A chance to test-drive the Digital 9000 at last year's Summerfest in Milwaukee was enough to convince the multi-million-selling artist and his team of the system and its performance. Monitor engineer Matt Holden recalls the moment at Summerfest last year when he realized Digital 9000 was something special: I was impressed with the sound when I heard it, but what really caught my attention was that for the first time, Pitbull came off the stage after the show and right away wanted to know what microphone we had used!
A New Sound for Mr. Worldwide The serendipitous experience at Summerfest led the team to begin traveling with a Digital 9000 system immediately thereafter on tour. They stuck with the MD 9235 capsule they had demoed at the festival, noting its clear sound and excellent rejection. It has a really tight pickup pattern on it, so there isn't a lot of ambient noise, Holden explains. The capsule is also super-friendly to the artist's unconventional microphone techniques. Pitbull goes back and forth between cupping the mic and holding it down on the neck. But with the MD 9235 the sonic difference is imperceptible which helps ensure a consistent sound throughout the show.
Front-of-house engineer Will Madera notes how easily the sound of Pitbull's voice sits in the mix while using the MD 9235 through the Digital 9000 system. The microphone system gives body and clear definition to his voice, and it cuts through really well, he says. We've got percussion, drums, keyboards, bass, and backing tracks - all of which are really energetic and loud during the show. But with the Digital 9000, there is no issue and the vocal is right there in front of everything.
Simplicity in Any Environment For Holden and Madera, the Digital 9000 was easy to set up and integrate into their existing rig. The quality of the wireless and the ability to do the frequency scans internally is amazing, Holden says. You just dial in the lowest noise floor and don't worry about it.
When we go to the larger cities like Dallas or New York, the RF person will be fighting to coordinate 96 channels of wireless. We just fire up the Digital 9000 for our wireless, do a quick scan, drop in our channels and we're done. It takes ten minutes! Set-up is fast and easy, but most importantly, the performance is predictable and stable: Since we have been using this there hasn't been one drop in that microphone at all, Madera says.
Unbreakable Connection The rock-solid connection between the SKM 9000 transmitter and EM 9046 receiver has given Holden and Madera the ultimate confidence that great audio will continue running through their system no matter where Pitbull's high-octane performances may take him. Before we acquired the Digital 9000, Pitbull's proximity to the stage during performances was always an issue, Holden explains. He would go under the stage, up and down the lifts, up the catwalk, and sometimes all the way to front of house. We would sweat a little bit when he did that on our last system. Now with the D 9000, we can walk the mic all the way to the production office. Such bulletproof reliability has come in extremely useful for the Las Vegas Time of Our Lives mini-residency. Holden and Madera recall challenges of the past, using gear from other manufacturers: This is our fifth time here in Las Vegas, and as everybody knows, it's kind of an RF nightmare, Holden explains. On our other systems, I would have full signal bars and clean frequencies, but we would lose him if he went to certain spots and this meant we were constantly on edge. With this system, I never have to think about it and can instead focus all my energy on his mix and performance.
Performance Unburdened Like Holden, Pitbull thrives on the pristine sound quality and operation of the Digital 9000: If the mix is perfect for Pitbull, he will take the performance to another level, Holden says. He stops thinking about the technical side and gets into the crowd. The difference in performance is very noticeable. Switching over to the Digital 9000 also proved to be the catalyst for him to start using in-ear monitors, which previously he was never 100% happy with sonically. This gives him even more freedom on stage.
Currently, Pitbull has eight channels of the Digital 9000, which are used on vocal microphones, bass guitar, and a djembe. For the bass guitar, the SK 9000 bodypack transmitter provides controls that allowed Madera to work with the bass player to dial in the perfect tone. I love the way the transmitter allows you to load the pickups differently, he says. It delivers a noticeable change in the tone of the bass, so before the run we sat down with the bass player and asked him which setting he liked best.
Sound That Travels Now that the Time of Our Lives mini-residence is complete, Pitbull is preparing to take his show back on the road. He will be co-headlining a new tour with Enrique Inglesias in the U.S. in September and October, with an itinerary that includes iconic arenas like the Staples Center, The Forum, and Madison Square Garden.
The Digital 9000 wireless system is bound to impress fans and concert-goers along the way with its studio-like clarity. The sound is so clean that sometimes people think that the vocals are coming from a playback system we recorded in the studio, Madera says. But he is really rapping and singing everything! We could not be happier with the results we are getting on this system.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
01/12/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
01/12/2025
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The crew, from left: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Vic...
01/12/2025
IRVINE, Calif. Wooden Camera has introduced its new Accessory Collection for the Canon EOS C50. The new lineup includes a low-profile, gimbal-ready cage, expand...
01/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for its Dec. 18 Open Commission Meeting that will include a vote on a report an...
01/12/2025
In most years, a graph of annual local TV ad spending is about as predictable as an electrocardiogram of a reasonably healthy patient in a doctor's office. ...
01/12/2025
Many industries have seen big-ticket hardware turn into software. Switchers, though, demand a combination of real-time performance and sheer bandwidth that has ...
01/12/2025
GENEVA Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), Oct. 11-Nov. 12, 2027. This...
01/12/2025
NEW YORK Just in time for Giving Tuesday tomorrow (Dec. 2), the Broadcasters Foundation of America is seeking out donations to help television and radio industr...
01/12/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson has informed the company's board that he will retire from the video transport and media cloud technology ...
01/12/2025
01 Dec 2025
Kyivstar and Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation Select Go...
01/12/2025
The prequel to the global hit Sky Original mob crime saga, Gomorrah' is a s...
01/12/2025
Featuring Florence Welch, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea, designer Bella Freud...
01/12/2025
Back to All News
A Down to Earth, All Too Relatable Hero: Cashero' Teaser ...
01/12/2025
In the rush to deliver content to every screen, many broadcasters overlook one of the most crucial steps in the workflow: format and frame rate conversion. Get ...
01/12/2025
Fox Corporation Chief Financial Officer Steve Tomsic to Participate in Upcoming ...
01/12/2025
Arvato Systems' Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Receives BSI C5 Certification (T...
01/12/2025
Summary This short video gives you an summary of the changes in under two minutes.
--...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Researchers worldwide rely on open-source technologies as the foundation of their work. To equip the community with the latest advancements in digital and physi...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
A chance to test-drive the Digital 9000 at last year's Summerfest in Milwaukee was enough to convince the multi-million-selling artist and his team of the system and its performance. Monitor engineer Matt Holden recalls the moment at Summerfest last year when he realized Digital 9000 was something special: I was impressed with the sound when I heard it, but what really caught my attention was that for the first time, Pitbull came off the stage after the show and right away wanted to know what microphone we had used! 
