LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 2008: With a performance of their hit single “Apologize” on American Idol, an extensive tour of North America and Europe to feed a growing worldwide mob of voracious fans, and the support of the music industry’s biggest players, Los Angeles five-piece OneRepublic are on fire. Apart from an obvious knack for writing catchy and emotionally-relevant songs, OneRepublic owe much of their success to an awe-inspiring live show that guarantees, not only that fans will return when the band comes through town for a second show but, that all of their friends and their friends’ friends will be in attendance too!
After 25 years on the road and a deep understanding of the pros and cons of all the various brands of live sound equipment in common use, veteran FOH engineer Martin Frey is glad to be working with a full complement of Sennheiser wired and wireless microphones, along with Sennheiser wireless personal monitors for every member of OneRepublic. Indeed, Frey owns a modest collection of vintage Sennheiser microphones including a silver 441 with clear plastic clips and a Led Zeppelin-era gray MD 421.
OneRepublic founder and lead vocalist Ryan Tedder is currently using the evolution wireless 945 microphone coupled with the EM 550 G2 receiver. On “American Idol” Ryan used the Neumann KK 105 capsule with the Sennheiser SKM 5200 transmitter, a combination that Frey has had tremendous success with before. “It’s one of most outstanding vocal package I’ve ever worked with. The Neumann capsule is obviously built in the spirit of their famous studio mics and reveals stunning detail. The superior German engineering of the Sennheiser transmitter ensures that all of that detail survives to the speakers.”
All of the backing vocals use Sennheiser evolution e 935 wired dynamic cardioids to cut through OneRepublic’s thick mix. The band’s tremendous collection of guitar amps all receive accurate and musical pickup from their equally-tremendous collection of Sennheiser e 906 flat-body, super-cardioid microphones. A Sennheiser e 914 small diaphragm condenser captures the band’s glockenspiel.
Eddie Fisher’s drum kit benefits from Sennheiser evolution 900 series wired microphones. Frey uses an e 901 boundary-layer condenser and an e 902 low-end dynamic on bass drum. A fast-transient e 905 is used on the snare, and a collection of rim-clipable e 904s deliver robust toms. An e 914 on hi-hat and some other overheads round out the kit.
Although Fisher gets part of his monitor sound from a low-frequency speaker enclosure, and guitarist Zach Filkins has a wedge near by, the entire band monitors primarily with Sennheiser wireless ew 300 IEM G2 personal monitoring systems. In fact, the band tours with eight units, three of which are used by technicians. “We’ve been tremendously happy with the Sennheiser wireless monitors,” said Frey. “They’re rock solid and completely reliable. When we can’t take our package with us, as was the case at a few recent dates in Europe, it’s nice both that they’re prevalent enough that no one ever has trouble meeting the requirements of our rider, and that we can count on any unit that lands in our hands.
“After 25 years in the business, I can see that wireless conditions are getting more and more constrained,” continued Frey. “In the major cities of Europe, as well as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, it’s increasingly difficult to find a hole in the background RF to make multiple channels work. These over-crowded RF conditions have the potential to become a serious issue on a daily basis, however with Sennheiser we always succeed no matter how nasty things get.”
As OneRepublic continues to capitalize on their success with an ambitious touring schedule, Frey has already placed orders for additional Sennheiser gear. Most recently, Tedder’s acoustic guitar has been freed from its wiry shackles by a Sennheiser wireless instrument transmitter.
SENNHEISER Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in sixty countries around the world through long-term distribution partners and subsidiaries in France, UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and the USA. Sennheiser’s technology is produced in manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland and the United States of America. Their pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Sennheiser Group is proud to be affiliated with Georg Neumann (Technical Grammy(r) award-winning studio microphones), Klein and Hummel (studio monitors) and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications that brings their award-winning technology to headsets for PCs, offices and call centers.
For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com
(PHOTO CAPTIONS) Ryan_Tedder.JPG: OneRepublic’s lead vocalist Ryan Tedder is touring with the Sennheiser evolution e 945 wireless mic, the 550 G2 dual receiver and the ever-popular ew 300 series IEMs. Martin_Frey.JPG: Martin Frey, front-of-house engineer for OneRepublic.
