Having first used DPA Microphones at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival to mic a performer who needed to move, sing and play the flute, US sound designer and engineer Chris Sannino returned to a selection of chose DPA’s d:facto 4018VL Linear Vocal Microphone, d:screet 4061 Miniature Omnidirectional Microphone and d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphone for a recent production of Romeo and Juliet at Philadelphia’s Wilma Theatre.

Since 2013, the d:vote 4099 instrument mic has been Sannino’s Holy Grail, having used it in a wide variety of woodwinds, pianos, string instruments and discrete theatre set miking situations. For Romeo and Juliet, he used the d:vote 4099 on cello and saxophone, the d:screet 4061 on violin and vocalists and the d:facto 4018VL for the ensemble.

‘I chose to use DPA because it has an excellent personal history of durability, clarity and responsiveness combined with my frequent need for discrete wireless sources,’ he explains. ‘The fidelity of a DPA mic far surpasses anything else I’ve utilized in terms of close miking instruments and actors. I love both the d:vote 4099 and d:screet 4061 when close miking the conventional orchestral instruments, and also all sorts of ancient instruments. You can never go wrong on a lute, theorbo, harp or zither.’

Sannino has also been impressed with the ability of DPA’s microphones to handle the multiple costumes and moisture from the various live theatrical productions he has worked on. ‘With costumes, the DPA mics are excellent,’ he says. ‘They offer low ‘touch’ noise and excellent isolation in a variety of wardrobe change situations. In addition, one thing I can say about the d:screet 4061 that I can’t say about any other mic is that I’ve never had a capsule sweat out on me during a musical performance.’

DPA also solved a unique audio challenge that Sannino was presented with while working with NYC Ballet star, Tiler Peck. He needed a source that would allow Peck to move freely while still pushing her voice over a full pit band in a 3,000-seat pavilion. According to Sannino, the d:fine 4088 headset mic was the only mic that would do the trick.

Since Sannino’s implementation of the d:vote 4099 on his various projects, DPA has replaced the legacy mic with its newest instrument microphone, the d:vote Core 4099, advancing its sound quality.

More: www.dpamicrophones.com