Press

22.08.2008 - Wedemark

Solotech Takes No Chances with Sennheiser and Neumann on Céline Dion´s Worldwide Tour

Céline Dion is on a year-long world tour following an outstandingly successful residency of nearly four years at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas with her extravaganza, “A New Day.” The current “Taking Chances Tour,” which began on Valentine’s Day 2008 in South Africa, reached its final leg in North America on August 12th. By the tour’s completion it will have encompassed 120 shows in over eighty cities on five continents, before winding up in Florida on January 30, 2009. Dion and her crew have long relied on Sennheiser wireless microphones and personal monitoring systems, as well as Neumann microphones. The Taking Chances Tour is no exception, with dozens of channels of Sennheiser RF equipment, courtesy of the singer’s exclusive sound, video and lighting provider, Solotech, accompanying her on the global jaunt.

Running across more than 60 frequencies over 24 countries and 84 cities, Céline Dion’s “Taking Chances” world tour is a testament to Sennheiser’s wireless technology expertise. Céline performs some of her biggest hits and new releases using the Neumann KK 105 S capsule with the Sennheiser SKM 5200 transmitter. (Photo Credit: © Gérard Schachmes)

“The fact that we are traveling almost everywhere on the planet with the wireless microphones means that the system has to be really flexible in the choices of the carriers frequencies,” explains Dion’s front-of-house engineer, François “Frankie” Desjardins. “Sennheiser has been a pioneer in that domain and it is one of the main reasons we are using them. We use Sennheiser wireless microphones and belt packs, along with other wireless equipment, because of the flexibility of the system and the great variety of mic capsules.”   Sennheiser and Neumann also have sterling reputations for their wired products, he adds. “We have been using various Sennheiser and Neumann microphones for a very long time. The great sounding reputation of Neumann for their products is not new. With the evolution series, Sennheiser started to produce great sounding and really reliable microphones for a small price. Today, even if we have the choice, we almost exclusively use Sennheiser and Neumann wired mics. We can always find a microphone that will do the right job in the extensive list of product from both companies.” Although the audio crew — which on this tour includes monitor engineer Charles Ethier, RF engineer Marc Thériault and audio system engineer Mario St-Onge, in addition to Desjardins

— makes its recommendation regarding the main vocal mic, says the singer’s current FOH engineer: “She has the last word on the choice of capsule. On this tour, she is using a Neumann KK 105 S mounted on a Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld transmitter. The background vocal microphones are Sennheiser MD 5235 capsules mounted on SKM 5200 handhelds.”

The Taking Chances Tour is carrying an extensive catalog of Sennheiser RF equipment that must operate reliably anywhere in the world. The numbers are impressive. The tour’s microphones include ten SKM 5200 handheld transmit-ters with a choice of cardioid and super-cardioid capsules. There are 20 EM 3732 true-diversity twin receivers; 36
EK 300 IEM G2 bodypack receivers; 24 ultra-compact SK 5212 bodypack transmitters; and 12 rack-mount SR 350 IEM G2 twin transmitters, plus a variety of antennas, splitters and combiners. The wireless equipment is monitored and coordinated remotely via four NET 1 systems.
 

Sennheiser is the first choice for the Taking Chances Tour because of the breadth of the product range and quality of the company’s equipment. Marc Thériault, audio RF/electrical engineer, says, “We get super technical support. Sennheiser is always prepared to go the extra mile to accommodate the specific needs of Céline Dion’s elaborate stage presentation, which places extra demands on the equipment. I can talk with a Sennheiser engineer and do some customization for the way that we use it. That’s very important for this tour.”
 

Other microphones include Neumann KM 184 and KM 150 condensers, evolution series
e 902, e 906, e 835 and e 835 S dynamics, e 914 condensers, plus four each of the MKH 40 and MKH 60 shotguns. “The MKH series is used to pick up the audience reactions,” explains Desjardins.
 

The production crew uses a number of Sennheiser HMD 25 boom headsets. “The HMD 25s are used primarily by the backline people to communicate on the ‘party line.’ Those are modified by Sennheiser Canada. They have a magnetic switch in the boom so when the boom is up the mic is off. The speakers are the ones found in the HD 25,” elaborates Desjardins. “The people have an SK 5212 transmitter to talk and an EK 300 to listen to their respective mix during the show so they can be fast to troubleshoot a problem. Some other HMD 25s are used as a standard intercom system by the stage manager and lighting director.”
 

The Taking Chances Tour, featuring a seven-piece band, three background singers and eight dancers, is promoting “Taking Chances,” Dion’s latest English language full-length release. The show, which has broken records for the speed and quantity of ticket sales around the world, is presented in a variety of formats, including in the round, according to each venue configura-tion. In Dion’s hometown, Montréal, Canada, her initial dates sold out in minutes and the run will now extend to eight performances to 160,000 people.
 

The Sennheiser Group, with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. The family-owned company, which was established in 1945, recorded sales of over €395 million in 2007, 83% of which were generated abroad. Sennheiser employs almost 2,000 people worldwide, around 55% of whom are in Germany. Sennheiser has manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA and is represented worldwide by subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as by long-term trading partners in many other countries. Also part of the Sennheiser Group are Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin (studio microphones), K + H Vertriebs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (Klein + Hummel studio monitors, installed sound) and the joint venture Senn-heiser Communications A/S (headsets for PCs, offices and call centers).

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