Sennheiser Digital 9000 Wireless System Shines CMA 2016 posted: 24/11/2016
At the 50th Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, held at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on November 2, Beyonc gracefully crossed over into the world of country music, delivering the marquee performance of the night while being supported by Sennheiser's Digital 9000 wireless microphone system.
n a harmony-filled performance of Daddy Lessons' that saw the pop superstar joined onstage alongside Dixie Chicks, Beyonc once again demonstrated her incredible versatility as an artist before a capacity crowd of approximately 20,000 country music fans and 12.6 million viewers across the country. The occasion marked Beyonc 's first appearance on the CMA Award stage, featuring flawless audio quality from Sennheiser's flagship Digital 9000 wireless system.
The 50th Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards were held at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on November 2
It was our first time with Beyonc on the CMA Awards, and it was thrilling to have her perform with Dixie Chicks amidst the advanced technology we brought into the picture - particularly the Digital 9000, said James Berry, Monitor Engineer for Beyonc . What we really love about that system is the consistency and sound quality. There is nothing in the world like it, and it sounds like there is a cable on the other end of that mic.
Beyonc and Natalie Mains of the Dixie Chicks performed with Digital 9000
Having toured extensively over the last year with the system, Beyonc s production team have become intimately familiar with the Digital 9000, and Berry has also been pleased with the results as well as with the support he is getting from Sennheiser. Beyonc has since purchased her own Digital 9000 system, so the crew can achieve greater predictability while on the road: There are a lot of places we play that don't have top quality wireless, and it made the most sense for us to go out and buy one.
Digital 9000: perfect sound across the board
As a last minute creative decision for the performance, we decided to put Natalie [Mains] of the Dixie Chicks on a wireless as well and opted to put her on the Digital 9000, said Stephen Curtin, FOH Engineer for Beyonc . Everybody was happy with the decision and immediately impressed with the results.
Of the eight available channels on the Digital 9000 receiver, two were reserved for Beyonc (one as a backup channel), who sang through her SKM 9000 handheld transmitter and MD 9235 dynamic microphone capsule. Meantime, Dixie Chicks' Natalie Mains also sang through an SKM 9000/MD 9235 combination. Other channels were used for a marching drum and harmonica. Berry notes that it was the first time they had used the Digital 9000 on stage instruments, and he was impressed with the results: It gave the harmonica that true warm feeling that you don't normally get while using wireless systems. This was also true with the marching drum, where it captured all the dynamics you would expect.
The FOH position at the CMA Awards
Of course, the primary task and expectation of the Digital 9000 is to capture every nuance of Beyonc 's incredible vocal capabilities, says Stephen Curtin: The overall presence of the 9000 is great. She can be singing extremely quiet, yet you still get the same great sound out of the system as when she is really belting it out. It does a fabulous job of capturing the dynamics.
Because the system has such a vast dynamic range, it helps at FOH and broadcast, because you don't have to do as much with it. You have this full spectrum of frequencies to work with, whereas before on a lot of other wireless equipment, you have to add and take out elements in different frequencies, he adds.
The CMA Awards: a tradition of high expectations
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, hosting the awards ceremony for the ninth time, once again used Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld transmitters coupled with Neumann KK 104 and KK 105 cardioid and super-cardioid condenser capsules as host microphones for the duration of the evening. Two Neumann TLM 49 large-diaphragm condenser microphones were also used throughout the evening for both live and pre-recorded announcer voice-overs.
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees The Oak Ridge Boys, relying on Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld transmitter and MD 5235 capsule combinations, were joined by Brad Paisley onstage for an impromptu acoustic performance of the country classic Elvira'. Other performers singing through Sennheiser and Neumann over the course of the evening included Carrie Underwood, whose backing vocals were crooned through a Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld wireless transmitter coupled with an MD 5235 capsule, and Reba McEntire, whose band performed a 9-5' tribute to Dolly Parton singing through Neumann KK 104 capsules.
It was exciting to see Sennheiser and Neumann so well represented once again at the CMA Awards, particularly across such a diverse range of performers, commented Byron Gaither, Artist Relations for Sennheiser. The reliability and sonic attributes of the equipment - from the Sennheiser Digital 9000 to the Neumann TLM 49 and everything in between - delivered the pristine quality that both our artists and music fans expect night after night.
In an evening that demanded nothing less than perfection for country music's biggest night, the Sennheiser Digital 9000 also delivered. We were pleased with everything and Beyonc was super happy after the performance, concludes James Berry. The Digital 9000 raised a lot of eyebrows, and some of the guest engineers were very interested in the system and kept asking us about it.
About Sennheiser
Audio specialist Sennheiser is one of the world's leading manufacturers of headphones, microphones and wireless transmission systems. Based in W
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
Latino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 ...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
Sennheiser Digital 9000 Wireless System Shines CMA 2016 posted: 24/11/2016 
