It seems like only yesterday (well about a year ago) that DPA launched its d:facto handheld vocal microphone, with the intent of putting a studio-quality mic into a live stage package. And now, less than a year later, DPA debuts its second-generation d:facto design — the d:facto II. Clearly, there wasn’t anything inherently wrong with the original design — in fact, the mic was starting to pick up an increasing roster of users, including performers such as Sting, who seemed quite satisfied with the original design. However, the engineering team members at DPA tend to be extremely fussy about even the smallest details, and the new and improved d:facto II was born.
Fortunately, in Denmark, the words “new and improved” don’t have the same negative connotations that they do in the States. Here, that particular phrase is usually applied as a marketing ploy to get consumers to accept something that’s never quite the same, like a larger box that contains fewer corn flakes.
But thankfully, in this case, the d:facto II is both new and improved — in the real sense. The first version could be used with wireless systems from Wisycom, a brand almost entirely unknown in the USA. Now, d:facto II supports a range of adapters that operate with handheld wireless transmitters from Lectrosonics, Sennheiser, Shure, Sony and Wisycom. But before we get too far along, that word, “adapter” is not exactly accurate. What DPA terms an “adapter” is actually an amazing feat of engineering that puts the equivalent of the condenser preamp from DPA’s Reference Standard Series Compact mic bodies along with a powering circuit that takes the typical 5 Volts from a wireless transmitter body and steps it up to a full-fledged 48 Volts to power the electronics. Accomplishing that particular feat — consistently and to DPA’s stringent standards — within the miniaturized confines of what appears to be little more than a threaded “adapter” turned out to be quite a difficult task, indeed.
Back to the d:facto II microphone itself. Under the black pop filter is the heart of the mic — the 4018V, a medium-diameter (19mm), pressure gradient, pre-polarized condenser capsule with supercardioid polar response. The “V” in the designation stands for vocal, to differentiate it from other DPA capsules that it’s mechanically and electrically compatible with, such as the MMC4017 shotgun or the MMC4011 cardioid capsule. But the 4018V has a slightly looser diaphragm tension that improves the vocal response while reducing the proximity effect. Also, the d:facto II is physically tailored precisely to the 4018V, with a slightly larger grill than its predecessor, affording more air space around the capsule for improved response. Speaking of the grill, the mic has a three-stage pop filter, consisting of the coarse outer mesh and inner weave, and an internal fine mesh metal basket.
» Sound Check
I had the opportunity to use the d:facto II (in both hard-wired and Shure wireless versions) on several shows, for both male and female vocals, and must I say I was impressed. The mic presents a tone that is clear, detailed and extremely natural. A-weighted self-noise specs out at 19 dBA; just slightly higher, but about in the range of a Neumann KMS 105 — yet in any case, very good for a medium-diameter diaphragm capsule.
The d:facto II’s supercardioid pattern remains consistent throughout its operating frequency range. A surprisingly high degree of feedback rejection is evident, as long as stage wedges are kept slightly off to the side and not directly behind the mic where the rear lobe of its supercardioid pattern is sensitive. That same supercardioid pattern is fairly tight, and performers need to keep on-axis for best results, so this is not the mic for a vocalist that likes to jump around or sway back and forth in front of the mic while singing. And even in such cases, a light touch of compression could compensate for that.
The plus side of the d:facto II’s polar response is that rejection of off-axis sounds (stagewash, cymbals, amps turned up to 11, etc.) is excellent. That said, the mic’s off-axis reproduction is near-perfect — there is almost no coloration of sounds coming in from the sides and even to the extreme edges of the pattern, the net effect is a gradually tapering off attenuation, with no frequency shift.
The capsule mount rests on a thick, pliable rubber cushioning ring that affords shock isolation without having to resort to fragile elastic bands. The result is a mic that’s almost devoid of handling noise and when stand-mounted, that cushioning ring does a great job of keeping foot stomps, stage vibration and noise out of the vocal. And while we’re on the subject of stand mounting, the clip that comes with the d:facto II does a great job of holding the mic securely in place, but that same tight grip becomes an issue for vocalists who like to take the mic on/off the stand during the show, so in that case, I’d suggest using a different clip.
The d:facto II ‘s three-stage grill assembly does an effective job of preventing breath pops and plosives without affecting performance or making the making the mic sound less clear. The internal basket removes for occasional cleaning, something every artist can appreciate.
But the bottom line on any mic is its sound, and how it interacts with the timbre of any particular vocalist. The d:facto II isn’t your “typical” vocal mic. It has very little proximity effect, so if your artist is used to working a mic up extremely close to get that deep, bass-y Barry White sound, this isn’t the choice for you. In fact, the d:facto II exhibits a fairly flat, uncolored response, with a slightly rising top-end that peaks about +4 dB around 12 kHz. Here, the overall feel is a natural, silky top-end that adds articulation and detail without ever becoming shrill or harsh and was the perfect complement on female vocals.
The d:facto II’s mostly flat response doesn’t exhibit the huge upper-mid presence boost that some male vocalists are used to. Of course, if you want that, a touch of EQ can help a male vocal stand out more in the mix, but the decision to add this or not is in the hands of the FOH mixer rather than from the mic capsule itself. I like that.
At a street pricing of $899, the d:facto II is clearly not the cheapest mic around, and it’s probably not the first choice to stock the mic locker at a thrash club. Of course, price is relative. Most pro-level guitars, basses, keyboards, drum kits and even well-stocked pedal boards cost far more than that. So if the vocal is the main element in a band performance, perhaps $899 is a reasonable price to pay. And for the serious user who is looking to make a step up in performance, clarity and detail, the d:facto II is something to consider. After all, going first-class was never a cheap proposition.
