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DPA 4098 - first impressions


Jeff Wexler

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1 hour ago, Wandering Ear said:

I now put small hair rubber bands on the bottom of the foam windscreen to hold them on since they fall off so easily.  I also keep small pieces of 1/4" neoprene to isolate a plant mic/TX from vibration.  It's been working well for me.

Nice, thanks for the tips....

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I wish DPA would make a flat response version of the 4080.  It has hi sensitivity @ 20mV/Pa, a cardioid pickup pattern, and an acoustically well-isolated clip mount.  Unfortunately, the 4080 has a severe low end rolloff.  It's designed as a chest-worn lav, and the rolloff is designed to compensate for the proximity effect that close micing gives with a cardioid. 

I find these more flexible in mounting and positioning than the 4098, better isolated, and the clip is easier to hide than an attached gooseneck.

I would specify a cardioid over the supercardioid as they typically have less of a rear lobe (at speed, car roofs can transmit a lot of wind roar)  and a bit wider pickup pattern. 

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John, have you had any issues with the small rubber suspension that holds the 4080?  I demo'd some 4099's hoping the suspension would help with vibration noise, but the thin rubber that suspends the mic felt so flimsy to me I didn't trust it would hold up.  I find the 4098's to be fragile enough, I was worried the 4099 wouldn't handle any real production work.  I'm assuming the 4080 suspension is the same as the 4099.

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The 4080 suspension is a bit different from the one on a 4099.  I haven't had any issues with either.  These mics being as tiny as they are, you definitely want to handle with care. The wire mesh interference tube is one of the more fragile parts, but that's also true of the 4098.

The 4080 is suspended inside the foam windscreen, which, in turn, is isolated by the thin rubber struts.  The foam windscreens -- available in packs of five -- are easily replaceable. 

The 4080 clip assembly allows the mic to swivel also.

 

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I have 2 4098's.when they work they're great.pretty good reach,like mini booms but seem too directional for some applications.

I've semi burned myself a couple times on car shots when an actor moved to far of axis.or I placed it as a plant on a desk ,the actor stands up and it sounds fairly off mic.not very forgiving.

definitely a pretty steep low roll off under 120hz.

in a visor can be tricky to hide.not always head turn friendly.when something stealthy and omni is more appropriate I often switch to some visor 4060's,easpecially if there's more head movement

Ive sent one back after the tube got broken off.

I really REALLY wish DPA would make a full range wide cardioid version w/ shorter length.

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On 3/26/2017 at 3:38 AM, roundbadge said:

I have 2 4098's.when they work they're great.pretty good reach,like mini booms but seem too directional for some applications.

I've semi burned myself a couple times on car shots when an actor moved to far of axis.or I placed it as a plant on a desk ,the actor stands up and it sounds fairly off mic.not very forgiving.

definitely a pretty steep low roll off under 120hz.

in a visor can be tricky to hide.not always head turn friendly.when something stealthy and omni is more appropriate I often switch to some visor 4060's,easpecially if there's more head movement

Ive sent one back after the tube got broken off.

I really REALLY wish DPA would make a full range wide cardioid version w/ shorter length.

How are you placing the 4098's in the car?

As you note, it's very directional. I'll add that too close provides a lamentable proximity effect. But the side lobe! Don't forget the side. In the placement pictured found that when the driver unexpectedly delivered a portion of his speech to the driver's side window, the passenger-side mic caught it from the window reflection. Admit this rig sounds like a car but they're in a car so... 

dpa 4098 car placement FullSizeRender 2.jpg

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  • 4 months later...

I have been meaning to share this here for a while. 

After a long time of miking cars and court rooms i prefer the sound of 4080. And while not a zaxcom low DC variant it just sound all around better and it is a lot easier to hide in a car or a table/witness stand.

Another better quality is it picks up sound fron far away a lot better. 

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The 4099 is the series developed for musical instruments.  It has a flat frequency response and is lower sensitivity.

 

The 4080 is designed as a directional lav.  It has a severe low end roll-off intended to compensate for the close-in proximity effect.  

 

I've campaigned DPA to release a flat frequency response version of the 4080.  I, too, like the ease of hiding it, but the roll-off is way too severe for my taste when used as a plant mic.

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3 hours ago, RadoStefanov said:

I have been meaning to share this here for a while. 

After a long time of miking cars and court rooms i prefer the sound of 4080. And while not a zaxcom low DC variant it just sound all around better and it is a lot easier to hide in a car or a table/witness stand.

Another better quality is it picks up sound fron far away a lot better. 

 

so low DC or not - the 4080 you like? 

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On 8/1/2017 at 10:15 AM, soundtrane said:

 

so low DC or not - the 4080 you like? 

Yes I like the 4080 a lot more then the 4098.
 

Putting this here from jwsoundgroup:
Yes I like the 4080 a lot more then the 4098 and don't mind the low cut I actually like it.
The business that I am in , fast/docu/reality , requires me to compromise as little as I can while getting the best possible result using the best possible tool. 
4080s size, mount, the way it picks up sound from further away and especially how sturdy and solid it is build are reason enough to make it my car and plants  to go mic.
The 4098 has an extremely fradgile grill. I broke 2 this year.
My 4080s have been thrown around, fell on the ground and constantly hit with heavy court papers...
In a perfect enviorment and on a project with plenty of post production there will be many other tools and different microphone techniques to get the maximum quality sound. But in my world "fast moving production, short time between shoot and air dates and almost if not NO POST production" the low cut over and over proves to be a great tool and something that I actually like and benefit from.

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15 minutes ago, RadoStefanov said:

Yes I like the 4080 a lot more then the 4098.
 

Putting this here from jwsoundgroup:
Yes I like the 4080 a lot more then the 4098 and don't mind the low cut I actually like it.
The business that I am in , fast/docu/reality , requires me to compromise as little as I can while getting the best possible result using the best possible tool. 
4080s size, mount, the way it picks up sound from further away and especially how sturdy and solid it is build are reason enough to make it my car and plants  to go mic.
The 4098 has an extremely fradgile grill. I broke 2 this year.
My 4080s have been thrown around, fell on the ground and constantly hit with heavy court papers...
In a perfect enviorment and on a project with plenty of post production there will be many other tools and different microphone techniques to get the maximum quality sound. But in my world "fast moving production, short time between shoot and air dates and almost if not NO POST production" the low cut over and over proves to be a great tool and something that I actually like and benefit from.

 

Rado -- Thanks for elaborating further -- I understand better why you prefer the current version of the 4080.

 

Anyone who talks with DPA, please add to the voices who tell them we'd also like a version of the 4080 without the low end roll-off.  The presence peak is fine, it's the loss of lows that makes it less suitable for narrative work.

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