Commenting on the production's decision to tour with an extensive kit of Sennheiser microphones, headsets, transmitters, and antennas instead of using the incumbent audio solution at Dubai Opera, Shelly Lee, associate sound designer for Les Miserables said, "Musicals of this calibre would tour with the majority of the equipment required for the show. This includes the Sennheiser radio mics which have for many years been an industry standard in musical theatre across the world."
Performers were equipped with compact SK 5212-II bodypack transmitters designed to be comfortable to wear and inconspicuous, so as not to undermine the meticulous detail paid to costume design. These were linked to 20 Sennheiser EM 3732-II series receivers characterized by high transmission reliability, exceptional audio quality and simple operation. Further, a wide range of Sennheiser transmitters, receivers, antenna distribution systems and headsets were used for percussion, communications and other background operations vital to the show.
One of the key concerns for any production involving such extensive use of wireless microphones is RF interference and intermodulation. To overcome this, System Sound used Sennheiser's Wireless Systems Manager (WSM) software to remotely monitor the radio microphones, update labelling, and reprogram the receivers as needed. During each performance, the team had a dedicated radio microphone technician monitoring the RF and audio quality of each microphone.
(Jim Evans)
