A Compact Cardioid Microphone directly on a viola
The VH4000 Microphone Holder is specially designed for bringing the microphone close to the violin or viola.
The holder allows several adjustment possibilities, which are important for fine tuning the timbre of the instrument in the recording.
The VH4000 is clipped on to the strings behind the bridge of the viola: On this part of the instrument it is possible to slide the holder up or down along the instrument to adjust the timbre.
Using the DPA 4021 Compact Cardioid Microphone with the VH4000 makes it possible to point the microphone directly against an area of the instrument and thereby enhance a special sound, i.e. timbre, bow sounds or finger sounds.
The DPA 4021 Compact Cardioid Microphone is furthermore under influence of the proximity effect, which can be used to enhance the low frequencies of the instrument and thereby give the recording more body.
This set-up is also excellent for live sound applications.
A Miniature Microphone directly on a viola
For live use (or home studio) the 4099V may well be the ideal solution. The 4099V has a super cardioid polar 
pattern that allows the mic to focus on the instrument and get a good isolation from the other sound sources on the stage or bad acoustics.
This also reduces the risk of feedback significantly, while keeping the rich and nuanced sound of the instrument uncolored.
However, because of its high directionality some time should be spend on finding the right placement of the mic. The position will always be a compromise trying to capture the whole instrument with a narrow pick up pattern. The clip (VC4099) included with the 4099V offers a unique solution that is both secure, highly flexible (fits also violin, mandolin & banjo) and very gentle to the instrument.
An even smaller and yet superbly sounding microphone is the miniature 4060-BM omnidirectional microphone for which a dedicated holder for string instruments has been designed.
The MHS6001 is a soft piece of rubber to place on the two outer strings (C and A string) between the bridge and the string holder. It can be placed upwards for the most natural sound or downwards for most level.