REVIEW: EARTHWORKS DP30 MICROPHONE

Product Manufacturer: Earthworks Audio Product Name: DP 30 microphone Price of Product: $ 799 retail Product Reviewer: Joel Patterson Reviewer Credits: Owner/ Chief Engineer Mountaintop Studios, Petersburgh NY Review Date: 11-28-11 Product Synopsis: To call this a “tom mic” is like calling the Mona Lisa “a painting.” Introduction: There’s this odd (and sorta scary!) degree of mind games that go on when you’re recording and mixing music that has to do with your assessment of “how it’s going”— you can take forever in deciding “if it’s okay” (which ideally you’d want to translate as “if it’s the bestest it can be.”) There’s the cliche of the two engineers who walk into a bar, and one sits down at the soundboard and proceeds to EQ something to perfection— only to realize he never really was, the EQ was disengaged! You can fool yourself into thinking you’re hearing things that you’re not, especially if you’re trying to concentrate on very fine gradations of an aspect of the sound that’s PRETTY subtle to begin with, when you contemplate the whole thing. You hear I’m saying, Jimbo? So I’ve learned to rely on “impressions” that don’t have nothing to do with your obvious initial “SHEESH that’s a loud hat!” or “vocals aren’t cutting through, I’m straining to make out the words” or any of the straightforward, technical things that are true about operating audio gear within its proper limits. I wait for a sense of ease… I wait for my mind to start wandering and for the music to carry me above this world. That’s when I know it’s, what is the damn word… effective. Creating an effect. Alive. If I start moving, involuntarily— yeah. And I’ve found this IS a delicate thing. Wispy. The danger is— if you haven’t guessed— is that you can start into second and third guessing your instincts, and since instincts are sort of vague, they can’t really defend themselves all that well. Are you with me so far? Features: The ultimate in high definition audio Cardioid pattern Movable gooseneck Drum clamp included Specifications: FREQUENCY RESPONSE 30Hz to 30kHz SENSITIVITY 10mV/Pa (-40dBV/Pa) POWER REQUIREMENTS 48V Phantom PEAK ACOUSTIC INPUT 145 SPL (!) MINIMUM OUTPUT LOAD 600 ohms SELF NOISE 22 dB SPL equivalent (A weighted) WEIGHT .22 lb (100 g) First Impressions: There are switchblade knives that are bigger and bulkier than this inconceivably slender mic; the socket for the XLR cable is by far the biggest thing. It’s got a sturdy, rugged and infinitely adjustable gooseneck, and the capsule at the end WITH its windscreen is about the size of your average earbud. It comes with a beauteous holder to strap it onto the rim of a drum. I immediately set about personalizing this and making it my own— slathering 30 weight oil on the threads of the thumbscrew and clamping the hook part of the mount in a vise and tightening its angle. I rarely can ever leave well-enough alone with these things— you should have seen me working on cars, bolting all kinds of improvisational exhaust “mounts” onto the underbody. Now here’s something about industrial technology: it all comes from factories; you personally have no prayer of “manufacturing” anything beyond a gravity-powered go kart on your own— but you CAN modify anything to your heart’s content. Modders are the wizards of modern life, it IS alchemy, the stuff they understand. So, naturally, after all that I found an old Audix i5 tapered mic holder that was perfect for more of what I was doing— more of propping it around at the end of a mic stand. These two containment systems and the mic fit nicely into this eedy-beedy postal mailing tube, which I could hide under my clothing, if anyone would believe it. All that aside— the words “Earthworks microphone,” does that mean anything to you? If I said “Rolls Royce,” would you think “a car”? Pointless Digression: “Do you know who I am?” That phrase was hurled at me, with a surly, mocking air, from the backseat of the taxicab— I’d just spent half an hour or so waiting for my fare who finally at long last had the decency to emerge from the dingy club in downtown D.C. This was at the end of the 70’s— the generic, sloppy, pseudo-hippie gentleman who had launched this inquiry certainly thought he knew, and he further compounded my stupidity in world affairs by keeping it a secret, offering giggling grins to his wife/girlfriend and their child. He was somebody, and I was most assuredly nobody, that was the message in his bottle. He was some kind of promoter, obviously, one of the greats no doubt. I think he may actually have been startled that I, a young person, did not recognize him… much less thank him for wasting my time. Ah, the guy could have been my ticket into the industry, if only I’d been prepared, offered him caviar and joints and shut off the meter. I could just kick myself. In Use: Celebrity endorsements— so see now there’s a sword that glistens at multiple potential angles. There are people who have never heard of Steely Dan (they don’t know how lucky they are!) but mostly when I hear “Steely Dan” I think, “Good gravy, those guys must be OLD now,” I mean they obviously are older than me, because I was just a kid in their heyday, and I don’t want to be cruel but talk about pathetic! And Coldplay, you might think Coldplay are schlock-meisters, but when I hear they are using DP30’s for over and under snare, I think, “YES! Finally people with just the most basic God-given COMMON SENSE!” What an Earthworks mic will give you and this one is exemplary in this regard is true-to-life, honest, accurate believeableness, with all the subtleties and nuances intact. It’s pretty damn amazing, but don’t take my word for it: here are nine audio sound files from live concerts over the past month with the DP30 as spot mic on the central element, as part of an array. Tracks 3 & 4 are performances by Albany Pro Musica, the premier vocal ensemble in upstate New York. (I’d invite all you enterprising producers out there to use the timpani roll (with accent) as part of your productions, if you’d like, and for further info about the performers or specific session details, contact me at www.joelpatterson.us ) They are:

