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The voice of Esteli Gomez being captured with a DPA d:facto 4018VL microphone during the recording of Roomful of Teeth's latest album.

DPA Makes The Difference For Vocal Ensemble Roomful Of Teeth’s Latest Album

Head audio engineer Randall L. Squires deploys d:facto 4018VL vocal mics for each of ensemble's eight members performing in the round at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

Under the direction of head audio engineer Randall L. Squires, amplified vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth employed a range of microphones from DPA, including d:facto 4018VL vocal mics, in the recording of its latest album.

“The d:factos were perfect for us,” Squires says. “Roomful of Teeth is primarily a live act, so they’re used to amplification and having a handheld vocal mic on a stand directly in front of them. I wanted to find a solution that still fit the look of the handheld mics they were used to, but with a higher fidelity. The d:facto felt familiar to the singers, allowing all the mic techniques for their overtone singing and yodeling to translate directly, while also giving them a more open sound.

“Hitting those higher notes and hearing the overtones is also easier with a d:facto than it is with a dynamic mic,” he continues. “They hear all the upper mid-range sounds that they can go for, and they hit them easier. The singers had a major push after they heard the mics, literally every single one of the performers said, ‘we need these mics.’”

Recorded at the MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), the group of eight singers were set up in a full circle, with a DPA 5100 mobile 5.1 surround microphone directly in the center, about 60 feet across from each person. One d:facto was then set in front of each singer along with a monitor and several DPA 4011 cardioid condensers were positioned directly behind them another 20 feet out to pick up room sound. There were additional loudspeakers behind the 4011s, which Squires set up to face into the corner, allowing him to feed reverbs to the singers and change the feel of the room space.

“I decided to do this record completely differently and it was really a gamble,” adds Squires. “I was pretty sure that the mics would work, but I didn’t realize exactly how perfectly; and it required very little EQ. Everything is linear with these mics, even the off-axis response, which is great because I don’t want a microphone to sound completely different when the singer shifts position slightly.”

Co-artistic director (and lowest voice in the band) Cameron Beauchamp states that he’s pleased with the result: “Those mics have a knack for bringing out all the best, most natural qualities in our voices,” he says. “They feel warm, exciting, balanced and effortless, and gave us consistent confidence and comfort on long recording days. We didn’t have to worry about ‘working’ the mic and minding our plosive consonants like we’ve grown accustomed to with other mics — it took care of all those stray ‘P,’ ‘T’ and ‘K’ sounds for us. Using the d:factos was an instant level-up.”

Following the project, Squires made the decision to purchase 10 d:facto mics, with plans to incorporate the mics into both live applications and recording projects. “These mics are so easy to fit in a bag and take on the go,” he explains. “The d:factos will be our main touring microphones, and we’re going to use them for literally everything. I’m not worried about feedback with this mic. Even if there’s high SPL or a drummer on stage, I can treat it the same at front of house. We also recently utilized the d:factos in support of Caroline Shaw’s Microfictions, Vol. 3 with the New York Philharmonic at David Geffan Hall, as well as to record the score for 2022 film Catherine, Called Birdy. We had such a great experience with both the mics and the film’s composer, Carter Burwell, and engineer, Alex Venguer, while working on that record.

“The DPA standard is huge for me,” he concludes. “DPA has always been better than any other brand for me, not only with regards to sound quality, but also in terms of stock availability. My confidence in DPA really shows when folks in the business ask me for recommendations and I can now say, ‘I use DPA, and I love them.’”

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