Camp first started using DPA Microphones' d:screet 4061 Miniature Microphones about eight years ago for the symphony gigs that he was then mixing. "At the time, the d:screet 4061s on the strings sounded better than anything out there," says Camp. "Then, about six months ago, I was turned on to DPA's d:vote 4099s [Instrument Microphones] and they sounded amazing, too. They provide a bigger, richer and fuller sound than anything I've heard before."
Camp most recently used the d:votes for the Forbidden Saints' 12-piece string section. A "supergroup" of classically-trained musicians, the Forbidden Saints symphony has impacted music with unforgettable names, movies and concerts. "I like the directivity of the d:vote instrument mics, especially with Forbidden Saints, because they are essentially a loud rock symphony," adds Camp. "The regular rhythm section plays pretty loud on stage, but the music is like Jazz fusion meets rock. The three main instruments - violin, harp and cello - are out in front, while the remaining strings and rhythm section are behind. I have no problem ensuring that every instrument is heard clearly when I use the DPA d:votes."
The d:votes also proved useful to Camp during his recent mixing work with the Mississippi Symphony. "For that particular show, we had 60 players and I had to get it down to 48 channels," explains Camp. "So, I had two first and two second violins wired together, then the third and fourth, and so on, until we cut it down to 48 channels; and it sounded great. Then, after speaking with a colleague, I tried the d:votes on horns, and it was just as perfect. Every horn had its own d:vote and they sounded just as big as when I use a large diaphragm microphone."
Camp also used DPA's d:dicate 4011 Cardioid Microphone for overheads for the symphony and immediately noticed a difference. "I was totally impressed with the 4011s," he says. "Since I couldn't clip the d:votes to the flutes or bassoons, I decided to use the 4011s. It was the first time I had ever used them and I really liked what I heard. They sounded so good that, going forward, I have to have them for the percussion section as well."
Camp has also incorporated DPA microphones into his Master Mix Live school, which he founded in 2012 as a means of training future audio mixers and engineers in the art and science of live sound and recording. "With my collection of DPA Microphones products, I'll now be able to show my students how to properly mic a symphony, which is something I couldn't fully accomplish before," adds Camp. "I'll be able to teach them the best mic techniques for violin, viola, bass, double bass, etc. It will definitely be part of the curriculum when we get to the microphone phase of the course work."
(Jim Evans)
