"I have no problem recommending DPA's new d:facto microphone because I'm so impressed with the results it has delivered for Fran and Marti - and for Dougie Payne, Travis' bass player, who is also using one for his backing vocals," says Wiggans. "Before I tried d:facto, I had tried quite a few vocal microphones that made big promises, but always ended up comparing to the microphone that people have been using for over 40 years.
"However, the d:facto's clarity and ability to capture the true sound source without extraneous background noise has made a real difference in the way I work. I now have much more time to concentrate on other details because my vocal fader is just vocal. I don't have to deal with anywhere near as much ambient mush bleeding into the mix."
Tom Wiggans was introduced to the microphone by Rob Ramon, product manager for DPA's UK distributor, Sound Network. "Rob was at one of the Travis gigs at the Roundhouse in London, and afterwards he came backstage and introduced himself," continues Wiggans. "I was already familiar with DPA, having used the company's overhead and instrument mics. When I heard about d:facto, I was keen to try one, so Rob arranged a demo. I didn't get a chance to try it until we were in Paris a few days later.
"Pablo Wheeler (Travis' Monitor Engineer) and I were able to do an A/B comparison with it against the mic Fran usually used. It sounded amazing - so good that after the show I realized I was going to need better reverbs. The difference was really noticeable."
After such a positive experience, Wiggans was happy to specify two d:facto Vocal Microphones for the rest of the Travis tour, which was taking in a number of South American cities. "I had one for Fran and one for Dougie, both of whom were delighted with the way their vocals were sounding," adds Wiggans. "We then flew straight to some Scottish shows, and unfortunately all our equipment went astray so we had to borrow stuff for a couple of shows. Thankfully, our gear arrived for the last show, and as soon as the band walked on stage and spotted we had the mics back, everyone was much happier. Missing something when you don't have it is always a good indication of how good it is."
(Jim Evans)
