"We used evolution series e935s on all the vocals, including our guests, Lou Reed and Billy Gibbons," says Neil Heal, monitor engineer for The Raconteurs. Reed made an appearance with the band early in the show performing the 1967 Velvet Underground classic, 'White Light/White Heat'. Later, The Raconteurs were joined by ZZ Top's Gibbons for a rendition of his band's 'Cheap Sunglasses', and near the end of the broadcast, film director Jim Jarmusch, who directed The Raconteur's latest video, joined in a spirited, 'Internet Killed the Radio Star'.
According to Heal, the Sennheiser vocal mics are ideal for a band that likes a very loud stage. "With a normal stage volume of 128dB at the vocal mics, I find the 935s are fantastic in terms of clarity and feedback rejection. I tend to keep my input gains down and my outputs up so as not to pick up too much spill from cymbals, drums and guitar amps. They work really well for me, and the band loves them."
In addition to the vocal mics, Heal reports, there was also an e609 on the guitar cabinet for touring keyboard player Dean Fertita, while drummer Patrick Keeler was mic'ed with e604 on all his toms, an e602 on the kick drum, and an e902 on the snare. Bass player "Little Jack" Lawrence was the only band member on wireless personal monitor, making use of Sennheiser evolution monitors paired with Ultimate Ears earphones.
Beyonce appeared with no introduction to perform a spectacular dance number for 'Ring the Alarm', the second single off her latest album. A longtime, user of the hybrid Sennheiser / Neumann vocal mic, Beyonce continues to favour the Neumann KK 105-S capsule, but has now adopted the newer Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld. The transmitter offers a redesigned user interface, mechanics and electronics.
(Chris Henry)
