As a sound engineer and a drummer, Matthew Lopez has great experience for evaluating drum mics. Lopez works at Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, California and as part of the Church Production Road Test Experience, DPA sent Lopez their DDK4000 Seven-Piece Drum Mic Kit to try out. It comes with a kick drum mic that is designed to be virtually feedback-proof, a cardioid mic that you can use for high-hat or snare with great isolation, three very small but adjustable tom mics, and two overhead mics to create a stereo overhead field.
"It's a pretty drastic difference. I mean, the amount of clarity in the toms was insane." - Matthew Lopez, Audio Engineer, Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills, California
“I love the kit. It's super clean, very well organized,” Lopez says describing his first impressions. “Being able to mix front of house many times before having the DPA mics and then doing it with them. It's a pretty drastic difference. I mean, the amount of clarity in the toms was insane. All the EQ presets that we had established beforehand had to change, for example, not having to boost as much to get the sounds that we wanted. The mics are already doing a lot of that work for us, which is very awesome.”
“As a performer listening through in-ears, it's literally like if you're hearing the drum, how it actually naturally sounds." - Matthew Lopez, Audio Engineer, Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills, California
Lopez says the one mic that stood out most to him was the 2012 used on the snare drum, which he was able to listen to as a performer and as the audio engineer. “As a performer listening through in-ears, it's literally like if you're hearing the drum, how it actually naturally sounds. So, you're hearing the nasty overtones if you didn't tune the drum, right? Or you're hearing the good overtones if you tune it the way you want it. And on the backside as an audio engineer, because you're picking up the sound of the actual snare, it's great. You're getting that clarity and everything that you need.”
Lopez also loves that DPA mics sound so true to life. “It's not like you're hearing this crazy-colored version of the instrument. You're hearing what the instrument sounds like. If the drum kit sounds incredible and it's tuned, well, man, it's just going to really allow that drum kit to sing.”
The DDK4000 kit is made as a drum kit, but the mics can be used on many other instruments. The 2012 is a cardioid mic and the 2015’s are a wide cardioid mic and so versatile – they can be used on xylophones or even chimes. The 2012’s work just as well on concert snares as congas or even guitars. Getting the whole drum mic kit in a small case, all neatly organized will get you fantastic sound anywhere you go.
