DPA Diversifies Its Highly Directional Microphone Palette

Broadcasters and film makers who are searching for a high quality boom microphone capable of capturing audio in challenging locations need to look no further than DPA Microphones' IBC 2013 booth (8:D76).
On show for the first time at IBC is the new DPA MMC4018 - a modular supercardioid condenser capsule that is an integral part of the company's d:dicateT Recording Microphone range. Thanks to its directional pattern, the MMC4018 has an extremely controlled off-axis response and very uniform directional shape (independent of frequency), thus ensuring exceptionally smooth and controlled sound.
Unlike the DPA d:dicate 4017 Shotgun, which includes an interference tube and is therefore more directional at the sides, this new variant offers more consistent rear rejection making it an interesting alternative to a conventional shotgun. While the MMC4017 is exceedingly directional, especially at higher frequencies, the sleek and compact MMC4018 focuses on low noise and high sensitivity, making it more suited to long-distance voice capture.
The DPA MMC4018 is the counterpart to the MMC4018V capsule, which is used in DPA's popular d:factoT Vocal Microphone. This means it offers extremely good isolation and feedback rejection, making it ideally suited to applications where clarity and audio quality are critical.
Christian Poulsen, CEO of DPA Microphones, says: "Our new MMC4018 supercardioid condenser capsule expands the flexibility of DPA's d:dicate range by offering the broadcast, film and music recording industries the perfect microphone for long-distance boom miking, spot miking in orchestras, foley and speech recording. Due to its shorter length, it is very easy to boom in low-ceiling rooms or to mount in challenging film recording sets such as the inside of cars."
The modular nature of DPA's d:dicate Recording Microphone range has enabled the company to expand its remit by entering the installation market. To this end it has introduced new desktop and podium microphones that give AV installers and conference organisers the clear, transparent and precise sound they demand.
DPA's new MMC4018 capsule is the standard recommendation for the d:dicate podium microphone. By combining the capsule with different active booms and cables, installers can specify the exact microphone for their needs. For example, an MMC4018 capsule combined with an MMP-C compact pre-amp makes an ideal desktop microphone, while the same capsule combined with an MMP-E modular active cable is perfect for applications where the microphone needs to be hung from the ceiling because the preamp only adds 12mm to the capsule - and thanks to its integrated cable it is very inconspicuous.
"Given the flexibility of our d:dicate range, creating a microphone for the installation and conference markets was an obvious step," Christian Poulsen adds. "We already had the high-end capsule and pre-amplifier technology needed to fulfil the brief, so all we had to do was employ some ingenious mechanical solutions. By doing this, we have been able to adapt our boom and cable technology so that we can deliver installation solutions for a wide variety of applications. Whether this is for a podium, a desk top, a stage stand or even suspended from the ceiling, we have it covered with visually elegant and sonically superior products that boast all the robustness inherent in DPA's ingenious engineering techniques."
DPA
(MH/JP)