P!NK performs at the 56th annual GRAMMY Awards, singing through a customised Sennheiser headset (Photo credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage/getty images) Perhaps the most dramatic performance during the evening was from P!NK, whose flawless vocal performance was only matched by her breathtaking mid-air acrobatics before a live audience of nearly 20,000. For the duration of her aerial segment, she used a custom earpiece with an integrated boom microphone built to specification by Sennheiser – the result of a highly collaborative project that helped her engineers achieve all the technical aspects required by the performance.
“There is so much physicality in P!NK’s show with her spinning and flying around that we needed a reliable microphone and IEM that sounded great and would be as unobtrusive as possible,” commented Jon Lewis, monitor engineer for P!NK. “So Sennheiser worked with our engineer Horst Hartmann to create a custom design and integrate the microphone with the earpiece, providing both stability and stellar audio. The earpiece features a single driver which provides plenty of definition without any significant ear fatigue.” The microphone features a Sennheiser HSP 4 capsule with a cardioid polar pattern.
“Because of the circus aspect of P!NK’s performance, she is in a totally different environment at any given time,” Lewis continued. “Whether she is being flung in the middle of the air in front of the PA or in the middle of the stage, it is reassuring to know that she has a reliable microphone and an IEM that is her primary reference throughout the show.” Following the aerial performance, P!NK switched to a Sennheiser SKM 2000 transmitter coupled with a custom MD 9235 capsule.
Delivering on a promise of reliability, versatility and performance
Dave Bellamy, RF Coordinator of the 56th GRAMMY Awards, used several channels of Sennheiser wireless during the performances Dave Bellamy, who already has 16 GRAMMY Award events under his belt, handled the on-site RF coordination, deploying a total of 22 channels of Sennheiser wireless during the show including the units used by P!NK: “We used a Phoenix 8 antenna system with 10 arrays, put in place specifically to handle the in-air acrobatics,” he says. “The only thing I need to be concerned with was the effect of the costume and body on her transmitter. In this application, the Sennheiser SK 5212 propagates extremely well and is very compact in size. It isn‘t affected as much when being used on the body as other transmitters and I like that.”
On the receiving side of the signal, Bellamy had several Sennheiser EM 3732-IIs, which he says is a robust, reliable receiver. ”I like the way we can change frequency ranges to about anywhere we want to go,” he observes. “I am using channels 62 and 67 because of the high number of RF devices in the show – these are the only receivers that will hit these upper range frequencies on the market, and I really need them.”
In addition to the wireless channels used for performances, Bellamy also utilized two channels for LL Cool J, who presented through a Sennheiser SKM 5200 transmitter coupled with an MD 5235 dynamic microphone, as well as an SK 5212-II bodypack transmitter. “The bodypack transmitter is working just as good as the handheld transmitter,“ says Bellamy. “Having this level of predictability means I can sleep at night!”
Several Sennheiser MKH 416 shotgun mics and Neumann KM 184 condenser microphones were used to capture sounds of the audience, and were later mixed with performances, providing millions of music fans the next best thing to being there. “We use the MKH 416s on the front line, and the KM 184s as surround mics,” explains Tom Holmes, production mixer for the GRAMMY Awards. “We always use these microphones because they sound great and don’t get in the way of the show. Our ultimate goal is to have listeners at home feel like they are in the same environment.“
Support where and when it is needed
During such a high-profile event as the GRAMMY Awards, or while on tour in just about any location around the world, Lewis and the rest of his team depend on Sennheiser’s unwavering support, which is delivered personably and consistently at a global level. “We’ve got such a great relationship with Sennheiser, it is like having a close friend you can always call on wherever you go,” says Lewis. “You always know there is going to be somebody to support you, no matter what territory you are in: Australia, Europe, North America or anywhere else. For those of us who spend their lives on the road, it’s really nice to have a friendship like that.“
“We look at this as a support operation,“ says Tim Moore, artist relations, Sennheiser USA. “Many people rely on our gear from production rental houses, mix engineers, RF coordinators and of course artists. As a truly global organisation, Sennheiser is able to respond quickly to any of our customers’ needs, no matter where they occur in the world – including at high-profile events such as the GRAMMY Awards.”
Wedemark(독일, 하노버 인근에 위치)에 본사를 두고 있는 Sennheiser Group은 전세계의 마이크로폰, 헤드폰, 무선 통신 시스템을 선도하는 기업입니다. 1945년에 설립되어, 2011년에는 약 5억 3,100만 유로의 매출을 달성하는 기업으로 성장하였습니다. Sennheiser는 전세계에 2,100명 이상의 직원이 있으며, 독일, 아일랜드와 미국에 생산 공장을 가지고 있습니다. 또한, 프랑스, 영국, 벨기에, 네덜란드, 스위스, 리히텐슈타인, 독일, 덴마크, 러시아, 홍콩, 인도, 싱가포르, 일본, 중국, 캐나다, 멕시코 및 미국의 자회사를 비롯하여 다른 여러 나라에도 오랜 고객사가 있어 전세계로 활동을 펼치고 있습니다. 이 뿐만 아니라, Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin(스튜디오용 마이크 및 모니터링 스피커 제조), Sennheiser Communications A/S (PC 및 사무실용, 콜센터용 헤드셋 제조)는 모두 Sennheiser Group의 계열사입니다.
Professional Systems
Tel: +49 5130 600 275
