ProAudio Review - September 2008 - (Page 22)

STUDIO | Feature by Heather Johnson Developments and Trends: Instrument Microphones hile the SM57 seems to work well on just about every instrument, both on stage and in the studio, having a collection of versatile microphones to choose from certainly makes for a more efficient recording process. The inherent qualities of each “mike-able” acoustic instrument has specific requirements when it comes to recording, and an increasing number of manufacturers are designing microphones and mounting systems specifically tailored to suit those needs. Here, we discuss the characteristics of some instrument-specific mics and mounting systems with three notable manufacturers — DPA Microphones, Earthworks, and sE Microphones — to reveal the motives behind their innovative designs. DPA MICROPHONES DPA manufactures premium-quality microphones with a leading emphasis on acoustic instrument mics. In recent years, the company also expanded their accessories line from one shockmount and a stereo boom in 1992 to more than 150 different products. Like their mics, their holders and mounts play a crucial role when it comes to instrument-specific miking. DPA president Bruce Meyers spoke about the characteristics (or lack thereof) of DPA microphones and mounting systems. PAR: What acoustical and/or technological characteristics are studied when designing DPA’s mounting systems? Bruce Meyers: At DPA, our goal is to capture an instrument’s sonic character with the utmost accuracy. We are a company that does not believe in “adding” anything to the original source…no color, if you will. Capturing the true intrinsic qualities of any instrument requires the microphones to be placed in the proper location. Our unique mounting systems were designed specific to a given model of a DPA microphone with the goal of achieving the best possible placement that allows for a secure mount, out of the way of the performers natural movement, in the location that captures the sound of the given instrument with the most natural reproduction possible. PAR: How have the products evolved? BM: In the case of our current product line of mounting systems, the materials we chose in their development were very good choices instrument that has those specific qualities that resonates with their soul, and then they spend the rest of their life developing a specific sonic character which is a combination of their unique talents on that specific instrument. When those two things come together something nearly magical occurs and becomes their signature sound. At DPA we want simply to capture that magic and The DPA IMK 4061 Instrument Miking Kit On Piano and little if anything has been changed with them. That is the result of good design practices, something DPA is quite well known for. PAR: In what way does DPA technology serve specific instrument miking trends? BM: Where other microphones produce a sonic coloring of the source, (warm, bright, smooth, fat, dark, et cetera), we at DPA focus completely on producing mics that do not editorialize. When you talk to musicians, as we at DPA do everyday, you will hear how frequently a musician has spent half of their life for searching for “the right instrument,” that believe that it is an injustice to the musician (and to their audience) to alter the sound they have worked so hard to achieve. It is our unique technology and manufacturing processes that allows us to produce such musically accurate microphones. Later this year we will introduce a new line of instrument mics that both continues the heritage and legacy of what we have achieved to date as well as breaking new ground, setting a new standard of performance for the live sound stage, specific to acoustic instruments. We’ll have much more to talk about regarding this subject by AES San Francisco this October. TRENDS continues on page 24 ® 22 | ProAudio Review | September 2008 www.proaudioreview.com http://www.proaudioreview.com

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ProAudio Review - September 2008 Contents Publisher’s Page: It's A Hard Drive World Broadcast News and New Products Lawo mc256 Digital Production Console Studio News and New Products Earthworks PM40 Piano Mic System Onkyo Professional PR-SC885 HDMI 1.3a Surround Sound Processor Developments and Trends: Instrument Microphones Benchmark Media DAC1 Pre Focal Twin6 Be Studio Reference Monitors Cascade FAT HEAD II Blumlein Package Studio Projects CS5 Microphone M-Audio Pulsar II Small-Diaphragm Condenser Live News and New Products JBL MRX512M Live Monitor QSC: Behind The Scenes Contracting News and New Products Primacoustic Broadway Professional Acoustic Solutions Buyer's Guide: Contracting Amplifiers/Mixers Buyer's Guide: Contracting Speakers Single Slice: pc muñoz "Chatter & Buzz"

ProAudio Review - September 2008

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