Press

 

28.02.2002 - Los Angeles, California

Sennheiser, Neumann and Innova SON at the 44th Grammy Award

In and Out of the Spotlight: Sennheiser and Neumann Mics on Stage and Innova SON Console off Stage at 44th Grammy Awards Ceremony.

There was something for everyone at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, the music industry's ultimate superstar showcase. Held at the sprawling Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, the awards ceremony was broadcast to an audience of 1.5 billion viewers in 175 countries around the world – all of whom were treated to memorable live performances by artists who spanned the generations. As the stars strutted their stuff on stage a collection of Sennheiser and Neumann microphones either starred or shared the billing in just about every live performance. An Innova SON Grand Live all-digital console tied the whole system together at FOH, making its presence felt through stellar sound and a gaff-free performance.

Not quite visible (as it was designed to be) was the new subminiature Sennheiser SK 5012 body pack on the back of the evening's big winner 21 year-old R&B sensation, Alicia Keys. With five Grammys in categories ranging from Best New Artist to Best R&B Album to Song of the Year for her hit, "Fallin," Keys sang and tango-danced her way into the hearts of viewers with SK 5012's steadfast transmission.

While the twenty-somethings in the crowd were buzzing about Keys, one of the all-time Grammy favorites, Tony Bennett, gave the audio community a jolt, during his duet with Billy Joel, with the first on stage use of the wireless hybrid mic that's destined to change the status quo for live performance. Although audience members and television viewers may have only noticed the sterling sound, the mic that Tony sang "New York State of Mind" into was a sneak preview of the microphone no one knows exactly what to call but everyone wants to hear and use – the new Neumann/Sennheiser wireless hybrid. Combining Sennheiser's top-of-the-line 5000 Series wireless transmitter and Neumann's celebrated KMS 105 live performance condenser capsule, this new combo mic embodies the best of both worlds: world-class Sennheiser RF performance teamed with Neumann's famed studio sound for the stage. Based on its pedigree and flawless integration, the new hybrid wireless is poised to bring wireless performance to a much higher level. The unit will be formally introduced (and named) at AES 2002 in Munich.


Tony Bennett previews the Neumann/Sennheiser hybrid wireless mic (KMS 105 capsule and Sennheiser 5000 Series transmitter) in duet with Billy Joel at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards

The enthusiastic audience was then treated to another show-stopping performance when the Dave Matthews Band played their current hit, "The Space Between" with Dave using the same mic he is presently using on tour – the Neumann KMS 105. Another industry legend, Bob Dylan, took his favorite Neumann KMS 150 onto a dimly lit stage to perform "Cry A While," a song from his Grammy-nominated, 27th studio album, "Love and Theft."

Being ultra hip contributes to a Grammy nominee's performance, and being consistent with her ultra-hip style, Mary J. Blige combined great sound with style by displaying a custom gold-plated Evolution Wireless EW 565 to match her suit. A recent convert to Sennheiser's popular Evolution Wireless mic systems, Mary J. Blige and her FOH engineer Vish Wadi, delight in the 565's faithful reproduction of her soulful voice and its reliable on-stage performance.


At the recent Grammy Awards, Mary J. Blige combined great sound with style by displaying a custom gold-plated Evolution Wireless EW 565 to match her suit

The E 602, a workhorse mic that's seldom seen on camera and rarely basks in the limelight deserves recognition. Fourteen Grammy drum kits used during the fourteen live performances had Sennheiser Evolution E 602 mics on kick drums for that Evolution-punc hy, well-defined, bass drum sound. The Evolution 602 is becoming "the standard kick drum mic" across many genres of the musical spectrum.

On this night not forgiving of errors or imperfection, Michael Stewart of ATK (AudioTek) Corp. successfully piloted the Innova SON Grand Live Digital Console. With the focus squarely on the stars and their performances, the house sound system had to be completely transparent. With a premium placed on real estate, the FOH position had to restrict its footprint as much as possible. The Recording Academy hired ATK based on their professionalism and history of success with other high-stakes, live broadcasts. ATK brought their Innova SON Grand Live based on its proven track record and its perfect blend of features, functionality, and compact size.


Michael Stewart, ATK (Audiotek) Corp., with the Innova SON Grand Live Digital Console at the 44th Annual Grammy Award Show.

The Innova SON Grand Live served as the final production console, tying together all of the podium microphones, the handheld presenter microphones, presenter lavaliers, remote audio playback, and the music submixes for the house sound system. The console's many outputs fed eight zones with individually adjusted equalization, dynamics, and delays for optimal reinforcement.

"Having equalization and delays on every output coupled with dynamics and equalization on every input channel complemented the Grand Live's already small footprint by reducing the need for outboard gear," noted Andrew 'Fletch' Fletcher, freelance engineer and FOH technician at the Grammys. "Compression was especially important on the podium microphone since just about every winner screamed into it during their acceptance speech. High headroom on the front end coupled with smooth compression kept the system from breaking up!"

Comprehensive routing and plenty of ins and outs facilitated the FOH team's task. A lightweight, two coaxial cable stage box simplified the setup. Although Innova SON consoles are frequently chosen for their total recallability (down to processing parameters and routing), the Grammys proved too shifty for such preparation. Stewart ran the show manually to keep up with unpredictable changes in plan.

Sennheiser Electronic Corporation, USA


1 Enterprise Drive, Old Lyme, CT 06371
(860) 434-9190, Fax (860) 434-1759

Contacts:
Karl Winkler, Director, Marketing Communications
kwinkler@sennheiserusa.com, (860) 434-9190

Antoinette Flosi, Publicity
tflosi@aadvert.com, (847) 998-0600