Chris Jojo Pushes the Limits of Motorsport Audio with DPA...

Sound Designer and Car Sound Recording Engineer Chris Jojo is not your average audio technician. He's a man who is fully tuned into the scream of straight-cut gears and the whispered harmonics of turbochargers found on some of the world's leading racecars. Beyond the technical wizardry, Jojo's real mission is emotional authenticity. When a player floors it in a game, Jojo wants their heart to race not just from visuals, but from sound. Recently, Jojo was tasked with capturing high-speed audio from a rare Ford RS 200 Group B rally car at BGM Motorsport, which followed a high-speed recording session at Millbrook Proving Ground's Mile Straight circuit. To ensure the precise detail needed for such unique applications, Jojo opts for his trusted collection from DPA Microphones.

I'm obsessed with delivering a visceral, true-to-life racing experience. It's not just about creating effects, it's triggering memories and sensations, says Jojo. It's sound design on the ragged edge of engineering, physics and raw emotion. That low-end rumble, the high-frequency scream, the way the exhaust echoes off a tree line I want to put you there. Using DPA microphones allows me to isolate and reproduce the complex layers of automotive sound with astonishing clarity and precision, capturing the car's soul.

Jojo uses a strategic multi-microphone setup featuring DPA's 4007 Omnidirectional Pencil, 4011 Cardioid and 4062 Omnidirectional Lavalier Microphones to capture engine, exhaust, induction and transmission sounds from both onboard and external perspectives. Each mic placement is calculated to avoid bodywork reflections and ensure maximum fidelity in high-SPL environments, which is essential when working with the explosive sounds of high-performance race cars.

On the exhaust, I'll run a DPA 4007 positioned off-axis to avoid distortion and to allow the sound to breathe, explains Jojo. Over the cylinders, the wastegate and even inside the transmission tunnel, I deploy various DPA models to get as close as possible to the source without compromising safety or audio quality. Everything is off axis. You can't be on-axis with an exhaust unless you fancy melting your mic, but that's where DPA mics shine. They handle 165 dB SPL without flinching and still give you a flat, natural sound. For motorsport audio, you just can't beat that.

Jojo's meticulous use of DPA microphones extends to special projects as well, such as a unique F1 sound design session where microphones captured the impact of a carbon fiber nose cone slamming into a barrier. Using bespoke mounts, Jojo crafts environments where sound can breathe, explaining: When you record something like that from a distance using DPA mics, you're not just getting the crack, you're getting the room, the reflections, the whole story. That's what makes it feel real. It's not about volume, it's about character timbre, overtones and environmental reflections.

Jojo, who first became aware of DPA microphones through F1 broadcasting in the late 1990s, credits the brand with providing the ruggedness, sensitivity and tonal accuracy required for modern racing games. It's not just about sticking a mic near an exhaust and hoping for the best. Whether recording turbo blow-off valves with a 4011 or the high harmonic scream of straight-cut gears with a 4062, DPA consistently delivers, he continues. My go-to will always be the 4007. Whether it's a drum kit or a car, close-miking gets you punch, but it's the overheads the ambient mics that give you the realism, the environment.

In a world where players obsess over frame rates and ray tracing, Jojo helps people feel the roar that makes their palms sweat on a digital steering wheel. His pioneering use of DPA microphones ensures that the games are not only visually stunning but acoustically true to the experience of racing at the highest levels. Every howl, gear whine and deceleration pop is real recorded in the field and mixed by a professional sound designer, who brings players closer to the blacktop than ever before.

In addition to being a sound designer, Jojo is also a composer and car enthusiast. He first started working on video game audio in the early 90s and has carved out a career that specializes in authentic car recordings for film, simulators and gaming, among other things.

LINK:	https://kitplus.com/news/chris-jojo-pushes-the-limits-of-motorsport-au...
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