Sennheiser joins Madonna?s MDNA tour

Spanning Asia, Europe, North and South America, Madonna’s 2012 MDNA World Tour will take advantage of Sennheiser microphones and RF system.

Madonna has six Sennheiser SKM 5200 mics for every show and the tour uses a further six with MD 5005 capsules for backing and guest vocals.

“The 5200s get a real battering. The whole first section of the show is highly stylised with an almost comic book aggression. There is, a lot of staged violence and the microphones get hurled around and are frequently being thrown to and from dancers and onto the floor,” says monitor engineer Matt Napier.

“We’re going through a new microphone every ten shows or so. But given that the 5200 is not a microphone designed for such abuse, I think they are standing up remarkably well.”

Alongside the microphones, the tour also benefits from 14 2000 series wireless systems that are used for in-ear monitors whilst 14 more cater for guitar systems.

The overall wireless channel count runs to around 50 thanks to the trio of percussion that uses SKP 2000 plug in transmitters.

“The plug-in transmitters are a very useful solution, because the trio comes on stage, does its section and goes off again. There’s no time to cable the musicians up. It’s a very neat way of using RF,” adds Napier.

“On top of everything else, there is also a wireless communications system, so we are probably up to 70 channels of RF at each show and we have had no problems at all.”

The equipment has been provided by audio rental company Eighth Day Sound.