DPA Microphones’ new d:facto vocal microphone is proving popular with London’s live music venues, a number of which have made the microphone an integral part of their equipment stock.
Two prestigious London venues that were quick to adopt the d:facto vocal microphone are The Union Chapel in Islington and the Pizza Express Jazz Club on Dean Street in London’s SoHo.
Since its launch, the condenser microphone 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.
d:facto vocal microphones offer natural sound, excellent gain before feedback and SPL handling.
In addition to the new wired DPA handle, the d:facto II provides singers and engineers with the added benefit of a state-of-the-art adapter system that allows for seamless integration with many professional wireless systems.
The Union Chapel is an award-winning 900 capacity venue housed within a 136 year old victorian gothic revival church. Audio is led by head technician Les Mommsen, who is also sound engineer and producer for 4AM Productions.
The venue has hosted a variety of local and world famous artists, including Bono, The Edge, Elton John and Bryan May. Folk legends like Fairport Convention, Martin Carthy and Billy Bragg as well as many jazz and contemporary artists – most notably the Phillip Glass ensemble – have performed there as well.
”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. ”We cover all genres of music, though we primarily operate as an acoustic venue so most artists either already perform acoustic music or play a special acoustic show for the venue.
“We’ve been looking to provide a high-quality vocal condenser microphone to our artists for some time now because the venue is a special place for vocalists to perform 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 was launching the d:facto Vocal Microphone, it was high on our list of microphones to try as we were sure that it would be clean, detailed and transparent.”
With such an impressive array of musicians gracing the stage, The Union Chapel has invested heavily in high quality gear, purchasing a large proportion of the equipment that artists need to play at the venue.
DPA’s UK distributor Sound Network supplied the venue with a wired version of the d:facto Vocal Microphone, which is now in regular use by visiting artists.
“We have had the best results using the d:facto microphone on traditional folk and jazz music,” adds Mommsen. “All DPA products excel in delivering a natural, uncolored representation of acoustic instruments, and these are the precise qualities that discerning folk and jazz musicians and technicians look for in their tools.
“I personally love the d:facto, especially on male vocals. It has pleasing low- to mid-range warmth, an open top-end that delivers precision and detail and good sensitivity to proximity effect. With the correct mic technique, it can provide artists with greater control over how they want to shape the tonal quality of their vocal.”
Across London at Pizza Express Jazz Club, the d:facto Vocal Microphone is generating similar positive reaction. Pizza Express is a small venue, but its size promotes a feeling of intimacy as the audience is very close to the performance.
Over the years many stars have appeared at the venue, including Diana Krall, Jamie Cullum, Norah Jones, Danilo Perez and Amy Winehouse. Despite being called jazz club, the genres at Pizza Express are quite varied as it covers several music styles from straight ahead to contemporary, via Latin, smooth jazz, acoustic and electric.
On suggestion from Luc Saint-Martin of Oneland Productions, who is also the venue’s sound engineer, Pizza Express purchased a wired version of the d:facto Vocal Microphone from Sound Network soon after the unit was launched.
“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,” explains Saint-Martin. “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.”
Vocalists are notoriously fussy about the vocal microphone they use and many have favorites from which they will not be parted. Despite these nuances, performers at both The Union Chapel and Pizza Express Jazz Club who try the d:facto are very pleased with the results they achieve. Saint-Martin says, “The response has been really encouraging.”
“It can be difficult to convince engineers and artists to try a new microphone, especially when it comes to a vocal microphone, but those who have tried it have been very positive and love the sound quality it delivers,” adds Mommsen.
