In a live situation when a conventional cardioid pattern isn’t quite open enough, choose a pair of 2015 Compact Wide Cardioids. They work ideally as overheads to capture a balanced sound of the entire group of instruments, like a drum kit.
Also, when recording instrument groups with complex radiation patterns, the wide cardioid (also known as hemispheric, subcardioid or hypocardioid) design covers a greater sound angle and is an excellent choice.
The 2015 is constructed to withstand rough handling on a hectic live stage. It has a thicker, more robust body construction of brass that is very durable and known for its corrosion resistance and tolerance against metal fatigue. In addition to the heavy-duty materials used, the surfaces of the mic handle and grille are treated with a protective black chrome finish, which ensures more graceful ageing.
The 2015 has a wide cardioid capsule with DPA’s famously flat off-axis response. Besides a high gain-before-feedback, this characteristic makes it easier for sound engineers to handle bleed from other instruments at close proximity. The 2015 picks up off-axis sounds in a very natural and attenuated way.
The 2015 can be positioned near the drum kit, closer than you would normally place overhead microphones, and still capture sound evenly across the entire drum kit. This closer position results in stronger signal from the drum kit and therefore less bleed from the stage.
Key applications
- Overheads on drums
- Grand piano, away or close to the strings
- Horn groups
- Vibraphones
- Xylophones
- Large marimbas
- Other large instruments