
FOH Engineer Turns to the Brand's d:facto 4018VL Vocal Microphone to Reproduce Lead Singer Justin Vernon's Voice Honestly and Transparently.
DENVER For the past 10 years, Xandy Whitesel has worked as FOH engineer for the popular American indie folk band, Bon Iver. During that time, Whitesel has been on the lookout for a microphone that would reproduce the clearest and truest sound of lead singer Justin Vernon's one-of-a-kind vocals. Whitesel found the solution he has been looking for with DPA Microphones' renowned d:facto 4018VL Vocal Microphone.
Hearing first-hand feedback from his friends and industry colleagues was what drew Whitesel to try out the microphone. I have been eager to test out DPA's 4018VL after hearing about the pristine sound quality from people around the industry, says Whitesel. As a FOH engineer, Xandy prides himself on implementing high-quality solutions and is constantly looking to get his hands on the latest and greatest gear available. After giving the 4018VL a try, I was immediately impressed by the results.
Whitesel initially tried the 4018VL during a rehearsal at one of the band's live performances and found that there was a substantial increase in clarity from what they were previously using. This gave us an accurate idea of what to expect during the show, he says. Justin has a fantastic voice and we needed to present his voice as if he isn't using a microphone at all. He uses chest voice, head voice and falsetto, and I want all of that to be presented honestly whether he is whispering or shouting. I found that the DPA 4018VL achieves this better than any other mic I've used in the past.
According to Whitesel, Vernon has also expressed an appreciation for the new microphone and the team has found several benefits to using the 4018VL to capture his full vocal range. They are able to sculpt the low-end of Justin's voice in a way that is specifically beneficial in a live setting. It never sounds muddy, explains Whitesel. The upper-mids are smooth and the highs are un-hyped, which is something I always look for in a microphone. The 4018VL is the most clear and natural sounding mic I have had the opportunity to use.
The d:facto 4018VL brings true studio sound to the live stage. Engineered especially for vocal performances on stage, the d:facto 4018VL holds a supercardioid capsule that is designed to reproduce every nuance of the human voice. In addition to its unrivaled sound clarity, Whitesel finds the 4018VL's ruggedness to be especially beneficial while touring. The 4018VL is built very well, he concludes. I haven't thrown it off the stage yet, but I'm pretty sure it would survive. I'm very happy with DPA's 4018VL Vocal Microphone.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
13/09/2026
Offers eight audio and CV outputs via USB
Elektron's latest launch offers a convenient way for users to integrate hardware instruments, effects and mixe...
13/09/2026
Pixel Academy Announces Autumn Courses
Brie Clayton September 13, 2026
0 Comments
The ACT Entertainment tvONE and Green Hippo Pixel Academy has releas...
13/09/2026
2Vision Powers Dawid Podsiad o's Obrotowy Tour with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton September 13, 2026
0 Comments
Touring multicamera workflow buil...
13/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/09/2026
Sunday 13 September 2026
Sky releases trailer for Crystal Lake, an A24 produced...
12/09/2026
J. Alphonse Nicholson, Danielle Brooks, Walter Thompson-Hernandez, and Bodhi Dell attend the premiere of If I Go Will They Miss Me at the Library Center Theat...
12/09/2026
Latest Obsolete Devices pedal announced
Great Eastern FX Co. have just launched the latest pedal in their Obsolete Devices series, a range of effects pedals...
12/09/2026
September 11, 2026
BUDAPEST & SEATTLE, 10 September 2026 - Qumulo and Colorfron...
12/09/2026
Calrec expands its IP ecosystem with new Type RT console and Apex M6 Modular I/O Platform at IBC 2026 Type RT is the centrepiece of Calrec's news at IBC 202...
12/09/2026
At IBC 2026, Calrec has unveiled Type RT, a new 6, 12 and 18-motorised fader console range that condenses everything a broadcast audio desk needs into a compact...
12/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/09/2026
WUPPERTAL, Germany Sept. 11, 2026 From July 6 to Aug. 23, 2026, Paris hosted the Esports World Cup (EWC), a seven-week live production spanning eight stages...
12/09/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Mediacom has purchased and deployed Easy5G , Riedel's Private 5G solution, for live broadcast coverage of La Vuel...
