Topic: Zoom F3 / 32Bit / Rig Philosophy question

[detroit lightning]

So, I’m in the midst of changing my philosophy with taping a bit. Quick backstory - have been at this, off an on, for about 20 years now. Started very simple with cheapo set up - eventually settled into a CA rig. Over the years made my way up into multichannel, but in recent years have just not been into the hassle of the setup & more advanced post production.

For now, I’m basically running a share MV88 into an iPhone and calling it a day. I’m probably fine with that, but I do have a Zoom F3 and the ability to run that setup when needed (I basically only mess with mic stand taping when it’s crystal clear that the band is ok with it, and it’s not going to be a hassle getting it in).

I DO like the ease of taping 32 bit, so I’m wondering the best way to utilize the F3 in a kind of / low profile way - like running a pair of DPAs, or something cheaper like CA / SP mini mics into it. Is my best bet some sort of XLR adapter?

Like, ultimately running 4061 > F3 would be ideal. Even if I needed a battery box, that would still be pretty straightforward. But it would be super easy to set up, and generally post work would be fairly straightforward.

Anyway…would love any thoughts / opinions!

[voltronic]

I suggest you repost this in the F3 thread:
https://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=203384.45

The sound quality from DPA 4060 / 4061 is far superior to what you'd get from CA or SP mics. As for powering them, you need to be careful. Don't plug them into any old battery box. 9 volts can damage them; they need 8V and the right loading.

I would contact Jon at Naiant and have him build you a custom set of PFAs. That's what I did, and I couldn't be happier. My 4061s came with TA4 terminations - he can custom make them with different connectors as needed. I imagine he would even find a way to make them extra low profile if you requested it. I'm not sure if he can do microdots, though. I'm that case you can use DPA's own DAD6001 phantom adapters. That route would just be more expensive as those adapters are $120 each.

[detroit lightning]

Thanks! Will do.

Yeah, have experience with DPAs of several sorts, and the cheaper stuff…that decision will likely just come down to timing & money…like most do, i suppose.

Appreciate the feedback will definitely look into the PFA option.

[goodcooker]

The sound quality from DPA 4060 / 4061 is far superior to what you'd get from CA or SP mics.

I'd have to strongly disagree with this statement. We need to be cautious when painting a picture with such a broad brush. This may be true for recording choirs in churches or marching bands but despite the trend for the most prolific posters here to take part in different styles of recording (not rock bands with a PA) the bulk of the user base here still records amplified music in less than ideal environments.

Saying that a miniature omni from DPA is "far superior" to another brand is subjective and misleading. A pair of cardioid Church Audio mics can do a better job of recording from any sort of distance in an indoor environment with lots of reflections than a pair of omnis no matter what brand - depending on their placement.

I'm not trying to be argumentative I just disagree with several parts of that blanket statement. Personally, I think the CA mics sound way better than the DPA 4060s. There's other factors to consider - durability, service and availability of configurable accessories being the most notable - but for me the CA mics have a much better sound than the DPAs and they are designed specifically for the use case for recording loud music.

Sorry, no help on the F3 part of the question. I've never used one. I guess going back and listening to the different mic sources (DPA vs CA vs SP) in the type of locations you are most likely to encounter in the future is the best way to decide on the front end of the rig and whether you even want to move away from the Shure mic and iPhone.

My go to undercover pocket sized rig is Church Audio cardioid mics > SP SB10 12V battery box > Korg MR1. Cheap, easy and usable for lots of different scenarios. Here's a good example - https://soundcloud.com/roger-cox-7/julianmarley2023-09-22t02?in=roger-cox-7/sets/julian-marley-wave-outdoors-wichita-ks-2023-09-22.

[voltronic]

I'll grant you that omnis are not going to be the best choice in every room. They certainly aren't for what I do either. DPA makes the 4081 cardiod miniatures if that's what you need. I don't think it's misleading at all to say that DPA mics are higher quality than Church Audio, as it wouldn't be controversial to say that Schoeps makes better mics than Behringer.

Now, if you prefer the results you're getting with your Church mics because omni's don't work well in the rooms you are recording in, that's a different thing than their outright sound quality. But it's also valid - you use what works best for you. To my ears and having owned both, DPA is in a completely different league.

I do not think it's true that CA mics are better at handling loud sources than the 406x. Take a look at their specs and you'll see that even for the most sensitive 4060 lav, <1% THD level is 126 dB. The 4061 raises that to 134 dB. Church specs his mics <0.5% THD at 114 dB so it's hard to make a direct comparison, but I can't imagine the <1% THD figure to be much higher.

[jes1982]

The sound quality from DPA 4060 / 4061 is far superior to what you'd get from CA or SP mics. As for powering them, you need to be careful. Don't plug them into any old battery box. 9 volts can damage them; they need 8V and the right loading.

I'll plainly confess I'm fairly illiterate about the tech behind the gear, and my head is spinning a bit in trying to figure out what my next rig setup will be.  In researching options, I came across this thread.  Is a 9 volt power source a real concern for DPA 4060/4061 mics?  My understanding is that it's the most common option used by people for the DPA mics.

https://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=188639.0

Am curious to learn more as I currently have a Church CA-9100 preamp (9 volts) with microdot inputs, and I was contemplating going with DPA 4660s.

[cd2go]

I too am considering going back to an old favorite and playing around with 4060 omnis again, running into an F3. I asked DPA if using their microdot XLR adapters they can be plugged directly into a phantom powered recorder and if they could run at less than 48V, and response was:

“Without adaptor(transmitter) up to 5-10v. With adaptor technically 12 to 48 V, but I suggest using the full 48 V for full specification guarantee. Internal to the adapter is some electronics to help regulate the power.”

[voltronic]

^ I stand corrected. Thanks for posting the straight scoop from DPA.