By Phil Garfinkal
In the late 1990s, I was working for Audix and was part of a team that helped change the way drum microphones were sold. While not necessarily the first, the company’s initial drum microphone package created a significant market segment, and among other things, we got drum shops to start thinking about selling microphones.
Now, a quarter of a century later, most major mic manufacturers (and a few smaller boutique companies as well) offer a drum microphone kit as a staple of their product lines. This time out, let’s have a look at the recently released DDK4000 Drum Microphone Kit from DPA Microphones.
DPA has a storied history as a manufacturer of high-definition/low-noise condenser mics that are primarily used in recording and measurement applications. The company is descended from Brüel & Kjær, which in the 1950s developed precision measurement microphones. In 1992, Ole Brøsted Sørensen and Morten Støve left B&K and founded DPA, first developing mics like the 4006 omnidirectional condenser.
At first glance, the DDK4000 holds a lot of what we have come to expect from DPA. The kit consists of seven condenser mics in a Pelican carrying case. This packaging immediately sets it apart from many other kits, which are often housed in more fragile, lighter weight plastic or aluminum cases that show road-wear more readily. Once the case is opened, DPA again distinguishes itself from the competition with the packaging — a laser-cut rigid foam insert to hold the mics. Many of the less expensive cases have a spongier foam insert that can tear over time. This case is rugged and built to last.
Read the full review at www.prosoundweb.com
www.dpamicrophones.com
Australian Distributor: Amber Technology www.ambertech.com.au
