The wireless thing has been an issue for a couple of years, and it has still not totally shaken out legally, but the live event audio world can count on a couple of things. A) When it comes to competing with the likes of Microsoft and Google we are going to lose, and, B) it will probably get worse before it gets better.
While legislative and legal remedies are still being pursued, we all know that in the end, the solution will have to be technological. And many approaches are being looked at. Digital transmission, alternative bandwidth, spread spectrum technology to name a few. But recently Sennheiser — a longtime leader in wireless technology — announced their current approach would be to squeeze just as many channels into the available bandwidth as possible.
We got the top of the new G3 wireless series, the ew 500. This set includes the EM 500 receiver and the SKM 500-935, the wireless version of the popular cardioid dynamic e935. The receiver is a half-rack true diversity unit that can receive on 1680 tunable frequencies so even in a tough environment you should have no problem finding an open frequency.
The bright, easy-to-read display allows you to easily toggle between receiver info which shows frequency, audio and RF levels preset EQ, output level, mute status and battery level; transmitter info which shows the type of transmitter and mic head on the other end and a “soundcheck” screen that shows RF signal quality and audio deviation with a peak hold indicator. The SKM transmitter is similarly “deep” with the ability to adjust everything from transmission frequency to EQ curve to input sensitivity. The switch for accessing these functions is positioned under a protective ring, so it can’t be accidentally hit in the heat of battle. But at the same time, the operation is not as intuitive as it might be. You toggle up and down and then push the button to choose the parameter to be adjusted or set.
We used the 500 at a pair of gigs at a difficult room on Fremont Street in Vegas. It is a feedback nightmare, with all hard surfaces, including an entire glass wall that runs the length of the club. The D.A.S. install is a good system, but it probably should have been hung a couple of feet further out from the stage. Where it is contributes to the feedback issue, and to make it all just really special, the house sound guy didn’t really know how to run the system. What fun.
We had some issues at setup. First, the “out of the box” frequency was getting hit hard by a different source. Luckily, an experienced sound guy was on hand, and he noticed what the house guy missed — that the RF meter was pegged with the transmitter switched off. We scrolled through a few frequencies and found a clear one, and then used the synch function to match the two. Problem solved.
One of the features we really liked was the ability to adjust the input sensitivity of the transmitter from 0 to -48 dB and then match it at the receiver to achieve unity gain. If you have a real shouter, you can dial the mic down and then bring the signal back up at the receiver so the console sees a unity signal. For some reason, the mic was set “out of the box” at -18 dB, which seems a bit excessive, but once you “get” the relationship between the two parameters, it gives you a great deal more flexibility.
Once we got past the “operator error” and got things working, it went almost flawlessly. But be aware that, while the 935 is listed as a cardioid in the low frequency range at around 175Hz, it actually responds more like a super cardioid with a significant lobe at the back end of the mic. In a “normal“ situation, the onboard low-cut function would probably be enough to take care of this, but in this environment, it was often on the edge of feedback. If your artist is using personal monitors and the mains are properly placed, it should not be an issue — but you need to be aware of it in less-than -optimum situations.
But in the end, it sounded as open and clear as the two other wireless mics on stage, both of which were condensers with much wider patterns and much more serious feedback issues. And on the actual wireless end, remember that Las Vegas is extremely unfriendly when it comes to RF and finding a clear frequency—even with two other wireless vocal mics, a wireless horn mic, a wireless guitar and four wireless monitor packs — was pretty simple.
All in all, Sennheiser has succeeded in putting out a pro unit at a better-than-decent price that addresses the white space issue, sounds good and is easy to learn in the right hands.
