By Gy rgy Rajna, Production Sound Mixer and DPA Master
As a motion picture sound professional, I am an everyday user of the DPA d:screet Miniature Microphones and I can say I have gained quite a lot of experience about their characteristics. These mics have become an essential part of my location sound recording equipment. I know exactly what I can expect from them amongst the wide variety of circumstances they need to perform in our industry.
I mainly use d:screet 4060s and 4061s, as these are the ones that match the sensitivity of my radio microphone system. I use 4061 Capsules for wide dynamics dialogue (from normal level dialogue to fierce shouting) and 4060 Capsules for whispering or as a spot mic or hidden microphone in situations when I cannot use an open (boom) mic. In situations when extremely wide dynamics have to be covered and when the situation allows I normally choose to rig two capsules on the artists. One a 4060 and the other a 4061. Thus, if the radio transmitter sensitivities are set properly, splitting the dynamic range gives absolute freedom to the actors and mental salvation to me not having to worry about extreme high or low levels. This system has been working for me very well for the last couple of years.
My intro to CORE by DPA Some weeks ago, I was lucky enough to receive a couple of d:screet CORE capsules for testing. According to DPA, the newly designed CORE capsule electronics can cover a wider dynamic range with less harmonic distortion. When I first read these lines, I was thinking there must be some trade off some other characteristics must suffer to accommodate these amazing new features. I figured that the sound was probably different or the electronics inside were less weather proof or mechanically more sensitive. I was very excited to give them a proper blast.
I am currently working in a ninth century period drama TV series featuring incredibly physical and loud battle sequences as well as very delicate and quiet courtyard gossip scenes with almost zero level whispering. All of these are filmed in exterior locations or on film sets that, although they have a roof, are totally exposed to the outside temperature and humidity of winter. These extremes in dialogue level and weather conditions provided me with the opportunity to put the new d:screet CORE capsules to a proper real-life test. The results so far are amazing.
The CORE capsules I am testing have been performing flawlessly so far. I have used them for three weeks in the above-mentioned circumstances. Even after a few fight sequences and a couple of rainy and snowy days, they still provide the same lovely DPA sound without any noticeable mechanical or electronic wear.
Wider dynamics / less harmonic distortion Distortion is something that is difficult to judge when not comparing inputs and outputs on proper metering applications, even more so when it is all about screaming and shouting as the voice of an actor may sound distorted as it leaves their mouth anyway. It is not something I can speak about very technically but my experience is that when the d:screet CORE 4061 I have for testing is exposed to a sudden scream (with properly set transmitter sensitivity), it does not suffer at all. There is no popping, no clicks; the audio it passes on sounds like something that still has plenty of headroom. It is crystal clear.
Self noise DPA does not advertise any decrease in self-noise compared to the now legacy capsules, the following is my subjective opinion. I feel a bit crazy anyway, writing that the d:screet 4061 Capsule is noisy, but to be honest, with my radio microphone system, I have always preferred the d:screet 4060 Capsule for modest levels. The 4061 can become somewhat hissy when the transmitter gains have to be cranked up for unexpected whispering. However and this is what I found the most convincing at first sight the CORE 4061 seems to have a somewhat different sounding noise floor, which makes the sound of the microphone more acceptable in forced gain situations. This notion has since provided me with the opportunity, for example, to use the same microphone on an actor in a quiet scene and later in a shouted one without having to re-rig their radio mic. Likewise, to my taste, a CORE 4060, when used in spot mic mode, can be gained up as much as it can be easily mixed together with an open boom microphone, whereas the legacy" 4060 capsules do have their limits in this respect, when it comes to a quiet film set.
To cut it short, all I can really honestly say about the new CORE by DPA capsules is that I find that they just work as advertised. I have found no trade-off for the new features. To my ears, they are lovely.
About Gy rgy Rajna Gy rgy Rajna has been in the motion picture industry since 2000. He started his career as a sound apprentice at OB events and then swerved off into episodic drama and film to learn boom operating and the other merits of production sound recording. Gaining more and more practical experience, Gy rgy realized that he was lacking the global understanding of motion picture sound creation. After acquiring a university degree in film sound, his main work is in production sound mixing, however, thanks to his academic background, he has experience in post-production sound as well.
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
19/04/2024
Thank You for visiting us at NAB 2024!
Thank you for joining us at the ToolsOnAir booth during NAB Show 2024!
We were delighted to showcase our latest inno...
19/04/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 18: (L-R) John Early and Theda Hammel attend the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Stress Positions premiere at Library Center Theatre on ...
19/04/2024
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
19/04/2024
Pictured: Midnight Family
By Stephanie Ornelas
A great way to get to know a city as culturally unique and rich as Mexico City is to listen to the stories tol...
19/04/2024
St. Louis, MO - April 18, 2024 - Studio Network Solutions (SNS) announced today that MOD won three prestigious industry awards at NAB Show 2024 held this week i...
19/04/2024
Spotify's mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the ...
19/04/2024
It's a beautiful day to be a Swiftie. Today, Taylor Swift dropped her 11th s...
19/04/2024
MELBOURNE, Fla., April 19, 2024 - The Board of Directors of L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.16 per common share, payab...
19/04/2024
PARIS Intel has announced that its plans for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 will include using artificial intelligence technology powered by Intel ...
19/04/2024
LAS VEGAS Technologists working on all aspects of the 8K media production chain offered an optimistic update at the 2024 NAB Show on the state of 8K in video pr...
