Midsomer Murders recorded with new DPA d:screet slim

ITV’s long running detective series Midsomer Murders is among the first TV shows in the UK to record dialogue using DPA’s d:screet Slim miniature microphone, which was launched at last year’s AES conference.

Production sound mixer Jonathan Wyatt, who has worked on Midsomer Murders for the last three years, now has a collection of 14 d:screet 4060 and 4061 Miniature Microphones including four of the new d:screet 4061 Slim mics, which have added hugely to the versatility of his mic collection.

“I have been using DPA microphones since about 2003 when I phased out my old Trams,” said Wyatt. “I particularly like the d:screet 4060, which I tend to use on everyone because its open sound blends so nicely with a boom. It is also a favourite with my sound team because they really like its concealer. The new 4061 Slim sounds great, too, although it doesn’t offer as much in the way of wind protection. I didn’t buy them to solve a specific problem – it was more a case of wanting as much diversity as possible. Being a sound professional, it’s just good to have a wide selection of microphones available.”

Wyatt has been working in audio for nearly 20 years, mainly recording sound for TV drama series but occasionally venturing into feature films. He is also a musician and has two d:screet 4061 mics in a stereo set that he uses for music projects.

“I’ll be shooting Midsomer Murders until November, although we are on a production break at the moment,” he explained. “The series shoots between Pinewood and Oxford and is entirely a location drama. We do get to work in some lovely locations, although they are often on a flight path. As with any TV drama, the directors don’t want to do any sound post sync unless really necessary so we do have to work hard to get the sound right first time, even with planes flying over!”

Developed in response to demands from the film industry for an even smaller lavalier mic that could not be seen, the super-tiny d:screet 4060 hi-sens and 4061 lo-sens Slim Microphones have a flat capsule, making them ideal for concealed applications.

They also come with a unique new button-hole mount featuring a small side entry pipe that allows sound to enter the microphone’s diaphragm through the actor’s button hole. The microphone cable runs perpendicular to this pipe, making it easy to secure the Slim mic capsules behind clothing or to conceal them in the seam of a shirt.

Midsomer Murders is based on the crime-novel series by author Caroline Graham and follows Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby’s efforts to solve crimes that occur in the wealthy, isolated and entirely fictional English county of Midsomer.

(Pictured L-R: Midsomer Murders Sound Crew Adam Johnston, Jonathan Wyatt and Liam Ryan)

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