DPA’s d:facto™ II Vocal Microphone Wins New Fans In Belgium

DPA’s Belgian distributor Amptec gave Verniest the first DPA d:facto II Vocal Microphone in the country to demo and since then he has been using it for a wide variety of gigs and with many different artists.

“It doesn’t matter what situation I put it in – whether it is a small club, a big outside stage such as the Pukkelpop festival, with wedges or in-ear – I have consistently got great results,” Verniest explains. “The vocals are incredibly clear through my mix and there is very little crosstalk from the drums or guitar amps. I even recorded some gigs in multitrack to compare the d:facto with other microphones and there was a huge difference in terms of crosstalk, with the d:facto coming out much better.”

Joris Verniest’s recently used the DPA d:facto II Vocal Microphone at a concert for Belgian Indie Rock band Het Zesde Metaal at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. The band was playing with a string quartet and acoustic piano, both of which were also miked with DPA – d:vote™ 4099 Instrument Microphones for the string quartet and a stereo pair of DPA 4021 Compact Cardioid microphones for the piano.

“In general I use the d:facto II Vocal Microphone with DPA’s wired handle, but I do like the concept of the adapter system that makes it compatible with most commonly used wireless systems,” Verniest says. “I’ve always been a big fan of DPA’s sound quality and have quite a collection of DPA mics. That’s why I was so interested to try the new d:facto Vocal Microphone.”

Among the bands that Verniest has introduced to the DPA d:facto Vocal Microphone are Customs, The Bony King of Nowhere, Renée and Sherman.

“All of these artists have really noticed a difference and have been very happy with the clarity d:facto delivers to their vocals,” he adds. “Sherman, for example, wanted his vocals to be very loud and clear and the d:facto helped me achieve that without sounding hollow or being on the edge of feedback.”

Verniest adds that although some singers take a little while to get used to the d:facto Vocal Microphone, they soon realise that what they are hearing through the wedges or in-ear is far superior in terms of sound quality.

“I’ve even had house technicians and monitor engineers commenting on the great sound,” he says. “And when you even get members of the audience telling you they appreciated the quality of the vocals, you know you are on to a good thing!”