19/04/2024
OpenDrives New Software-Defined Platform Atlas Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of the...
19/04/2024
Grass Valley Showcases Next-Generation T3 Series 4K/HD Digital Recording and Pla...
19/04/2024
NiTRo's M-CUBE Studio Levels Up Esports Productions with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton April 19, 2024
0 Comments
Esports' rapid rise to popularity can...
19/04/2024
Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 19
Brie Clayton April 19, 2024
0 Comments
Major update adds new DaVinci Neural Engine AI tools, new color ...
19/04/2024
Sony Pictures Entertainment is reportedly in talks with Apollo Global Management to make a bid to acquire Paramount which itself is currently discussing a merge...
19/04/2024
Simon Wilkinson, head of VFX at 1185 films, talks about the technology behind the newly-released horror
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: April 19, 2024
Simo...
19/04/2024
The global electronics company is said to be considering joining forces with investment firm Apollo Management to bid for Paramount Global
By Jenny Priestley
...
19/04/2024
The report broke the economic footprint of EBU member sports broadcasting into three main areas
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: April 19, 2024
The report b...
19/04/2024
CBS Stations has launched CBS News California Investigates , with Julie Watts named regional CBS California correspondent. She will uncover and raise awarenes...
19/04/2024
MediaCo Holding, which owns radio stations WQHT (Hot 97) and WBLS in New York, said it acquired Estrella Media's Spanish-language video, audio and digital c...
19/04/2024
Netflix has ordered season five of fantasy drama The Witcher, which will be the final season. Production has recently begun on season four, and the two remainin...
19/04/2024
DirecTV Stream said it added eight more The CW affiliates to its lineup on Thursday....
19/04/2024
CBS has renewed Elsbeth for the 2024-2025 season. The drama, with Carrie Preston in the lead role, debuted February 29....
19/04/2024
With the Bears picking first, NBCUniversal Local's properties in Chicago plan extensive coverage of the NFL draft next week....
19/04/2024
PHILADELPHIA As government subsidies for broadband services come to an end, Comcast has launched NOW, a new product portfolio of lower-cost Internet, mobile and...
19/04/2024
DirecTV Stream has added more local CW stations for its streaming customers in Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Hartford-New Haven Conn., Phoenix, San ...
19/04/2024
NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES MediaCo Holding Inc. has announced that it has acquired all of Estrella Media's network, content, digital, and commercial operations....
19/04/2024
SAN JOSE, Calif. Adobe has announced that the all-new Adobe Express mobile app is available to all users, bringing features powered by Adobe Firefly generative ...
19/04/2024
LOS GATOS, Calif. Netflix reported another blockbuster quarter by adding 9.33 million new subscribers in Q1, 2024 as global paid memberships hit 269.6 million, ...
19/04/2024
The Current State of the Industry and the Future Impact of AI
Hillary Lewis April 18, 2024
0 Comments
The Entertainment Industry: How did we get here ...
19/04/2024
After Effects Tutorial Text Blur Reveal
Andy Ford April 18, 2024
0 Comments
Here's a way to do a quick blur reveal for your text layer. Start by...
19/04/2024
Hollyland Mars M1 Enhanced Wireless Transmitter / Receiver
Colin Smith April 18, 2024
0 Comments
This tutorial shows the new wireless transmitter rece...
19/04/2024
Resolve Fusion: Writing Expressions with Lua
Simon Ubsdell April 18, 2024
0 Comments
The answer to the very frequently-asked question: what is the pro...
19/04/2024
B+C and Next TV have announced the winners of Best of Show Awards for the 2024 NAB Show. The awards were judged by a panel of industry experts at the convention...
19/04/2024
Cate Blanchett narrates the Netflix series Our Living World, which premieres April 17. The four-part series looks at the extraordinary creatures around the glob...
19/04/2024
Apple TV Plus has a spinoff of For All Mankind in the works. It is called Star City and details the cosmonauts, engineers and intelligence officers working behi...
19/04/2024
Jacquie Walker, longtime anchor at WIVB Buffalo, will step down from the anchor desk. She has spent over 40 years at WIVB and her last day as an anchor is May 2...
19/04/2024
Bob Hearts Abishola will premiere in broadcast syndication this fall on such station groups as Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair, Hearst Television, Tegna, E.W. Scr...
19/04/2024
Live With Kelly and Mark remains TV's top entertainment talk show as Kelly Ripa and her co-host and husband Mark Consuelo celebrate their one-year anniversa...
19/04/2024
Sean McLaughlin has been named VP of news for Graham Media Group. He had been senior VP of local news at E.W. Scripps. He will will be responsible for developi...
19/04/2024
Netflix has shared the first trailer from One Hundred Years of Solitude, a series based on the esteemed novel by Gabriel Garc a M rquez. The streamer is on boar...
19/04/2024
NAB 2024 in Review: West Hall - SportsTech Buzz From AWS, Appear, Ateme, The Swi...
19/04/2024
NAB 2024 Draws 61,000+ Attendees With More Than Half Attending the Show for the ...
19/04/2024
Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI support European OTIC in Berlin for O-RAN conformance ...
19/04/2024
Wuppertal April 19, 2024
Riedel launches Bolero Connect for seamless integration with PunQtum A pioneer in the field of digital intercom, Riedel has recently ...
By Gy rgy Rajna, Production Sound Mixer and DPA Master
