Nashville, TN (November 22, 2019) – Sennheiser Digital 6000 Wireless systems were used by numerous artists at the recent CMA Awards, broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Early in the evening, Female Vocalist of the Year nominee Kelsea Ballerini performed “Homecoming Queen,” through a Sennheiser SKM 6000 handheld transmitter (bedazzled with dozens of black Swarovski crystals), coupled with an MD 9235 capsule.
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“She loves that microphone, and we love it too,” commented Chris Diener, front of house engineer for Kelsea Ballerini. “It is not only a great-sounding mic, but it is part of her look as well. We take it to intimate acoustic performances, to large arenas and everything in between.
We’ve been using the Sennheiser Digital 6000 now for two years. Before we began using it, we did a shoot-out among several systems. We had several wireless systems and capsules from every manufacturer, and we all settled unanimously on the Sennheiser. It was a true, triple blind listening test, and we never looked back.”
Lady Antebellum, which received a nomination for Vocal Group of the Year, performed a mashup of Halsey’s “Graveyard” along with the band’s latest single, “What If I Never Get Over You.”
Brett “Scoop” Blanden, who handles FOH and broadcast for Lady Antebellum, noted, “I feel like the off axis response of the MMD 9235 capsule is really treating us well on this stage, and that we are able to attain really good isolation of Hillary [Scott], Charles [Kelley] and Dave’s [Haywood] vocals. Hillary is singing a pretty good distance from the microphone, and we are getting a good tonal response. Meantime, Charles and Dave sing closer to the mic; it is a good fit for all of them. I’ve kept all three of them on the same capsule to encourage the natural blending of their voices and harmonic structures.” Currently, Lady Antebellum- has been using the Digital 6000 wireless system for its ‘fly dates’ overseas, as well as on award shows such as the CMAs.
Blake Shelton performed his latest chart-topping single, “God’s Country,” which also won Single of the Year. Shelton’s vocals were captured using a Sennheiser SMK 6000 handheld transmitter, coupled with an MMD 935 capsule.
“We’ve been using the Digital 6000 on the road for about three years now and the RF is unbeatable,” noted Brad Baisley, “We also love that capsule for Blake’s voice. He is on wedge monitors, and with wedges, it is a whole different ballgame to get the vocal loud enough without feedback. The MMD 935s work really well in this regard.”
In the meantime, Shelton’s drums were captured using a combination of Sennheiser evolution wired microphones, said drummer Tracy Broussard: “We use Sennheiser mics on the entire kit, and it has been fundamental to my drum sound. The mic performance provides consistency at both monitors and FOH, and I know whatever sound my drums have, they will be accurately represented in the house and in the broadcast.”
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Luke Combs picked up Male Vocalist of the Year, and also performed his hit, “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” singing through a Sennheiser SKM 6000 transmitter coupled with a Neumann KK 205 capsule and an EM 6000 receiver. Elsewhere during the evening, Pink and Brandi Carlile made special appearances, each using the SKM 6000 transmitter and EM 6000 receiver. Pink sang through a Sennheiser MD 9235 capsule, while Carlile sang through a Neumann KK 205 capsule.
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