DPA d:VICE just announced

[jerryfreak]

another d:vice FAIL last night... it stopped recording several times in the middle of the show

i dont blame the d:vice or apogee metarecorder as much as my phone, a daily driver that has been 95% full for months with me clearing just enough space, just in time to record.. i found the limit. phone had been acting laggy in other respects recently as well.

will commission a $50 iphone SE, non-daily driver phone for future recordings. even the small 32GB versions are plenty enough for our purposes

its computer recording 101 all over again

[heathen]

another d:vice FAIL last night... it stopped recording several times in the middle of the show

i dont blame the d:vice or apogee metarecorder as much as my phone, a daily driver that has been 95% full for months with me clearing just enough space, just in time to record.. i found the limit. phone had been acting laggy in other respects recently as well.

will commission a $50 iphone SE, non-daily driver phone for future recordings. even the small 32GB versions are plenty enough for our purposes

its computer recording 101 all over again

Ipod Touch is another option.

[jerryfreak]

I can't buy a touch as cheap as an iPhone

[hardrain62]

So what's the current verdict on this? I feel like I have been waiting forever for there to be a reliable and pro-grade iOS interface for taping and this seems like it could be it. Honestly, the idea of  with my iPhone is beyond alluring. Front door security will be an absolute breeze. I have my credit card out and I'm ready to treat myself to my first taping gear purchase in roughly 6-7 years. Going to pull the trigger on a pair of DPA 6061 and the d:vice. Talk me out of it or convince me!

[jerryfreak]

So what's the current verdict on this?

its amazing and perhaps the best  option out there. id consider 4061s over 6061s personally, 4061s are small enough and to shave an insignificant amount of size, youre spending more money for the slightly higher noise floor of the 6061s

[detroit lightning]

Yeah, paired with 4061s or 6061s, it's pretty great. There are quirks, but no dealbreakers IMO.

[jerryfreak]

ran the 4011s (~90 deg, ~150mm) and 4061s (croakies) together into (2) d:vices this weekend, stack taping  @ about 10 feet from stack which was about 10 feet high

4061: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bhOFJUNGaJvO9k7XJb7JuUatsvCN4h3r
4011: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xubzhfOPpk5LtQCGzgUpZueh9icqMFXI

did nothing but normalize them to same RMS level. They are edited almost exactly so you can ABX if you like



there seems to be some audible distortion on the louder parts, even though my levels were set appropriately. im not convinced the DPA hardware @2.5-2.7V under load provides enough voltage for high SPL applications. That voltage is the same with everything ive measured including d:vice, MMA6000, DAD6001, MPS6010). this is in contrast to aftermarket batt boxes like CS, etc that give caps 5-8V under load. DPA support is now a huge black hole since bruce myers left, i have no answer to the questions i asked them about powering MMP-G months ago

or it could just be the PA driven into distortion.....hard to tell since i dont have any non- d:vice source

ordered a church BB about 5 weeks ago... hoping it comes soon

[audBall]

Well, that's somewhat unfortunate to hear.

I haven't listened to the recordings, but did you encounter the distortion on both 4011 and 4061 sources?

[perks]

ran the 4011s (~90 deg, ~150mm) and 4061s (croakies) together into (2) d:vices this weekend, stack taping  @ about 10 feet from stack which was about 10 feet high

4061: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bhOFJUNGaJvO9k7XJb7JuUatsvCN4h3r
4011: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xubzhfOPpk5LtQCGzgUpZueh9icqMFXI

did nothing but normalize them to same RMS level. They are edited almost exactly so you can ABX if you like



there seems to be some audible distortion on the louder parts, even though my levels were set appropriately. im not convinced the DPA hardware @2.5-2.7V under load provides enough voltage for high SPL applications. That voltage is the same with everything ive measured including d:vice, MMA6000, DAD6001, MPS6010). this is in contrast to aftermarket batt boxes like CS, etc that give caps 5-8V under load. DPA support is now a huge black hole since bruce myers left, i have no answer to the questions i asked them about powering MMP-G months ago

or it could just be the PA driven into distortion.....hard to tell since i dont have any non- d:vice source

ordered a church BB about 5 weeks ago... hoping it comes soon

This is frustrating because I'd think the DPA hardware should be the best at dealing with high SPL situations. I know I cant argue with the results of the tests - it is what it is - but how can DPA sell preamp/batt boxes/interfaces that cant handle the high SPL's their mics are rated for? Makes no sense to me.

[jerryfreak]

I wish I could get an answer to that. It seems at this point their marketing and tech teams are completely separate from one another, and we have no access to the latter

[Gutbucket]

Always good to see Jeffyfreak's samples and comps posted.  I've not listened yet, but since the primary question is if the distortion was from the PA or the DPA gear, I'm thinking out loud about ways to help determine that..

Are there any other sources available to compare with these two?
In the comparison between these two d:vice sources, do the audible distortion onsets and endpoints occur at exactly the same points in time? 
Is the distortion on both sources similar or different in nature?

[jerryfreak]

Always good to see Jeffyfreak's samples and comps posted.  I've not listened yet, but since the primary question is if the distortion was from the PA or the DPA gear, I'm thinking out loud about ways to help determine that..

Are there any other sources available to compare with these two?

no other sources other than those 2 d:vice sources. I'm seeing umphreys next weekend and im thinking of running the following comps:
4011>MMA d:vice vs 4011>MMP-C or MMP-E>mixpre6
or alternatively MK4 rig. Those are big outdoor venues not sure i can get it as loud as that club stack tape

In the comparison between these two d:vice sources, do the audible distortion onsets and endpoints occur at exactly the same points in time? 
Is the distortion on both sources similar or different in nature?

id say similar but it seems the 4061s always sound like that. as weve discussed before the spl limits of the 4061 are xx SPL *at 1khz* and it might be the low frequency energy overloading the mic

the d:vice has a selectable HPF but that would be post mic capsule so not sure if that would help.

[Gutbucket]

Nothing more than a gut instinct, yet my suspicion is the PA was distorting and both recordings capture that distortion cleanly.  I could easily be wrong however.

[jerryfreak]

Nothing more than a gut instinct, yet my suspicion is the PA was distorting and both recordings capture that distortion cleanly.  I could easily be wrong however.

hard to say, some of the other recordings like that was same band/soundman in a different venue. maybe he just likes to overload the PA wherever he goes

maybe its in my head. heres some other loud up close stack tapes

same aurora show as above, 4011
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Ba7KjdkwHq-OQz6JYUouEhTVhB3nkruF

same aurora song from toronto last year 4061
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ki2UaKZ4Y-EWBtCJ4NQA06mjKFjhQrrP

death angel 4061
https://drive.google.com/open?id=13Fzul6aBtbMTkRQsskvtl28i40PsKT8S

umphreys 4061
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tbgZdf4N-o33reQ8n1VpHgpTcfxjzgl-

could it be that the dpa>dvice is just super transparent and unforgiving when capturing sound?

all of these were what i would consider LOUD, like i wouldnt stand there without earplugs

maybe i need to do a few shows with the HPF enabled and see if thats any better

[aaronji]

I have a hard time believing that the MPS boxes, MMA6000 or phantom adapters don't provide sufficient voltage for the 4060 series. They have all been on the market for ages and used in almost every conceivable situation. If the d:vice provides similar power, I would guess that voltage to the caps is not the issue (at least for the 4061s). I do recall reading somewhere that the MMP cables reduce the maximum SPL, though.

ordered a church BB about 5 weeks ago... hoping it comes soon

Don't hold your breath! You might end up turning blue! Good luck, though. Seems like he comes through pretty quickly sometimes...