parallel to provide a neat and clean look. Ear pads in two different sizes are also included and great care has been taken to ensure that there is no audio leakage between the in-ear drivers and the microphone capsule, which can be either omnidirectional or directional. A steel spring construction at the ear hook offers quick mounting for any ear size, while the cable to the integrated in-ear plug(s) can be lengthened or shortened to suit the user. It is easy to adjust headset mount size and, by choosing between left and right ear orientation, it is even possible to give the broadcast host a ‘camera blind’ side.

At IBC 2015, DPA will also show its Podium range, which includes the d:screet Miniature Podium Microphone that provides an elegant, directional microphone based on DPA’s renowned miniature microphones. Incorporating special interference tube technology that ensures exceptional directivity and off-axis rejection, the d:screet Miniature Podium Microphone features a miniature capsule mounted on a delicate gooseneck that comes in several lengths for table mounting. It can even be used in a wireless configuration by employing the company’s ingenious adapter range, which is already used for other miniature microphones.

The company will complete its IBC 2015 line up by showing its full line of d:screet Miniature, d:fine Headset and d:vote Instrument solutions.
www.dpamicrophones.com