During the 12-minute set, Bruno Mars showcased his versatility as an entertainer with a dramatic drum-solo introduction, James Brown-inspired dance moves, and an instantly recognizable soulful voice captured by Sennheiser.
Working alongside veteran production provider ATK Audiotek, Bruno Mars' production team - including monitor engineer James Berry and front-of-house engineer Derek Brener - specified Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld transmitters and MD 5235 capsules for each of the three vocalists on stage, including Bruno Mars. In addition, all of Bruno Mars' performers were equipped with Sennheiser 2000 Series wireless monitoring systems. "It was rock solid perfection, just as we expected," says Berry. "Everything just worked, and we had no problems."
Whether they are touring the world or performing at the Super Bowl, preparation is key for Bruno Mars' production team. "First, I need to have all my Sennheiser products there, because I know it's all going to work," says Berry. "We went in on Monday, checked everything and Bruno came in on Tuesday. Then we ran through rehearsals three or four times a day - everything was easy and we didn't have any problems."
"You've got to let go of the pressure in the moment," adds Brener. "We must have rehearsed upwards of ten times so we knew what we were doing and we knew that it sounded great. Thankfully, with Sennheiser, you don't have to worry about the 'What if' moments, since Sennheiser virtually never fails." Brener was grateful to have ATK Audiotek by his side as well. "They are so well prepared for the scale of this kind of production - especially on the biggest show of the year."
For Brener, the ultimate test of the audio quality is the broadcast mix itself. For this reason, Bruno Mars' team handpicked legendary record producer/engineer Brendan O'Brien to supervise this. "For a broadcast going out to nearly 120 million people, this was a really smart move," observes Brener. "He's already done a Super Bowl with Bruce Springsteen and has produced so many great records - this allowed me to concentrate on delivering a great house mix."
(Jim Evans)
