Producer Mat Mitchell gets to grips with DPA CORE technology

Producer, songwriter, musician and audio engineer Mat Mitchell has praised DPA’s CORE after being introduced to the company’s new amplification technology.

Mitchell, who has worked with artists including Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Katy Perry, as well as his own band Puscifer over a 25 year career, has been using DPA Microphones for over a decade.

CORE is a new amplifier technology that lives within DPA’s line of miniature lavalier, headset and instrument microphones that looks to minimise distortion and increase the dynamic range of its d:screet, d:fine and d:vote lines.

Mitchell’s first experience with DPA was in 2007 while working at Lightship 95 Studio in London. “I was recording drums with Sara Jones (Hot Chip, Bat For Lashes) and we used a pair of DPA d:screet 4061 Miniature Omnidirectional Microphones as room mics, which did a wonderful job capturing the large metallic belly of the ship,” said Mitchell. “Traditionally, I would have gone with a large diaphragm condenser, but found the d:screet 4061’s gave a more ‘real,’ in the room sound to the drums.”

Since then, Mitchell has added to his arsenal the company’s d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphone, d:dicate 2011A and 2011C Twin Diaphragm Cardioid Microphone, and most recently the d:screet CORE 4061 Miniature Microphone.

“The sound is very open and organic with lots of air. I like using a lot of room mics when I mix drums and the d:screet CORE 4061 mics sound so open and natural, and add a nice clarity to the drum mix,” said Mitchell. “In addition, I tend to listen to tracks loud and the CORE technology gives me lower distortion and maintains the mics’ warmth and clarity even at high SPLs. If I want the sound of a room, I use my d:screet CORE 4061’s. Their flat response makes me feel like I’m in the room. If I need isolation, I use my d:vote 4099’s, the mics’ off-axis rejection is crazy.”

“I absolutely love all the mounting options that I have with my d:screet CORE 4061 and d:vote 4099 instrument mics,” Mitchell added. “I feel like I’m opening my spy kit when I dig into my DPA mounts. DPA has a mount for everything and the mics are so small they don’t get in the way of the player.”

Mitchell is currently tracking the first LP for The Beta Machine where he is using DPA microphones on keyboards, drums, guitars and piano.