• Picks up the clear, true sound of the kick drum
• Flat frequency response so you can shape the sound your way
• Built tough to withstand rough use on the live stage
• Asymmetric design for easy placement inside or outside

What makes the 4055 stand out from the competition is that it delivers the renowned DPA sound, clarity and linear frequency response, both on axis and off axis. Its low frequency response and dynamics are superb and result in a tight, natural, well-defined sound - the best low-end with detailed mids and highs.

The 4055 is one of the only kick drum mics that is not sonically pre-tailored to fit a traditional sound in a specific genre. Its performance allows a professional sound designer to create the exact sound s/he is listening for - regardless of the music genre. Want more attack? Slide the 4055 into the bass drum and point it directly at the beater. For a super-low-end sound, place the 4055 at the hole, just on the outside of the front head. Here, the level of sub and lows are represented the most.

Not only does the position inside or outside the kick drum give you different sounds but working with the angles of the microphone just outside the hole will deliver nuances of the drum sound. No matter what sound preference you have, the 4055 captures the true sound of a kick drum, whether it is used in classic, jazz, rock or any other genre.

The 4055 is placed in a large, robust housing and there is wind damping foam just in front of the capsule, behind the grille. A specially-designed shock mount also suspends the capsule inside the housing to avoid vibrations from the stage. The shock mount together with the extra wind damping ensures that the 4055 captures only the source.

The 4055 is easy to position, both inside and outside the drum. Its unique asymmetric design makes it quite easy to place the mic through the drum hole without ripping the front resonator skin.

CARTRIDGE TYPE

The capsule is like most other DPA mics, a PRE-POLARIZED CONDENSER microphone. Most traditional kick drum mics are dynamic.

There is a misconception in the industry that only dynamic microphones can handle loud SPL, but this is not true. With the technology used in DPA mics, we can easily handle the sound in front of a kick drum, even though we have measured more than 156 dB SPL (when kicked very hard).

DYNAMIC microphones

• Built like an inverted loudspeaker with a diaphragm fixed to a coil, moving over a magnet.

PROs

• Low cost
• Simple construction
• Low noise (often)

CONs

• Heavy construction » less precision » less high-frequency information

CONDENSER microphones

Built with a conductive diaphragm stretched over, but not touching, a charged backplate.

PROs

• High level of details
• Wide frequency range
• Narrow tolerance

CONs

• Higher price
• Relies on power

POLAR PATTERN

After testing several different characteristics, we found that the optimal pattern for this type of mic is an OPEN CARDIOID. This is a new characteristic for DPA, placing the pick-up pattern between a cardioid and wide cardioid. Although most mics used on the kick drum exhibit a cardioid pick-up pattern, during our blind test of several characteristics, we found that the wider pickup pattern offered the best sound.

(NO) FEEDBACK

The 4055 has fewer issues with feedback than other traditional kick drum mics. During development, we tested the mic at a large concert venue and had stage monitors, drum fills and front of house PA playing extremely loud (> 130 dB SPL). We tried to drive the mic into feedback, but we never heard any (but things started to fall from the ceiling that hadn’t seen daylight for years).