Car game sounds captured with DPA mics

The sound designers at Codemasters selected a variety of DPA Microphones to capture the symphony of harmonics, squeaks, knocks and wind noise that hit your ears when a racing car speeds by for their latest game, Grid:Autosport.

Among the microphones used were various products from DPA’s d:dicate recording microphone range. These included a d’dicate 4011 ER – a cardioid capsule mounted on a cable preamp for the smallest footprint and excellent SPL handling. Also used was a d:dicate 4018 capsule, which provided a super-cardioid polar pattern when needed. The d:dicate line up was completed with a 4007A Omni, which features an incredibly low noise floor and handles very high SPL (155dB peak) before clipping. With a frequency response of 20 Hz to 40 kHz (±2 dB), this microphone is perfect for recording noisy drive-by’s and stationary engine sounds, or sounds from within the cockpit.

To capture the sound in and around the body of the cars, Codemasters used DPA d:screet SC4062 miniature mics, which offer low sensitivity and can handle higher sound pressure levels. World-renowned for their crystal clear capture of the sound source, their kevlar-reinforced cables aid in the mic’s durability for this type of recording situation, while their size allows for creative placement in and around the body of the car. This type of placement allowed Codemasters to get a true representation of how the cars sound to both the driver, and from external viewpoints.

Codemasters has included DPA Microphones and DPA’s UK distributor, Sound Network, which supplied the microphones, in the Grid: Autosport game as decals that can be applied to a favourite car.