DPA 4080-DC-D-B00 CORE 4080 Cardioid Mic, MicroDot

A bit about cardioids

Named for its “heart shaped” polar pattern, a cardioid (or directional) microphone has the most sensitivity at the front and is least sensitive from the sides and at the back. They come in many variations – with wider or narrower angles of sensitivity (supercardioid, hypercardioid, wide cardioid etc.). Although cardioids also pick up sound coming in from the sides, this off-axis sound will normally be more or less colored and damped. The unique DPA capsule technique however skips the colorization of the sound coming from the sides or the rear of the mic and just reduces the sensitivity to these angles and thereby offers perfect sound stages. The amount of damping depends on the exact specifications of the mic.

A cardioid microphone is, by definition, damped -6 dB at the 90°side entry of the microphone but for many, the word cardioid generally covers mics with a directional pattern versus omnis, which pick up sound from all directions.

Due to their nature, directional mics are often used on the live stage – both during concerts as well as spoken-word events, to capture the focused sound of an instrument or voice. The narrow angle of sensitivity helps to minimize the bleed from other sounds on a busy stage. One thing to note with cardioid mics is the proximity effect, which causes an increase in bass response the closer the microphone is moved to the sound source. Therefore, when judging mic specs you should always look for a statement stating the distance at which the flat frequency response has been measured. In addition, cardioid mics are far more sensitive to wind, pop and handling noises than omni mics, so be sure to take precautions to guard against this.

Flexible adapter system

All of DPA’s microphones can be configured to run easily and effortlessly with a wireless system. We use a unique MicroDot termination on our microphones together with a changeable adapter to ensure secure configuration. All of the adapters we use are original, developed and manufactured by the wireless system brand you use. This ensures that your mic will work consistently with no connection trouble to your system.

The adapters for wireless systems give you flexible, simple and affordable possibilities. You are no longer bound to one wireless system. As circumstances change, you can just switch your adapter, instead of incurring the cost of a new microphone. When you make the switch, you won’t hear any loss or change in sound quality.

Using an adapter for wireless, our microphones with MicroDot termination are compatible with the professional wireless systems listed below. Many of these brands have several model numbers. To ensure compatibility you should find your particular model number, which in most cases can be found on the transmitter. Other configurations are possible; however, DPA Microphones cannot guarantee full compatibility in these cases.

Wireless brands we work with: Sennheiser, Shure, Sony, Wisycom, Lectrosonics , Zaxcom and many more.