12/09/2026
AMP VISUAL TV is continuing the evolution of its production infrastructure with further investments in Riedel technology across its OB fleet and fixed productio...
12/09/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Touring Video, a premier entertainment mobile production service company, continues to expand its production workflow...
12/09/2026
Atomos (7.B19) today announced new third-party accessories for Sumo PRO-19 and Shinobi 7 II, developed by SHAPE and SmallRig to give production teams more ways ...
12/09/2026
Deity Microphones Brings PR 2ii, TC-2, and D4RX to IBC2026
Brie Clayton September 11, 2026
0 Comments
The Deity PR-2ii arrives with production firmwar...
12/09/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Special Pricing for Ultra HD Products
Brie Clayton September 11, 2026
0 Comments
Now customers can afford to upgrade to Ul...
12/09/2026
Grass Valley EDIUS Future Assurance Program launched at IBC2026
Brie Clayton September 11, 2026
0 Comments
New program gives EDIUS customers access to...
12/09/2026
Berklee Students Develop New Ideas for Live Entertainment and Travel in London This summer, a group of music business students collaborated with Heathrow, Bri...
11/09/2026
Calrec will introduce two new products at IBC2026 (Stand 8.C47, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14): the Type RT broadcast production console and the Apex M6 Modula...
11/09/2026
Grass Valley has announced AVORA, a standalone all-in-one live production solution launching at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01 and IBC Future Tech Zone, Stand 14.C49, Sep...
11/09/2026
CAMB.AI is introducing its Streaming SDK and Streaming Dashboard at IBC2026, wit...
11/09/2026
EVS has announced XT-S, a software-defined server platform that runs multiple live production applications on a common hardware foundation. The platform debuts ...
11/09/2026
EKT is demonstrating a new Linux-based ATSC 3.0 set-top box at IBC2026. The second-generation product moves away from Android to reduce memory costs, with Linux...
11/09/2026
The Sennheiser Group will exhibit at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Booth D50, September 11-14...
11/09/2026
ESPN's Monday Night Football will open its 2026-27 season with a new renditi...
11/09/2026
Dalet has announced an integration of NVIDIA's Synthetic Video Detector AI model into Dalet Flex, enabling media organizations to identify potentially AI-ge...
11/09/2026
The Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) will demonstrate Versatile Video Coding (VVC) capabilities at IBC2026 (Hall 2, Stand 2.B13), as the codec moves toward c...
11/09/2026
Sony will exhibit at IBC2026 (Hall 13, September 11-14), demonstrating products across live production, news, cinema, and immersive and spatial content workflow...
11/09/2026
Wave Central, a Domo Broadcast Company, has been named a recipient of a 2026 Tec...
11/09/2026
Studio Network Solutions (SNS) is bringing a pair of workflow updates to IBC2026...
11/09/2026
iodyne will co-exhibit with Hedge at IBC2026 (Booth 7.A36, September 11-14) and appear across three additional partner booths, marking the first public demonstr...
11/09/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
11/09/2026
The network will phase in HDR crew by crew while expanding Next Gen Stats integration, SkyDry availability, and onsite studio shows...
11/09/2026
CAMB.AI is introducing its new Streaming SDK and Streaming Dashboard at IBC2026,...
11/09/2026
Massive host operation at Melbourne Cricket Ground featured 54 cameras, 25,000 ST 2110 flows, REMI studio production in Stamford, and global distribution to mor...
11/09/2026
Production Anywhere Remote Kit (PARK) & AR-fueled Stage B are two key pieces to ...
11/09/2026
By Ramona Flume and Lucy Spicer
There's a particular kind of magic that hap...
11/09/2026
By Jessica Herndon
The fall film season is kicking off, and Sundance Institute-...
11/09/2026
Spark series gains compact modelling stompbox
Positive Grid's Spark amps have become a popular part of the company's line-up, offering a convenient ...
11/09/2026
New flagship sequencing plug-in revealed
Rapid Flow have just launched a new 16-track sequencer plug-in which they say has been designed for total rhythmic...
11/09/2026
Rohde & Schwarz unveils the air-cooled R&S TM1 medium-power UHF transmitter at I...