Live sound engineer, sound designer and producer Dirk Schulz is encouraging all the
singers he works with to switch to DPA d:facto™ Vocal Microphones because he is
so impressed by their rich, natural sound.
“Right now I am in love with the d:facto™ Vocal Microphone for lead vocals,’ he
says. “What I really like is the smooth but precise studio quality sound the d:facto™
delivers on a big PA system. I find it much easier to place the vocals into the mix
and it also makes my vocal effect chain sound much more detailed. I can even
imagine using the d:facto™ in a studio recording situation where a vocalist might
feel more comfortable singing into a handheld microphone. I am sure that it would
deliver equally great results.’
Based in Heidelberg in South West Germany, Dirk Schulz is currently handling Front
of House for Swedish band Mando Diao, who are undertaking a series of European
showcase gigs to promote their new album Good Times.
“Mando Diao’s lead singer Bjorn Dixgard switched to the d:facto™ Vocal Microphone
last summer after we conducted a blind A/B test with another microphone to see
which he preferred. He loved the microphone and was amazed by how natural and
rich his voice sounded through his In Ear monitors.’
Dirk Schulz is also working with singer Michael Patrick Kelly and has moved him
over to a d:facto™ Vocal Microphone, too. In both cases the microphones were
supplied by DPA’s German distributor Mega Audio.
“It works equally well for Michael, even though he has a very different voice with
much higher range,’ Schulz says. “In my opinion this microphone is a game changer
because it delivers a very smooth response at all frequencies, including off-axis.
This means there is virtually no distortion – and any spill that the microphone does
pick up is not overbearing, so it fits in well with the overall mix. Quite frankly, it is
unlike anything I have ever heard before when it comes to a live vocal
microphone.’
Both d:vote™ 4099 Instrument Microphones and a d:facto™ Vocal Microphone were
recently used by Schulz to ensure perfect audio at Berlin’s Tempordrom where actor
and director Matthias Schweighofer was delivering his first ever concert as a solo
musician. Best known for his roles in films such as Raus aus der Haut, Das Wilde
Leben and the critically acclaimed Valkyrie, which also starred Tom Cruise and
Kenneth Branagh, Schweighofer was performing in Berlin to promote his first album
Lachen Weinen Tanzen.
“The string section of about 20 musicians from the Babelsberger Film Orchestra
were all amplified using DPA d:vote™ 4099 Instrument Microphones,’ Schulz says.
“It was a really successful concert and thanks to DPA the strings sounded the way
they should.’