DPA Bass Microphone Mount
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The DPA4099 microphone pickup has long been considered the ultimate sound system for the upright bass player, but it has always been more than a tad awkward to not only fix to the rim of the instrument, but also to make sure that it stayed in place throughout a performance.
And so it is that DPA have come up with an ingenious rubber wing (rubber = minimal reverberation) that carries a central microphone locator and clips under tension onto the undersides of the ‘G’ and ‘E’ strings just below the bridge. This not only makes the whole system more secure, but also makes it a lot easier to optimise the sound reproduction of the 4099.
It is essential that the microphone is fitted to the wing and secured with the nylon lug before the wing is attached to the strings, as trying to fit the microphone into its locator afterwards is all but impossible. Being attached below the strings just beneath the bridge, makes it much easier to place the head of the microphone just to the outside and just behind the soundpost and with the help of the baffle, as close as possible to the top of the instrument for optimum response. Needless to say, the system works very well and the sound reproduction is, as might be expected, exceptional. But DPA could well do with taking a leaf out of fellow British pickup and electronics manufacturer Headway’s instruction manual, as it took us far too long to figure out how to set the system up and there was no indication that the microphone needed to be attached prior to installation. No Brownie points on that one then.
For more go to www.dpamicrophones.com
It is essential that the microphone is fitted to the wing and secured with the nylon lug before the wing is attached to the strings, as trying to fit the microphone into its locator afterwards is all but impossible. Being attached below the strings just beneath the bridge, makes it much easier to place the head of the microphone just to the outside and just behind the soundpost and with the help of the baffle, as close as possible to the top of the instrument for optimum response. Needless to say, the system works very well and the sound reproduction is, as might be expected, exceptional. But DPA could well do with taking a leaf out of fellow British pickup and electronics manufacturer Headway’s instruction manual, as it took us far too long to figure out how to set the system up and there was no indication that the microphone needed to be attached prior to installation. No Brownie points on that one then.
For more go to www.dpamicrophones.com