The recently introduced DPA 4097 CORE Micro Shotgun microphone, designed to pick up speech from a distance, is being adapted in television and film production world for “plant” applications.
“We spoke with professional sound engineers to find out what they needed in their toolboxes and designed the 4097 CORE Micro Shotgun as a plant mic solution to complement their other equipment,” says René Mørch, product manager, DPA Microphones. “Ideal for miking in small spaces, the 4097 CORE Micro Shotgun has a small footprint and clear audio pickup. The sonic qualities of the 4097 CORE are particularly beneficial for placing mics in inconspicuous locations as it enables location sound experts to capture sound from anywhere on set. Used in combination with our boom mics and lavaliers, the 4097 becomes the final piece of a complete microphone package to meet the needs of any TV or film production. Since the 4097 has the same sonic characteristics as all DPA mics, it is now easy to capture reliable, high-quality audio that doesn’t need dubbing or hours of mixing and post-production work.”
The 4097 CORE is designed to withstand harsh conditions, such as water, wind, dust, heat and cold, among other familiar filming challenges. Configured with both a MicroDot connector and an adapter for wired or wireless applications, a swivel mechanism at the end of the gooseneck is engineered to allow easy adjustment of the pick-up angle. Used wirelessly with a transmitter, it can be concealed almost anywhere within a production scene. This capability is particularly important for mounting in tight filming locations like a car, and helps mixers capture quality audio from as close to the source as possible.
“A good plant mic, that is easy to set up, is very useful to have,” says film sound engineer Allan Holmberg, who played a significant role in advising on the development of the 4097 CORE Micro Shotgun. “I often have to move the mics quickly from one scene to another, so being able to mount them and move them quickly is vital to the job I do.”
The supercardioid 4097 CORE offers a directional pickup pattern as well as stated flat off-axis frequency respons,e 16 mV sensitivity and the ability to handle high sound pressure levels. The integrated “CORE by DPA” amplifier technology is designed to lower distortion and offer wider dynamic range. It’s also IP58 certified for protection against water and dust, achieved through a water-repellant nano-coating of the cover and housing, hermetic sealing of the amplifier at the core of the mic and dual gold plating of the diaphragm.
