SENNHEISER INTRODUCES A NEW ERA IN DIGITAL WIRELESS AT 52ND ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

15/06/2017

For the Backstreet Boys' team, the ACMAs were the first live performance with the wireless system that will accompany them on their upcoming tour dates and Las Vegas residency. The Backstreet Boys' front-of-house engineer James McCullagh was introduced to the Digital 6000 series at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) convention this January and identified it as an appealing choice for their upcoming shows. I'm a huge fan of Sennheiser's 5000 series wireless system and was very interested in upgrading to their newest digital wireless system, he says. The Digital 6000 seemed like an ideal choice for what we're doing, especially at the Vegas shows where we keep our signal all-digital throughout.

Working with Sound Image, who generously supplied three EM 6000 receivers plus an L 6000 rack-mountable charging unit for the show, McCullagh was able to experience the EM 6000 in action for the first time. The sonic quality is amazing, and the stability of the frequencies is second to none, McCullagh says.

McCullagh and the band chose to acquire SKM 9000 transmitters to ensure maximum compatibility with both Digital 6000 and Digital 9000 systems wherever they may travel. With that decided, the MD 9235 capsule was the ideal complement for their application. For live shows it's easiest to have all the boys using the same capsule, McCullagh says. We had tested six different capsule and transmitter pairs a while back and both the monitor engineer and I agreed that the Sennheiser 5235 was the best at that time, and since the 9235 is really a step up from that it was the obvious choice. It's extremely transparent and really handles any voice well.

But the sonic signature of the capsule was not the only selling point for McCullagh. In addition to sounding great on the boys' voices, they also have excellent off-axis rejection, he says. This is really important with five lead vocalists who are switching between singing and interacting with a crowd full of screaming fans and sometimes moving in front of the PA. It also ensures a great signal-to-noise ratio regardless of what EQ or compression may be applied by the broadcast engineer.

Commenting on the L 6000 charging unit, McCullagh says: The rackable battery charger is awesome. Having the ability to charge the batteries right in the rack is a killer feature, especially on tour.

Digital Revolution RF wireless specialist Corey Dodd of Soundtronics helped set up the RF environment at the T-Mobile Arena and make sure clean signal transmission was delivered throughout the show. He was pleased with the performance of the EM 6000 receivers and SKM 9000 transmitters used by Lady Antebellum and the Backstreet Boys. The new EM 6000s are great for our company because of the frequency diversity, he says. They are so broad that you can put each pair anywhere you want and they will work perfectly. Dodd also appreciated the modularity of having the six wireless channels split amongst three two-channel EM 6000 receivers. In a broadcast environment like the ACMAs, we tune to TV channels, and being able to assign the individual receivers to different TV channels rather than being forced to squeeze all your mics into a single frequency band is great.

Dodd also praised the functionality of the EM 6000 receivers: They're really easy to work with. I also love how Sennheiser's Wireless Systems Manager software allows me to remotely monitor exactly what the receiver is seeing from hundreds of feet away. The signal strength was great, it sounded great, and there were no problems with dropouts or anything.

Performance When It Counts Jeff Peterson of ATK Audiotek was the front-of-house engineer for the event and was pleased with the performance of the Digital 6000 in its inaugural outing as well. There were a couple of artists who wanted to bring their 9000 transmitters for the show, so it was helpful that the EM 6000 receivers made that possible, Peterson says. The receivers were in use for Lady Antebellum's set as well, who also utilized the SKM 9000 transmitter and MD 9235 capsule combination. Peterson was happy with the sound quality of the sound signals he was getting from Sennheiser's digital wireless system. The clarity was definitely noticeable, he says. The system has more high-end than analog transmission microphones, which can be helpful for the broadcast team at a show like this.

The capsule choice also provided Peterson with reliably smooth audio. The 9235 capsules consistently perform well, he says. They have a smooth top end without pronounced presence peaks, which allows me to avoid feedback relatively easily even if the artist moves in front of the speakers. For Peterson, dropout-free wireless is the expectation with a company like Sennheiser. We don't even play around with anything less than professional grade, and the reliability of a company like Sennheiser is unquestionable. I'd be happy to use the Digital 6000 again.

The future of wireless is digital, and Sennheiser is pleased to have had the opportunity to debut our latest digital wireless system, the Digital 6000, at the Academy of Country Music Awards with some of the nation's top artists, says Byron Gaither, Artist Relations, Sennheiser. The Digital 6000 system is but the latest in a long line of industry-leading professional wireless systems from Sennheiser and, with its unprecedented clarity and reliability, will be a natural choice for live national events like the ACMAs that are viewed by millions around the country for a long time to come.

LINK:	http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/news-sennheiser-introduces-a-new-era-in-di...
	See more stories from sennheiser

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026