Setting the stage for the Super Bowl's memorable 'golden anniversary', Lady Gaga delivered a soulful, classy rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner during the pre-game segment, crooning into a Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld transmitter coupled with an MD 5235 dynamic microphone capsule. Accompanied by just a solo piano, her performance was marked by her incredible dynamic range and subtle use of cadence - captivating the emotions of millions of viewers around the world in clear and pristine audio.
"The MD 5235 capsule works with her voice really well and I don't have to get in the way of what she's doing," says Jim Corbin, monitoring engineer for Lady Gaga. "One of the things I love most about this capsule is that it picks up dynamics really well, both in the lower and higher registers. This is also true with proximity - if she is up close on the mic or farther away, it sounds very similar and I don't have to change settings. In terms of reliability, I wouldn't want to use another wireless product for an event like this."
Following an ultra-physical, first half match-up between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers, the halftime show featured headliner Coldplay, who was soon joined onstage by veteran stadium performers Bruno Mars and Beyoncé. Mars' set began with Uptown Funk - featuring collaborator Mark Ronson on the decks and a troupe of dexterous dancers adding an impressive dimension of visual energy aside a captivating vocal performance by Mars - who sang through a custom Sennheiser headmic solution.
"Bruno is probably the most involved artist I've worked with as far as the sonics are concerned," says Toby Francis, who handled FOH mixing duties for Bruno Mars during Super Bowl 50. "One of the things I love about the MD 5235 capsule is that it performs better than any other mic when the artist goes out in front of the P.A.. And these days, there is usually some element in the staging that puts the artist in front of the speakers. The MD 5235 has a tight pattern and good rejection to handle this - it also sounds more 'hi-fi' than most other dynamic microphones."
The intensity of the 12-minute halftime show increased further as Mars was joined onstage by Beyoncé, accompanied by her own legion of physically nimble, leather-clad dancers. Beyoncé unleashed her most recent single Formation - while delivering a command performance through a Sennheiser Digital 9000 wireless system with a customized gold SKM 9000 handheld transmitter and MD 9235 dynamic microphone capsule. Mars rejoined Beyoncé for the new track as the two embarked on a 'dance off' - Mars switched over from the headmic to his tried and true Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld transmitter and MD 5235 capsule combination.
Beyoncé leveraged her successful halftime show performance to announce her Formation Tour, a 40-date affair that will kick off on 27 April and which will rely on the Sennheiser Digital 9000 system to deliver authentic audio.
RF engineer James Stoffo says that Super Bowl 50 was "probably the most difficult RF environment of any of the 17 Super Bowls I've ever done." He attributes this to both the proximity to Silicon Valley, the proliferation of white-space devices and an increasingly congested UHF spectrum. "Sennheiser equipment has always been the most meticulously engineered wireless microphones on the market, so having a quality product out there for an event like this calms my nerves," he says. "Since it is a digital system, the signal is much more tolerant to interference - this is not the case with other wireless systems, which will typically pick up background RF noise on overcast days. The Digital 9000 is a solid piece of machinery and an example of where we have faith in the quality of Sennheiser products."
"Sennheiser is proud to have played an integral role in such a milestone event," concludes Byron Gaither, artist relations, Sennheiser. "For Super Bowl 50, our artist relations team worked tirelessly to ensure that Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars had the best equipment available to deliver a premium sound experience for all the fans in attendance, as well as viewers at home. We are especially pleased at the performance of our flagship Digital 9000 system, which continues to be used at high-profile events around the world."
(Jim Evans)
