Anastacia enjoys a perfect match with Sennheiser

September 2012 – Long-time Sennheiser user Anastacia has been on the road this summer playing a number of European festivals. Supported by Sennheiser Global Relations, the singer-songwriter wowed audiences with high-quality equipment that perfectly matched her music.

The Sennheiser equipment on the shows included a customised SKM 500-935 G3 handheld combined with an EM 500 G3 receiver for Anastacia’s vocals. Other microphones included an e 902 and e 901 on the kick drums, three e 904s on the toms, a pair of e 906s on the guitar cabinets, and two e 914s for audience mics. Four evolution wireless ew 500-935 systems were also in use for backing vocals and spares.

For monitors, ew 300 IEM G2 personal wireless monitoring systems with AC 3000 or AC 2 combiners were the order of the day, with a total of 14 bodypack receivers for artists and crew. An A 5000-CP antenna for the wireless monitoring system, one A 2003 UHF directional antenna for the backline tech IEMs and a further two A 2003 UHF antennas for the wireless mics completed the picture.

“Carrying our own Sennheiser microphones and in-ears throughout the tour was a guarantee of quality and consistency,” says front-of-house engineer Gerard Albo. “I am a big fan of the 935 capsule, I used it first in 2006 with Corinne Bailey Rae and later with Roisin Murphy, Alexis Jordan and for five years with Amy Winehouse. It has a warm low-end and detailed high frequencies, combined with excellent stage spill rejection. The combination of Sennheiser’s natural sounding wireless systems and 935 capsule is the perfect match for Anastacia’s powerful and unique voice.”

He continues, “The wired Sennheiser microphones we use on the drums and guitar also produce a really ‘fat’ sound and I am inseparable from my HD 25-II headphones. They are my choice of reference headphone for live mixing, broadcast and in the studio.”

Monitor engineer Kursten Smith has been working with Anastacia since 2008, when she was already established with the Sennheiser 935 capsule. “When I started working with her we tried a few different capsules, but ended up staying with the 935 because it just works for her,” he says. “It really complements the rich, powerful characteristics of her voice, so it makes my job easier. The combination of the EM 500 G3 receiver and SKM transmitter has rock-solid RF and superb sound quality. Very little EQing is required with the wired mics because such they deliver such high quality audio.

“Sennheiser gear is robust enough to be bumped around and still perform and I never have problems with the RF,” he adds. “In Italy there was a very full spectrum and I was able to put several channels of IEMs in between DTV-B channels. With 10 IEM systems and five radio mics spread over four frequency ranges it was a challenge to find space for all the RF, but they were rock solid.”

The artist herself is also very happy with the Sennheiser equipment. “Sennheiser microphones have been a constant in my career since I first started out. They are always solidly reliable in a forever changing industry,” says Anastacia. “Having a piece of equipment that delivers my voice in the best way possible helps me to focus more on my performance and worry less about how I sound. Sennheiser is always first on my list for equipment!”

Of course it’s not just the equipment that makes Sennheiser so popular with high profile acts. The company’s famous support comes as an integral part of the package.

“As well as the excellent quality equipment, we had fantastic support from Sennheiser’s Global Relations Manager for EMEA, Pierre Morant, which is what you need when you are touring,” says Kursten. “If there are any issues or gear enquiries, a quick email or call and we are sorted.”

Gerard agrees, saying “Once again, Kursten and I received first class support from the Global Relations Team. It’s one of the many reasons why I always look forward to using Sennheiser gear on forthcoming tours.”

You can find all the latest information on Sennheiser by visiting our website at www.sennheiser.com.au

Image captions:

Anastacia.jpg: Anastacia sings with a customised Sennheiser SKM 500-935 G3

(Photo credit: Simone Di Luca)

Gerard Albo.jpg: Gerard Albo, front of house engineer for Anastacia

Kursten Smith.jpg: Monitor engineer Kursten Smith