Sennheiser RF Equipment Supports Super Bowl XLVI

This year Super Bowl featured Country Music's first couple, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, kicking things off with a rousing duet. At halftime, Madonna starred in a richly choreographed medley of her chart-toppers. Rock-solid Sennheiser RF equipment gave everyone involved as much peace of mind as one dare hope at this, the most critical of all mission-critical events, the company says.

With a stirring rendition of God Bless America, Lambert and Shelton gave the Super Bowl a patriotic commencement. Lambert sang into a new custom-made pink Sennheiser SKM 2000-XP handheld mic with an MMD 935-1 capsule that was created for this event. Shelton sang into a Sennheiser SKM 5200-II handheld mic with an MD 5235 capsule. "On such a high-pressure show with so many top-of-their-field experts managing such a massive logistical undertaking, one has to be adamant to get the mics you want," observed Brad Baisley, the duo's monitor engineer. "Miranda used her new pink Sennheiser microphone, and Blake the Sennheiser SKM 5200. The top end is always superb, the sound is natural, and Miranda and Blake know how to work those capsules. Of course, Sennheiser's RF has always been rock-solid for us, and that was proved once again at the Super Bowl. In addition to their great products, the assistance from Sennheiser's Tim Moore was fantastic. He was extremely helpful in ensuring we had the equipment we needed in the appropriate frequency ranges."

"Once the show starts, there's not a lot you can do if something goes wrong," said Matt Napier, Madonna's longtime monitor engineer. "The best - and really the only - thing you can do in a situation like that is to have the best equipment available and to prepare thoroughly. I trust Sennheiser in Madonna's high-stakes concerts, and that trust was rewarded with a perfect performance at the Super Bowl."

"On tour, we have our own dedicated RF tech," said Napier. "But as a general rule, we keep things simple and reliable by using Sennheiser wireless exclusively and their Wireless Systems Manager software, which is an effective tool for managing our frequencies." Madonna used the Sennheiser HSP 4 headset at the start of the medley and then switched to a Sennheiser SKM 5200-II handheld transmitter with an ME 5005 capsule for the remainder. All of Madonna's guests (Nicki Minaj, MIA, LMFAO) used Sennheiser SKM 5200-II handheld transmitters with Neumann KK 104 capsules. Cee Lo Green's mic used the MD 5235 capsule. Sennheiser EM 3732 receivers captured the on-stage magic for the wired world beyond, the company says. Finally, Sennheiser 2000 Series wireless personal monitors rounded out the equipment list for Madonna, at her request.

"No matter where we're playing, the combination of the Sennheiser SKM 5200-II transmitter, ME 5005 capsule, and EM 3732 receiver delivers fantastic audio quality and reliable, flexible RF performance," said Napier. "Together with Sennheiser's 2000 Series wireless personal monitors, we're high fidelity start to finish, with rock-solid reliability and easy frequency coordination. In addition, having the full support of Sennheiser affords me peace of mind. We needed a gold-plated SKM 5200-II transmitter for Madonna and a chrome SKM 5200-II for Cee Lo. With no time to spare, Kristy Jo Winkler and Tim Hunten, Sennheiser, and Jason Bellamy at Soundtronics arranged the delivery of these transmitters. The mics were on their way the same day. That kind of service means a lot in this industry. A big thanks goes out to the Sennheiser team!"