Sennheiser’s Digital 9000 in Bruno Mars Concert

Sennheiser Group announced the use of its newly launched Digital 9000 wireless system at the recent Bruno Mars and Paloma Faith concert held at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre on  April 12, 2013. The Digital 9000 is the result of the largest R&D project in the company’s history and this event marked the first time that the revolutionary system was used for a live concert in the Middle East. In addition, a number of Sennheiser’s wireless systems, microphones and in-ear monitors were used at the concert, as per the technical rider outlined by the production teams of both the performers.

Mig Cardamone, Sales and Marketing Manager at Sennheiser Middle East commented, “Bruno Mars’ appearance in Dubai has been a widely anticipated event given the singer’s immense popularity. Delta Sound, who provided the equipment rental for the show, were commissioned to ensuring the very best audio experience for the over 15,000 audience at the sold-out venue. Sennheiser equipment regularly features on the technical riders for many of the most famous artists in the world and so we suggested to Delta that they use the new Digital 9000 to showcase the new benchmark in wireless microphone audio quality, knowing that they could rely on our industry renowned reliability.”

In order to overcome specific acoustic complexities of the venue such as reverberation from nearby buildings, Delta Sound opted to equip Bruno Mars, Paloma Faith and the accompanying performers with a mix of Sennheiser’s G3 and 2000 Series in-ear monitors. Sennheiser products are widely used in concerts, events, productions and recording studios across the Middle East and rental agencies in the region are well versed with the equipment. This familiarity coupled with the use of Sennheiser’s Wireless Systems Manager (WSM), a free software download that allows the remote control and monitoring of all of their wireless systems from G3 up to the new 9000 Series enabled Delta Sound’s team of 4 audio engineers to manage the set-up with relative ease.

The culmination of a 10-year R&D effort, Sennheiser’s Digital 9000 is an all-digital wireless system that can transmit completely uncompressed audio, artifact-free and with superb dynamics. Designed for broadcasting professionals, musical theatres and high-profile live audio events, the Digital 9000 sets a new benchmark in digital wireless transmission. The system has been meticulously designed for the highest channel counts and operation in dense frequency environments. Infrared (IR) synchronization between receivers and transmitters greatly aids setting up of the system.

“Sennheiser microphones and wireless equipment feature on most international riders that we find ourselves catering for here in the UAE, as well as neighbouring GCC countries. In the rental market, working with and being able to provide such equipment makes our jobs a little easier. Never having used the 9000 series before, both Bruno Mars production and Delta Sound engineers were pleased with the capability of the versatile system,” said Robert Eatock, Delta Sound’s project and sound engineer.

“We certainly had a few challenges with getting almost 50 frequencies interference-free, sustaining the audio quality that our local audiences have become so accustomed to. Incorporating the use of WSM and the flexibility of the Sennheiser wireless systems, we were able to achieve the desired result.

With the ever increasing demand for high quality equipment to host international shows of this calibre and others like it, Delta Sound prides itself on being able to successfully fulfill these riders with the local support of Sennheiser Middle East.”

Bruno Mars’ and Paloma Faith’s appearances in Dubai were organised and promoted by Done Events. The show was attended by over 15,000 fans who were treated to spectacular vocals, stunning visual effects and exceptional audio quality.