Rome, Italy (February 28, 2023)—Swept up in the rush of entertaining thousands during a concert, many vocalists accidentally cup the mic; of course, that can drastically alter the sound of a voice—and as any sound engineer will tell you, not in a cool way. While most engineers make due with what they get from the stage, Enrico La Falce, FOH engineer for Italian glam rockers Måneskin, found a simple way to ensure lead singer Damiano David doesn’t cup his DPA d:facto 4018V vocal mic.
Måneskin broke out onto the international stage in 2021, winning Eurovision and touring the world, as well as making waves with a high-profile turn on SNL. With the December 2022 release of its latest album, Rush!, and its current European tour, the band remains on the rise, occasionally getting as much attention for its old-school heavy metal styling as its music. The band’s look leans heavily on metallic leather vests and flares, eyeliner, shimmering details and metal spikes—and that’s where the anti-cupping solution comes in.
“Damiano is moving and dancing a lot on the stage, and often ends up cupping his hand over the grille,” said La Falce of the singer’s style. “The d:facto doesn’t bring in weird sounds, but to obtain this quality, the mic must be used correctly, meaning the grille must never be covered. To avoid this, Remo Scafati [monitor engineer] and I came up with a simple idea: we put a studded bracelet on the microphone body, and when Damiano feels the studs, he knows his limit. Damiano brings this ‘punk rock mic’ with him all the time, and it has become an iconic accessory.”
The 4018V vocal mic is a still relatively new addition to Måneskin’s audio setup. “When we were planning the rehearsals with Måneskin for their first ‘big’ concerts, I met with Remo to exchange ideas regarding gear,” said La Falce. “He suggested that I test the 4018V for vocals. I have other colleagues using it as well, so I decided to give it a try. From the moment I connected the d:facto to my Sennheiser Digital SKM 6000 transmitter, I fell in love with the microphone; primarily for the sound quality, but also for being a valuable tool. Since then, Damiano’s voice has always been entrusted to DPA Microphones’ d:facto.”
La Falce has been mixing the band on a Yamaha Rivage desk, sending that lead vocal through an equalization stage at the desk, then into a UREI 1176 compressor and a Pultec EQ to sculpt the sound, and finishing with a Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Amplifier to get thickness on the voice.
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Despite the processing, he noted, “The d:facto has a nice sound that is warm and thick. I especially like it for the range of around 5,000 to 6,000 Hz. Usually, this range remains glassy and you have to play with the EQ to correct it, but the d:facto doesn’t have that problem. Plus, it presents the voice naturally. You can always add character from the console, but the d:facto provides a clean, precise translation of the voice.”
