Billing themselves as The Villalobos Brothers, Luis, Ernesto and Alberto Villalobos on violin and Humberto Flores on guitar perform Mexican folk music with modern flair. With support from Rosa Avila on drums and Leo Sherman on bass, the band’s live permances make some specific demands on the mics they use.
‘Coming from classical and traditional Mexican backgrounds, we never used to amplify the violin,’ says Luis. ‘But, once we began incorporating additional instruments and vocals, we knew we couldn’t keep using a completely acoustic sound. We tried all sorts of microphones and pickups, but we were never satisfied with the quality of the sound, which is most important to our performances. Then, we discovered DPA.
‘After gathering information from the DPA website and several reviews, as well as watching video statements from other musicians, we decided to try them, first with Humberto’s guitar. Now we use the d:votes on all of our violins, Humberto’s guitar and even on Rosa’s toms. We quickly fell in love with the microphones’ clarity, ease of use and ability to stay put throughout our rigorous performances, so we bought additional mics. The sound is so real; we wouldn’t change it for anything.’
The band picked up four d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones for their live act. In addition to the d:vote’s ability to replicate the natural sound of the band’s various instruments, the microphone mounts are also important: ‘We are very fond of the way the mounts are so well designed for each specific instrument,’ Luis explains. ‘I love that I can remove the microphone from my violin with just one hand.’
Mobility on stage is an important part of the band’s performances, so on recommendation from DPA’s James Capparelle, the Villalobos Brothers upgraded to the company’s new 2.2mm heavy-duty cable for the microphones. According to Luis, ‘many of our pieces come with a little bit of choreography, so we need to be able to move around the stage and know that our cables and microphones will hold up to the added stress put on them. By adding the heavy duty cable that James suggested, we know with confidence that the d:vote will continue to give us the realistic, natural sound we are looking for everywhere on the stage.’
In addition to the d:votes, The Villalobos Brothers’ plans include using more DPA mics, such as the d:facto Vocal Microphone with wireless adapters. ‘DPA has become more than a mic company to us, we look forward to a long relationship with everyone in the organisation,’ concludes Luis.
More: www.dpamicrophones.com
