Singer/Songwriter Leo Sayer Switches To A DPA d:facto Vocal Microphone

It
isn’t often that an artist introduces a sound engineer to a new piece of audio
equipment – usually it is the other way around. However, this is what happened
when British-born singer/songwriter Leo Sayer discovered the benefits of DPA’s
d:facto Vocal Microphone. As a result of his good experience he was happy to
introduce them to his long term sound engineer and production manager Damien
Young.

Now
based in Australia where he has lived since 2005, Leo Sayer began using d:facto
Vocal Microphones during his last UK and European tour when they formed part of
the audio itinerary supplied by Cliff Brothers. He was so impressed with their
sound that on his return to Australia he asked Damien Young to source wireless
d:facto mics for his forthcoming Australia and New Zealand tour dates. DPA’s
local distributor Amber Technology was delighted to help and after demoing
various versions, Sayer purchased two 4018V capsules because he loves the extra
presence this capsule gives him.

“My
introduction to the d:facto Vocal Microphone certainly came through Leo and it
is now a microphone I would really like to have in my personal microphone kit
because it is amazing,” Young says. “I usually struggle with the ‘extra’ top
end Leo loves but this mic doesn’t give me any issues and I use significantly
less processing to get a great vocal. On the last show I only used a HPF and
compression, no severe EQ or DE-Essing was needed. It also takes FX well. The
reverbs and other processing just works better with less noticeable artefacts.”

Damien
Young adds that Leo Sayer is a big fan of the extended useable top end that he
gets with d:facto because he likes his sound to be bright and loud.

“With
most other mics you can have one or the other,” Young explains. “By the time
Leo gets the level he wants it’s either feedback city or lose the clarity. With
the d:facto 4018V he can have both. Leo has a great voice and with the d:facto
I can hear his performance, tone and clarity. The low notes are clear, the mids
are not hard and the top end is clear without me wanting to ‘fix’ anything. I
love the sound of this microphone – or rather I can finally NOT hear the mic
because what I’m hearing is the source without any other rubbish in the way.”

With
a song writing and singing career that spans four decades and includes numerous
Top 10 hits, Leo Sayer is a consummate performer who is equally at home on the
live stage as he is in the studio. He has been working with Damien Young since
moving to Australia and over the past 14 years the pair have formed a strong
and loyal partnership. Young’s own audio experience is vast and eclectic and
includes the roles of sound engineer, tour manager, production manager, FOH and
monitor engineer and head of production company Ultrasonics Audio Engineering.
During his years in the business he has worked with artists such as BB King,
Alice Cooper, James Brown, Eric Burdon, Jose Feliciano, Chubby Checker, Marie
Wilson, Black Sorrows, The Bangles, Donny Osmond and many more. He is also a
musician in his own right and is currently performing regularly with Little Feet Music Children’s Entertainment.

From
February through to April 2019, the pair will be embarking on at least 20 live
dates covering Australia and New Zealand before Leo Sayer heads back to the UK
and Europe for a series of shows. In each case DPA d:facto will be his
microphone of choice as the two 4018V capsules he now owns travel everywhere
with him.

 “I’m looking forward to Leo’s upcoming tour so
that I can hear how the d:facto performs with a variety of sound systems,
monitor systems and rooms,” Damien Young adds. “I already have a DPA d:dicate
4090 Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone in my studio, which is another great
mic but I’ve not had the opportunity to use a DPA vocal mic before so this is
very exciting.”

ABOUT DPA MICROPHONES:

DPA Microphones is the leading Danish Professional
Audio manufacturer of high-quality condenser microphone solutions for
professional applications. DPA’s ultimate goal is to always provide its
customers with the absolute finest possible microphone solutions for all its
markets, which include live sound, installation, recording, theatre and
broadcast. When it comes to the design process, DPA takes no shortcuts. Nor
does the company compromise on its manufacturing process, which is done at the
DPA factory in Denmark. As a result, DPA’s products are globally praised for
their exceptional clarity and transparency, unparalleled specifications,
supreme reliability and, above all, pure, uncoloured and undistorted sound.

For more information,
please visit www.dpamicrophones.com