Audio Engineer Patrick L. Smith relies on DPA Microphones’ 4022 Compact Cardioid Microphone and d:screet 4060 Miniature Omnidirectional Microphone to capture and deliver the audio his clients have come to expect. Smith has been using DPA microphones since 1989, and used them while recording and mixing the film scores to Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing and Mo’ Better Blues, as well as during recording sessions with Wynton and Branford Marsalis at RCA/BMG Studios in New York City.
“My first experience with DPA was their d:dicate 4006 and 4007 omnis back in the late 80s,” said Smith. “I was immediately impressed. I chose DPA microphones for their exceptional quality, versatility and performance. DPA mics work on a wide variety of instruments and applications, and they are incredibly uncolored off axis and transparent throughout the frequency range compared to other microphones.”
Smith is also the former four-time Emmy® Award-nominated director of audio for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where he worked for 22 years mixing over 4,500 shows. He supervised all audio for the late-night show, which encompassed SFX editing, recording voice-overs, field recording, and post production. “On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno we needed a compact but high-quality microphone with outstanding off-axis response and DPA’s 4022 fit the bill.” Smith explains, “DPA mics yield a high fidelity sound with little or no processing (EQ, compression, etc.).”
In addition to his incredibly successful run with Jay Leno, Smith has recorded and mixed over 85 award-winning albums for Grammy-®, Emmy- and Pulitzer Prize-winning artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Curtis Mayfield, New Kids on the Block, Elvin Jones, Terence Blanchard, Ray Brown and Kenny Garrett. He has also recorded and mixed film scores for Sidney Lumet and John Singleton. His television credits include projects for FOX, NPR, ESPN, HBO, NBC, ABC, PBS, Apple ,and several documentaries for the award-winning director/producer Ken Burns. Smith is an accomplished live sound mixer who has mixed in iconic venues from Carnegie Hall to Sydney Hall. “It is a lot easier to get a natural sound in the PA that works for the broadcast mix when using DPA,” adds Smith. “You have to EQ a lot less when using DPA mics. In addition, DPA mics consistently hold up in all conditions and never fail while being doused with water or yanked on.”
Smith’s most recent projects include Little Big Shots, American Idol, and So You Think You Can Dance. He is also working on two motion pictures with producer/director Dan Pritzker, and mixing albums for Jeff Watts, Connie Han, Delfeayo Marsalis, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. “I never go into a television or music project without a DPA microphone in my arsenal,” says Smith. “I’ve been using DPA for over 25 years and have no plans to stop anytime soon.”
DPA’s 4022 Compact Cardioid Microphone has since been upgraded to a modular version, and can now be found in the d:dicate Recording Microphones series, specifically as the d:dicate 4011C Cardioid Microphone, Compact.
