"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," Wiggans says. "Before I tried d:facto, I had tried quite a few new vocal microphones that made big promises, but always ended up going back 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 to 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 gigs Travis played at the Roundhouse in London, and afterwards he came backstage and introduced himself," Wiggans said. "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 realised I was going to need better reverbs. The difference was really noticeable."
(Jim Evans)