1 Guitar - “Ocean”

2 A-capella voice - “No Diggity”

3 Marimba - “Kyrie”

4 Stage percussion - “Premonition”

5 Club stage overhead - “Amplified PA”

6 Flute - “Serenade”

7 Cello - “Concerto”

8 Timpani - “Sample roll”

9 Spoken word - “Manifesto”

link:

http://tindeck.com/album/nswsd

Pros: Cute, inconspicuous, dainty profile Reliably miraculous “utterly realistic sound” No off-axis coloration Size and shape of a bullwhip without the whip part, just the handle Will deal with peaks up to an unbearably deafening 145 SPL Cons: Explosion of sun in 5 bazillion years Conclusion: There is nothing vaguer nor more nebulous than “good sound” (someone is probably going to point out that ‘more nebulous’ is one of those phrases that is technically nonsensical) but you know it when you hear it— so I always picture this guy, he’s got a ranch or just a vast estate in the desert, somewhere, I think it’s in New Mexico… and he’s got an outdoor open-air patio, there’s some kind of “perimeter wall” fragments splayed out artistically to define the true “patio zone” but essentially we’re just outdoors on a vast level plain. The guy throws parties, he’s got a few of those chimenias you hear about. There must be a pool. There always is. I don’t know the details of his sound system, but it fills the patio area (and seemingly the whole world beyond) with music in the most wonderful way— so when I’m mixing, I strive for— I make it an absolutely essential point to and I don’t quit until I have achieved— a real smooth and luscious texture with the sound out there on the patio. This is especially true with stuff that can be strident or clangy like piano music— it’s imperative to avoid excessive crispness, like with a drumkit— this guy expects the very best— it’s not a trivial matter, either, he’s got hit men on retainer if I ever screw up. I can see in my mind’s eye the sun setting, and the very long shadows… people are starting to arrive for the evening… this is all a fantasy, I think, although, you never know… uh oh, I think I just plagiarized the slogan for the New York lottery, which is “you never know,” said with an attitude of cheerful, wanton hopefulness… except that you do sort of ‘know,’ but I guess the counter slogan “It’s not totally impossible!” was less appealing to the test group. One thing I do know: the Earthworks DP30 is the latest in a long line of distinguished microphones from a ground-breaking company, useful in a magnificently wide range of applications. They say you can even crack it over the head with a drumstick and it won’t flinch. They do! I’m not making it up! Is it pricey? Not when you consider my FedEx guy has EASILY sunk $799 into his foolproof schemes to win the lottery, and the oddest, most disturbing thing about it to me is that when I was little, the government, like, didn’t want people gambling, there were laws against it and stuff. So— if you’re looking for a tom mic that is actually a multi-tasking whiz that will shine in all environments and time zones, you oughta give this little wonder a try. You owe it to your karmic wheel.