NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JULY 2009: The Zac Brown Band is on a steady rise. Their latest studio album, “The Foundation,” has reached Gold-certified status and its single “Chicken Fried” has attained Platinum. The country sextet imbues their live shows with good tunes, technical chops, and a charismatic performance that is building a legion of dedicated fans. To convey their well-crafted sound, the Zac Brown Band relies on Sennheiser microphones. To free up their stage show, they rely on Sennheiser wireless instrument packs. And to stay on top of their tunes, they rely on Sennheiser wireless personal monitors.
Wireless Sennheiser SKM 935/945 G2 vocal mics line the front of a Zac Brown Band set, and Sennheiser EM 550 G2 receivers capture their RF signals stage-side. “The 935 and 945 capsules cut through beautifully and lay there on top,” said Eric Roderick, the band’s FOH engineer and production manager. “And with minimal EQ – that makes me happy!”
Roderick’s opinion of the four Sennheiser e 906 guitar mics (for as many amps!) is similar. “I run them with the switches ‘in the middle’ and get nice, clean tone,” he explained. “I just hear the amp and no weirdness. With only a tiny bit of high-pass filtering, it’s off and away.” For percussion, he uses Sennheiser e 908ds for toms with Sennheiser e 614 pencil mics for overheads, ride, and hi-hat. A Sennheiser e 902 low-frequency mic covers the djembe hand drum.
Recently, the Zac Brown Band went completely wireless on stage. All the guitars, the bass, and even the mandolin use Sennheiser ew 372 G2 wireless body-packs and receivers to free things up. “The mandolin output requires a balanced tip-ring-sleeve connection, so at first we thought we were out of luck,” said Roderick. “But Sennheiser came through. They sent Doug Reed, Tour Supply’s manager of sales and artist relations, who made us a custom interconnect! And that’s not the only time they’ve given us direct and timely support. Tim Moore, Sennheiser’s artist relations manager, comes to the shows and makes things happen immediately. When a piece we needed couldn’t be shipped in time, someone from Sennheiser showed up at our next gig with it in hand!”
In all, the Zac Brown Band runs eighteen wireless channels, including six Sennheiser ew 300 G2 wireless personal monitors. “We’re often playing opening slots, and we don’t always have a lot of time to set up,” said Roderick. “So we’re glad to have Sennheiser’s NET 1 configuration interface. We just flip everything on and do a quick scan. The NET 1 takes care of everything, and we can go on with confidence!”
ABOUT SENNHEISER ELECTRONIC CORPORATION 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 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Sennheiser’s 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.
For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com
PHOTO CAPTIONS PHOTO 1: Zac Brown performs with his Sennheiser SKM 935/945 G2 vocal mic and ew 300 G2 wireless personal monitors. PHOTO 2: The band’s FOH engineer and production manager Eric Roderick (left) with monitor engineer, Jake Bartol.
