The first thing on the agenda was custom ear monitors. Although HHA had fitted Daniel with a set of Future Sonics in 2002, the singer felt he'd like to try a different ‘feel’ and commissioned a set of Ultimate Ears UE5 Ambient dual driver monitors. These earpieces feature user-changeable filters to control levels of ambience and bass response - a level of individual control that appealed.
During rehearsals in London, John Gibbon was also keen for the artist to assess different hand-held radio mics and in-ear systems to determine the best combination available for the tour. After working with a number of systems from various manufacturers, they decided on the Sennheiser SKM5000 with the Neumann K105 capsule. Daniel liked the sound of the mic but wasn't so keen on the standard nickel and silver finish, so Hand Held pulled out all the stops and got hold of two in a more muted black finish preferred by the young star.
Bedingfield is continuing with the Shure PSM600 that he is familiar with - this is supplemented with a second belt pack receiver and a remote, directional transmitter antenna.
(Ruth Rossington)
