Recording an accapella and jazz trio in a barn gave LA-based record producer, mixing engineer, songwriter and owner of The Gift Shop studio, Jon Castelli, and collaborator/producer Ron ‘Spider’ Entwistle an opportunity to explore the capabilities of DPA mics in an unfamiliar setting.
‘We’ve all known of DPA mics from opera houses and big venues, so I was excited to record with DPA in this setting to see how we could capture this unique space,’ says Castelli. ‘Gabriel suggested that we put d:dicate 4006A Omnidirectional Microphones in the top of the barn. We pressed record and then played it back. I couldn’t believe what I heard.
‘It sounded exactly the same through the speakers as it did when played live in the room. Spider and I immediately knew we needed the mics for The Gift Shop. My studio is similar to the barn in that it has a high wood, kind of “hanger-ish” feeling. I acquired a pair of d:dicate 4006A’s for a similar session and they have not left my studio since they arrived.’
The session was joined by Gabriel Antonini from DPA Microphones, who brought along some of the company’s mics for the group to try out – including the d:dicate 4006A Nose Cone.
‘The Nose Cones made the room sound so realistic,’ Castelli reports. ‘The tweeter of the PMC loudspeakers that we were using came much more into focus. It was an emotional feeling. The Nose Cones are incredible accessories.
‘Prior to Gabriel introducing us to the d:dicate 4006A, I had given up on room mics in my space. Anything I was using sounded flat and papery, so I was using a lot of reverb. Now, I find myself turning up speakers and recording sounds back through the room to capture the space. Pretty much everything I do in the studio, recording wise, the d:dicate 4006A mics are on. DPA made a believer out of me.’
The d:dicate 4006A Nose Cone provides an omnidirectional response across the whole audio frequency range, counteracting the directional characteristics that omnidirectional microphones exhibit at higher frequencies. It also guarantees an even tonal balance at all angles of incidence but with a high-frequency boost on-axis. It is especially suitable for increasing the ambiance to your recordings, or for miking a variety of sound sources that are positioned around the microphone.
More: www.dpamicrophones.com
