DPA 4017-R Shotgun Microphone with Rycote Windshield

This condenser microphone capsule is part of the flexible d:dicate™ Recording Microphones Series. It is equipped with a highly-directional hypercardioid pickup pattern; obtained using a supercardioid design with an interference tube that provides excellent off-axis rejection.

The d:dicate™ Shotgun Mic Capsule is immune to RF emission and the 19 mm (0.75 in) condenser cartridge is capable of handling peak SPLs of 152 dB before clipping. It withstands use in very humid environments with ease. It delivers clear sound even when used in very hot or cold areas of the world such as the desert and the arctic.



Extensive research and development has been undertaken to optimize the sound coming from the sides and back of the microphone. One of the key accomplishments is that we have minimized the often un-linear response of a shotgun microphone due to its side lobes. The condenser capsule uses a high voltage pre-polarized back plate, endowing the shotgun with high output as well as wide dynamics, extremely low noise and distortion specifications. The sound coming from the sides and back of a shotgun often sounds unnatural but DPA has managed to make these additions to sound natural as well – just damped.

The capsule, combined with the MMP-B Mic Preamp, Low Cut and High Boost, is a short and exceptionally lightweight shotgun microphone with impressive accuracy and  clarity.

All DPA mics, from the smallest miniatures to this shotgun, feature the same sonic character. This makes it easy to use a mix of hidden miniature mics and boom mics, while a minimum of workload in postproduction. This common sonic character means that you have the same timbre, independently, whether the sound is best recorded via a miniature mic or a boom, plan mic or any other DPA mic you choose to use.

Combine with the preamp of your choice

At any time, and with no tools needed, it is possible to transform this solution into a new configuration.

The MMP-A Microphone Preamp is an ultra-transparent, transformerless preamp with active drive for impedance balancing. The MMP-C Compact Microphone Preamp is an ultra-compact preamp with active drive for impedance balancing. It has a slightly softer character than the other preamps in the d:dicate™ Microphones Series.

Other preamps include the very small form factor types MMP-E Modular Active Cable (XLR output) and MMP-G Modular Active Cable (MicroDot output), allowing for very slim set-ups. The MMP-G even allows you to match a larger microphone directly to a wireless transmitter.

d:dicate™ 4017B Shotgun Microphone

At just 210 mm (8.3 in) and 68 g (2.4 oz), this mic is one of the shortest and lightest shotgun condenser microphones available. At the same time, it offers impressive accuracy, clarity and musicality. The mic is immune to RF emission and the 19 mm (0.75 in) condenser cartridge is capable of handling peak SPLs of 152 dB before clipping. It also withstands use in very humid environments with ease.

The d:dicate™ 4017B Shotgun Microphone features two onboard filters. They are activated via an ingenious switching ring design. With a simple twist of two sturdy rings, engineers can implement a high-frequency boost that adds a 4 dB shelf at 8 kHz. This compensates for hi loss when used with windjammers. A first-order bass roll-off below 120 Hz minimizes handling and wind noise. A permanent third-order high-pass filter at 50 Hz effectively removes unwanted low frequency disturbance from handling and wind noise.

This solution is also available with Rycote® Windshield and suspension system – a fully-packed and ready-to-go solution.

A bit about supercardioids

A supercardioid microphone is similar to a cardioid – it is most sensitive to sound coming in at the front and is least sensitive at the back. Supercardioid mics tend to have a much narrower angle of sensitivity  (and hypercardioids even narrower) – making them even more focused than a “normal” cardioid mic. The off-axis sound will normally be more or less colored and damped – and, due to the narrow angle of focus, the area of damped sound is increased significantly. The unique DPA capsule technique however skips the colorization of the sound coming from the sides or the rear of the mic and just reduces the sensitivity to these angles and thereby offers perfect sound stages. The amount of damping depends on the exact specifications of the mic.

Due to their nature, supercardioid mics are often used on the live stage – both during concerts as well as spoken-word events, to capture the focused sound of an instrument or voice. The narrow angle of sensitivity helps to minimize the bleed from other sounds on a busy stage. One thing to note with supercardioid mics is the proximity effect, which causes an increase in bass response the closer the microphone is moved to the sound source. In addition, supercardioid mics are far more sensitive to wind, pop and handling noises than omni mics, so be sure to take precautions to guard against this.