broadcast

Some people may say that 284 microphones is a little excessive

Grab it while you can - this BBC show 'The Sound of Sport' is only on BBC's archive player for a couple more days, and it's very seriously well worth the listen.
It features sports sound designer, Denis Baxter plus a bunch of techniques and stories from other broadcast sound designers.

It's a one-hour show, with so many highlights that it's probably quicker just to listen to it - but here is a super quick fly-over of the gold:
*Vancouver Winter Olympics - bobsled run, creating emotion and perspective with extra microphones for each camera angle "some people may say that 284 microphones is a little excessive"
*The 'sound' of Wimbledon, as described by the BAFTA-nominated sound designer
*How intense the Oxford-Cambridge rowing race broadcast is (especially versus some 1933 archived footage).
*Using kick drum samples to enhance darts championships
*Strapping a wireless mic to each of a horse's four legs to help create up close and personal soundscapes for film
*Recording sound for 'video' games, and how this enhances TV broadcast sound

Do yourself a favour, and as your significant other is sitting down to watch the next episode of whatever is currently the flavour of reality TV, grab your headphones and listen to the 1hr episode. If you're at all interested in broadcast sound, sound design, microphone techniques or even if you simply posess a chronic case of general audio nerdness, this is a must-listen.

Unfortunately the archive runs out this weekend, so strap in and listen ASAP!

New DPA Microphones - Reference Standard & 4099 Instrument

Anyone who has been keeping a bit of an eye on DPA over the past few years will have seen somewhat of a nip and tuck of their impressive product range. We've always been big fans of DPA's minature microphone range - 4066 headsets, 4061 lapel microphones and the fantastic adaptor range to facilitate use with any wireless systems out there plus plugging directly into an XLR, but the real movers and shakers of the moment are the recently completed 4099 instrument mics, and the new MODULAR Reference Standard series of classy studio, broadcast and live microphones.

Perhaps you've used (or own) an orignal B&K 4006, the classic omnidirectional recording microphone. DPA has been producing these for quite a few years now, and they've just improved them! Not only does the new 4006A have a modular design, allowing a variety of capsules to be used with the one preamplifier, but some serious improvements have been made with the state-of-the-art preamplifier circuitry.

You may already know that DPA strives for "uncompromised sonic signature" and so they have ensured no transformers are going to get in the way of their signal. There's a bit of an article on impedance balancing with active drive here, via DPA website.

We've just updated our own website with the whole 4000 series of Reference Standard microphones and components, AND you may want to take special note of the brand new 2006A - using twin capsule technology, it comes in at a lower price than 4006A, while maintaining DPA's sonic signature.

And then! You'll see the entire 4099 instrument series (along with some excellent vision of the Reference Series) in the interview video below that we did with Ken Kimura when he recently visited. Just in case you're into nostalgia, you can see our original interview with Ken here - it was from 2010, and includes some interesting facts about DPA mics recording the Space Shuttle.