CHICAGO IL — Two low budget videos, one produced in a backyard for just ten dollars and the other choreographed with eight treadmills and performed in a single take, have brought Chicago-based band OK Go a lot of attention over the last year. Capitalizing on their newfound public recognition, the band is currently touring the U.S. with Sennheiser Evolution Series wired and RF microphones, as well as wireless personal monitor systems. Mike Kent has been touring for the last two years as front-of-house engineer with the band, who are described as "part indie rock, part straight-up pop, with the occasional whiff of Weezer, The Cars or Elliott Smith." Backline amplification, drum and vocal microphones are all Sennheiser Evolution Series, Kent reports.
"On the kick drum I'm using the e901," he reports. "On snare, I'm using an e905, the toms: e604s and e914s on the overheads. I've got four guitar inputs. I've got three e609 Silvers and the fourth is an e902. It's a boost channel, so I need the nice low-end reaction, and that ends up working out very, very nice. I also have a 902 on the bass, as well as a DI."
A pair of wireless e500 Series vocal microphones with 945 capsules are used during an unplugged segment, he continues. "During the show we do an acoustic set where the band walks out into the crowd. We hooked it up so that the acoustic guitars are wireless, on EM 550 G2s, in addition to the two wireless mics. They just grab one mic stand – the belt packs are attached – they walk out, plant it, plug the guitars in and boom. We can do it anywhere in the venue within the throw range of the equipment."
All four band members contribute vocals onstage, using wired e945 microphones. Kent states that, for the band's appearance above Times Square on the opening night for ABC's Saturday Night Football college football coverage, "There's a mic cable plugged in, but it's not going anywhere. The cable's just for the look. The singer takes his hand off the guitar and has his hand on the mic, looking cool and swinging back and forth, and the mic comes off the stand, comes off the cable, and rolls off the edge, four stories down into Times Square! I'm shocked it didn't kill somebody.
"It landed on the grille," he continues. "The grille was bent a little bit, but I plugged it in and there was nothing wrong with it. We've been using it for two months."
Everybody in the band is also on Sennheiser's Evolution Wireless 300 Series personal monitor systems.
For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com.
