DPA d:facto ™ 4018 Handheld Microphone
The microphone was chosen by Great White lead singer Mitch Malloy for his shows and received rave reviews. He shared his discovery of this microphone.
A versatile vocal microphone
The d: facto ™ product line delivers studio-quality sound for live stages and broadcast studios. The modular nature of the d:facto™ series allows you to change capsules and adapters, making it the most versatile vocal microphone on the market.
Especially designed for vocal performance on stage, the d:facto™ features a supercardioid capsule designed to reproduce every nuance of the human voice with clarity, consistency, and emotion.
There are two versions available:d:facto™ Linear Vocal Microphone (4018VL) with high linearity and d:facto™ Vocal Microphone (4018V), a linear microphone with a high-end boost.
Aside from the linear/boost, the two microphone versions have the same design. Both are supercardioid directional microphones that optimize isolation, meaning when sound is coming from all directions, these microphones can maintain sound from the direction you want. This directivity comes from the best qualities of both cardioid and supercardioid microphones. These microphones can handle loud sounds with three layers of protection: an outer black metal mesh, an inner metal windscreen and pop layer, and their bass noise handling is considered to be the best in the segment. They also provide excellent sound reproduction with all the details, frequency response and balanced linear phase that users increasingly trust in DPA microphones.
d:facto™ Vocal MMC 4018V
d:facto™ Linear Vocal MMC 4018V
Optimized for live performance
d:facto ™ The Vocal Microphone is the perfect microphone for stage – whether the show is taking place in a cozy club or the largest concert hall.
Cardioid microphones are especially sensitive to sound from the front. In general, they can pick up sound signals from the front and 2 sides. Supercardioid is a variant of cardioid, they are extremely sensitive to sound from the front, can pick up sound from behind, their sound field is narrower and deeper towards the front.
Like traditional supercardioid microphones, the d:facto™ series has high side and rear rejection, with a minimum of 9 dB reduction for the sides. The d:facto™ series has a wider pickup angle at the front of the microphone than most supercardioid series.
Linear or high-end boost?
When you choose a d:facto™ Vocal Microphone, you’re choosing the microphone that best meets your needs. An ultra-linear version of the d:facto™ Vocal Microphone specifically designed for sound engineers who like to set their own unique impression of the final sound. The version with the pre-programmed high-end amplifier has a slight 3 dB boost at 12 kHz.
Both versions of the d:facto™ are designed to capture dynamic live performances and accurately reproduce singers’ voices with clarity, consistency, and emotion. These mics are optimized for use in sound reinforcement applications as well as recording. They provide a natural sound, high isolation from nearby sound sources, and handle SPLs up to 160 dB.
A little about supercardioid
Supercardioid microphones are similar to cardioid microphones – they are most sensitive to sounds coming from the front and least sensitive to the rear. Supercardioid microphones tend to have a much narrower angle of sensitivity – making them even more focused than “normal” cardioid microphones. This off-axis sound is more or less colored and damped – and due to the narrow angle of pickup, the damped area is greatly increased. However, DPA’s unique capsule technique bypasses the coloration of sounds coming from the sides or rear of the microphone and only dampens the sensitivity to these angles, thus providing perfect sound stages. The amount of damping depends on the exact specifications of the mic.
Due to their nature, supercardioid mics are often used on live stages – both in concerts and spoken word events, to capture the focused sound of a single instrument or voice. The narrow sensitivity angle helps to minimize sound bouncing off other sound sources on a crowded stage. One thing to note with supercardioid mics is the proximity effect, which causes increased bass response as the mic is moved closer to the sound source. Additionally, supercardioid mics are much more sensitive to wind and handling noise than omni mics.
Wired or Wireless? – Your Choice
You can use the d:facto™ Vocal Microphone with the sleek, modern d:facto™ Handle for a wired solution, or choose to use the d:facto™ Capsule with your favorite wireless system. If you decide to go wireless, you can just switch out the adapter for a wireless microphone at a quarter of the cost of buying a new microphone. When it comes time to make a change, you can just switch out your adapter, instead of incurring the cost of a completely new microphone. When you make the switch, you won’t feel any compromise or change in sound quality.
The d:facto™ handheld microphone line works with leading wireless microphone solutions, such as Sennheiser, Shure, Sony, Wisycom, Lectrosonics and Line6. DPA Microphone’s ingenious adapter system is one of a kind in the industry. It optimizes your investment in great sound for years to come.
