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Author Topic: DPA "Microphone Dictionary"  (Read 5039 times)

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Online aaronji

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Re: DPA "Microphone Dictionary"
« Reply #15 on: June 12, 2020, 08:49:15 PM »
I've had, in all likeliness, well over a hundred grand in failed mics ($150K+?). 

That's something like 30 or 40 pairs! You must be much more patient than I am...

mfrench

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Re: DPA "Microphone Dictionary"
« Reply #16 on: June 12, 2020, 11:29:35 PM »
30 would be a very reasonable number.  And they were matching number stereo kits.
I offered them my preamps to study, and the recorders (Grace V3, SD 722, Edirol R44). They claimed it as their issue, and didn't want to look to see if it were my gear misfiring. With that said, I could never get my gear to do anything untowards that would be damaging.


With all of this said, I was a major league DPA fanboy, and still am; I love the sound.
DPA, O.B. Sorenson, and Bruce Myer were wonderful to work with through it. They had my back, and with each issue, I had gear at the ready that they'd send.  They were very supportive of my recordings at the time, which were in larger part, more baroque and renaissance.
Its water under the bridge at this point; though it was really frustrating. What I still have a hard time with is, why me?

Offline voltronic

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Re: DPA "Microphone Dictionary"
« Reply #17 on: June 13, 2020, 03:24:09 PM »
My feedback on the DPA website is that they need to bring back the old DPA website, which was easier to navigate and had some great information which has now been removed. 
I am hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way.
- Gustav Mahler

Acoustic Recording Techniques
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Team DPA

Offline jerryfreak

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Re: DPA "Microphone Dictionary"
« Reply #18 on: June 13, 2020, 03:26:27 PM »
+T
Unable to post or PM due to arbitrary censorship of people the mod doesn't like. Please email me using the link in my profile if you need to connect

Online aaronji

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Re: DPA "Microphone Dictionary"
« Reply #19 on: June 14, 2020, 08:44:10 AM »
30 would be a very reasonable number.  And they were matching number stereo kits.
I offered them my preamps to study, and the recorders (Grace V3, SD 722, Edirol R44). They claimed it as their issue, and didn't want to look to see if it were my gear misfiring. With that said, I could never get my gear to do anything untowards that would be damaging.


With all of this said, I was a major league DPA fanboy, and still am; I love the sound.
DPA, O.B. Sorenson, and Bruce Myer were wonderful to work with through it. They had my back, and with each issue, I had gear at the ready that they'd send.  They were very supportive of my recordings at the time, which were in larger part, more baroque and renaissance.
Its water under the bridge at this point; though it was really frustrating. What I still have a hard time with is, why me?

I wonder if you didn't just hit an astonishingly improbable piece of bad luck. Like hitting the PowerBall, except in a negative way. Or maybe there was some weird incompatibility with another piece of gear. About a decade ago, I exhaustively researched the compact series* and I don't recall hearing of any problems with the exception of some cable issues and some RF interference. Maybe others were encountering a situation similar to yours, but I don't remember seeing anything like it...

*I was actually ready to pull the trigger on the compacts back then, but my DPA dealer told me that they would be announcing a modular series with small pres in the very near future and that they would be selling the first sets shortly thereafter. So I decided to hold off for a little and ended up with one of the first pairs of modular mics sold to a non-professional customer. For what it's worth, I haven't heard any reports of untoward issues with the modular mics.

My feedback on the DPA website is that they need to bring back the old DPA website, which was easier to navigate and had some great information which has now been removed. 

I wouldn't hold my breath. It has been, what, five years since the last major website redesign? Most of the information is still there, though, and you can probably find anything missing with Wayback. As I recall the previous major redesign was 2009 or 2010, so we may be due for another in the not too distant future, if they hold to the every 5 or 6 years pattern of the recent past...

Offline voltronic

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Re: DPA "Microphone Dictionary"
« Reply #20 on: June 14, 2020, 09:16:54 PM »
My feedback on the DPA website is that they need to bring back the old DPA website, which was easier to navigate and had some great information which has now been removed. 

I wouldn't hold my breath. It has been, what, five years since the last major website redesign? Most of the information is still there, though, and you can probably find anything missing with Wayback. As I recall the previous major redesign was 2009 or 2010, so we may be due for another in the not too distant future, if they hold to the every 5 or 6 years pattern of the recent past...

Oh, I am not expecting a change.  I just wish they would at least restore the old content, especially the excellent stereo mic arrays comparison recordings with the chamber choir.

Same complaint about the new Rycote website.
I am hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way.
- Gustav Mahler

Acoustic Recording Techniques
Team Classical
Team Line Audio
Team DPA

Online aaronji

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Re: DPA "Microphone Dictionary"
« Reply #21 on: June 15, 2020, 12:30:53 PM »
^ Those clips are probably still available somewhere; maybe DPA took them down due to changes in their microphone line-up? I personally miss the frequency response graphs at various distances from the source, which clearly showed the extent of the proximity effect for the different capsules.

On the positive side, they have substantially expanded some of the Mic University topics and they have posted a lot of videos on their YouTube channel and Facebook account. I think this new dictionary is also a step in the right direction (although it is pretty clearly still a work in progress).

Offline DSatz

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Re: DPA "Microphone Dictionary"
« Reply #22 on: June 16, 2020, 02:59:49 PM »
aaronji, I feel strongly that microphone manufacturers ought to specify the measuring distance for all frequency response graphs, and if possible, show curves for two or more different working distances. I have seen very few who do so, however.

Of course the large majority of DPA's capsules are pressure transducers, which don't have proximity effect. But the graphs for those that are pressure-gradient, AFAIK, are always "corrected" to a 30 cm measurement distance, or about 1 foot. Since nearly all other manufacturers use 1 meter (about 3 feet), this makes DPA's graphs for their cardioid and shotgun microphones look as if they have comparatively much more low-frequency response than they actually do have. In my opinion it isn't honorable to do that for general-purpose microphones (i.e. that aren't used for very close-up recording).
music > microphones > a recorder of some sort

Online aaronji

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Re: DPA "Microphone Dictionary"
« Reply #23 on: June 16, 2020, 03:28:05 PM »
^ Yes, I agree. That's why I was lamenting the fact that they no longer provide the frequency response charts at various distances (such as the one in the linked post for the 4011 cardioid). They used to have these for all directional mics that they produced.

Some of their mics are spec'ed at 60 cm (such as the 4015) and others at 30 cm (such as the 4011), both at +/- 2 dB. In my opinion, this is not dishonest as long as it is all clearly stated (although it would be better if they had the aforementioned plots still available). Many other manufacturers don't clearly state the distance or the tolerance or use a wider tolerance, which is equally (or more so) "dishonorable".
« Last Edit: June 16, 2020, 03:30:09 PM by aaronji »

Online aaronji

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Re: DPA "Microphone Dictionary"
« Reply #24 on: June 16, 2020, 05:32:13 PM »
Here are those proximity effect graphs for the MMC4011 and MMC4015. I guess maybe I should stick these somewhere for posterity. Well, at any rate, if anyone has them for the 2011, 4017, 4018, or any other DPA directional mics, please upload them!


 

 

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