How Are You Using Your DPA 4099b?

[neddyrow]

I just got my DPA 4099b about a month ago to use mostly for recording. I play in a couple bands and have used it at one gig with my bluegrass/olde tyme band. The one thing I noticed, besides the awesome natural bass sound, was how sensitive it is. I picked up a lot of the other instruments when I was recording - and that was with a partition in between me and the others. I know that it was designed to be a live mic but it seems pretty sensitive for the stage. I don't ever plan to use it with my rock/blues/grass band but I am afraid that at some gigs with my other string bands, I may run into feedback issues.

So, I know there are many DPA owners out there and I would like your input as to what types of music you are playing with your DPA as well as how you use it - ie how you eq it, mic positioning and if you use a preamp or anything. I would like to be using it in the studio and on stage so I can get all my money's worth out of it.

[Ric Vice]

Originally Posted by neddyrow

So, I know there are many DPA owners out there and I would like your input as to what types of music you are playing with your DPA as well as how you use it - ie how you eq it, mic positioning and if you use a preamp or anything. I would like to be using it in the studio and on stage so I can get all my money's worth out of it.

Neddy Row,
I only use mine in theaters, to send the bass FOH. It works great for in that application

Ric

[Roger Davis]

My flirtation with the DPA is a bit on-off. I had one of the earlier versions with the bass cut, sold it and I now have one of the latest models with the mic suspended from the after-length and directed at the table, 30mm above it and 70mm up from the bridge. It goes straight into a Clarus - delivers 48v phantom power -with the treble turned down a bit to limit feedback. I have a 10" Wizzy on a pole at shoulder level behind me. I am still running an Underwood pickup via an outboard preamp (phase reverse is useful) into the Clarus second channel just to tighten things up a bit. It seems to work very well, particularly at low-medium volumes. But - as Ric says, it's best for FOH when that's available and a lot of the time I go out with just a pickup.

There are a lot of better studio mics.

[flatback]

Originally Posted by Roger Davis

My flirtation with the DPA is a bit on-off. I had one of the earlier versions with the bass cut, sold it and I now have one of the latest models with the mic suspended from the after-length and directed at the table, 30mm above it and 70mm up from the bridge. It goes straight into a Clarus - delivers 48v phantom power -with the treble turned down a bit to limit feedback. I have a 10" Wizzy on a pole at shoulder level behind me. I am still running an Underwood pickup via an outboard preamp (phase reverse is useful) into the Clarus second channel just to tighten things up a bit. It seems to work very well, particularly at low-medium volumes. But - as Ric says, it's best for FOH when that's available and a lot of the time I go out with just a pickup.

There are a lot of better studio mics.

I am A/Bing the DPA 4099 against the new Troll Ribbon mic from local Bay Area Bassist Brandon Essex and I have to say while it needs a Fethead is reccomended to match gains, I am really loving it through the exact rig you are using. The Ribbon has a similar sound to my expensive Tube Mic but with a similar amount of rejection to the DPA. The Troll has a great sound. It will be interesting to see if it really ! holds up (ribbons are delicate) 2. if it really rejects bandstand sounds as well (figure 8 pattern) rejects the sides almost entirely)
but it has a FAT FAT DEEP TONE with so much nuance and harmonic complexity. This one really deserves a trial from some of you who do a lot of FOH work.

[Nathan Levine]

Originally Posted by flatback

I am A/Bing the DPA 4099 against the new Troll Ribbon mic from local Bay Area Bassist Brandon Essex and I have to say while it needs a Fethead is reccomended to match gains, I am really loving it through the exact rig you are using. The Ribbon has a similar sound to my expensive Tube Mic but with a similar amount of rejection to the DPA. The Troll has a great sound. It will be interesting to see if it really ! holds up (ribbons are delicate) 2. if it really rejects bandstand sounds as well (figure 8 pattern) rejects the sides almost entirely)
but it has a FAT FAT DEEP TONE with so much nuance and harmonic complexity. This one really deserves a trial from some of you who do a lot of FOH work.

I've also been A/Bing the Troll Ribbon and the DPA. With the DPA's gooseneck I was able to get the DPA pointed towards the same spot that the Troll is pointed at when mounted and the difference is night and day. The Troll gets an amazingly clear and natural representation of the sound that is so warm you could cozy up next to it on a cold winter night and find relief.

In comparison, the DPA (in that spot) was muffled and sounded off. When i adjusted the DPA to the spot that i normally have it at the sound was much much better, but it still didn't even begin to compare to the Troll. FWIW, the DPA is not meant to be a recording mic and there are much better choices out there, so maybe this isn't such a fair comparison. Still, by recording the two side by side, I feel that I was able to better hear the signal being sent to my amp, and that is certainly informative to be sure.

The DPA shines in a live setting. I have been nothing but pleased with it over the past few years. But if I can get the Troll to work as well as the DPA on gigs then I am going to be one happy camper. How it holds up is going to be something that I will be watching closely.

[eric.damstra]

Im using the DPA4099 with my bass amp. Took me some time to figure out how te use it best.

This is where I put it on my bass


The mic goes straight to the Headway EDB1 wich is clamped to my music stand. This way I can adjust volume without turning my bass so I can avoid feedback.



The output of the Headway goes to my amp. I found out that by using a amp stand (cheap one from stagg) I could hear myself much better and it reduces the feedback to a minimum.



I'm playing in a jazz bigband and I can play mic only without feedback problems.
I realy like the sound compared to a fishman full cicle which I had on my previous bass, so to me it's great setup. A little more to carry but for me it's worth the trouble.

[neddyrow]

Man...I was really hoping for more input from you DPA guys out there. I do appreciate the input so far. I'd love a few more pics of your basses with the mic on it so I can try different positions. Also how you eq it would be great too. I don't seem to be eq-ing correctly on my pickup (k&k rockabilly) either. So any help would be appreciated.

[tickbite]

I've been using a 4099B for the last six months, feeding into an ART Studio V3 preamp, then into a Shuttle 3.0 10T plus Ashdown 115 cabinet.

I've tried various positions for my 4099B:
1. passing the gooseneck under the bridge then bending it so that the mic is near the bass bar, or the centre, or the sound post, and about half an inch off the top;
2. positioning the mic directly under the bridge;
3. positioning it behind either of the feet of the bridge.

On my double bass, generally the bass bar side is boomy, but the sound post side is clearer yet feeds back quicker. So I tend to settle for a centre position, sometimes rotating the mic a few degrees left or right so it's not pointing squarely at the top, depending on the venue's acoustics, to get either a bassier or treblier sound. I suppose our instruments have their own sweet spots, so it would be a good experiment to find yours by plucking the strings and scanning the top of your double bass with the mic unattached.

Not only is the mic's position important for getting a good sound from the bass, it's also relevant for prevention of feedback, which has been an issue at the start of every gig I've done with it. I've managed to sort it out by the end of the first set normally.

I've found that I'm getting less feedback and more volume with my preamp set to a low level gain and high level output, rather than a high level gain and a low level output. I think the higher gain makes the mic too sensitive: all I want the mic to do is get the sound from my instrument, and not from those of the other musicians as well!

EQ settings are of course also vital for feedback-prevention, and these I set by cutting the offending frequencies, which have varied at each gig, but to be sure, the culprits are high-mids and highs. This means I have to cut some lows too to get a balanced bass sound. But, no gig is the same...