LONDON — Beyoncé’s “I Am…” world tour includes Sennheiser and Neumann wired and wireless mics, with the artist and The Mamas, her trio of backup singers, all using Sennheiser’s SKM 5200 handheld mics with MD 5325 capsules.
Beyoncé’s performing entourage also includes Suga Mama — the vocalist’s 10-piece, all-female band, plus dancers. The tour gear list includes Sennheiser wireless microphone and PM equipment, and, in a first for Beyoncé, Neumann and Sennheiser wired microphones.
Horace Ward, front-of-house engineer with Beyoncé since she began touring solo, recalls that the artist initially used the Neumann KK 104 capsule. "Then Sennheiser came out with the 5235 capsule. I tried it out and I said, ‘that’s it!’ That’s the one we’re going to use.”
Ward applies minimal EQ. “It’s pretty smooth. All I do is roll off a high-pass at 200 Hz and dip 200 Hz on the console channel about 5 dB, because she has unusual power in the low range of her voice.”
Band monitor engineer James Berry, a veteran of previous tours by Beyoncé, who also served as front-of-house engineer for her younger sister, Solange, noted that the wireless systems include 16 channels of Sennheiser’s EM 3732 receiver, with a combination of SKM 5200 wireless handheld and SK 5212 ultra-miniature bodypack transmitters.
The band, singers, dancers and production crew all make use of 19 channels of evolution wireless G2 personal monitor systems. A multi-channel Sennheiser NET 1 frequency management rig controlled from laptop computers coordinates the wireless equipment setup.
“I have my NET 1 on a wireless network, because we have a B stage,” Berry said. “I can walk a hundred feet out onto the floor and check the RF. I’ve always been the biggest fan of NET 1. But that’s old news.”
What is new on this world tour (Beyoncé’s third) are the many wired Sennheiser and Neumann microphones, which were requested by Ward and are positioned on the drums and percussion. “You use them in the studio, so why not use the highest quality mics that you can on the road, too?” asked Ward. “It’s Sennheiser all the way, except for the DIs.”
Suga Mama’s dual drummers and sole percussionist are miked using a variety of Neumann models, including small diaphragm KM 183 and KM 184 con-densers as well as large diaphragm TLM 103s. Sennheiser evolution series e 901, e 904 and e 914 wired mics are also used to capture the beat behind Beyoncé.
“The RF on the new transmitters is solid,” Berry said. “There are SK 5212s on the guitars and the horns. We’re using e 908s on the three horns. It’s kind of overkill, but the decision for going with all the 3732s and 5200s was for RF purposes.”
“We were looking for the cleanest, best sounding RF we could for this run,” said Ramon Morales, monitor engineer for Beyoncé. “That was one of the reasons we went with all the Sennheiser mics.”
Beyoncé, the band, the singers and dancers perform with a multi-tiered stage setup combined with video backdrops and multiple costume changes throughout the two-hour show.
The benefit of Sennheiser’s wireless equipment becomes apparent midway through the performance when Beyoncé flies on wires out to a smaller B stage in the audience for a rendition of “Baby Boy.” The action certainly keeps the crew on their toes. “It’s pretty intense!” said Berry.
The “I Am…” tour, in support of Beyoncé’s third studio album, “I Am… Sasha Fierce,” started in Canada in March then made a stop in Seattle before heading to Europe for over 30 shows.
The second leg included more than two-dozen shows, including two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The “I Am…” world tour then returns to Europe for shows through November, followed by dates in Japan and Australia.
Photo Credit: © 2009 Getty Images
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