SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—As the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots faced off Feb. 8, Sennheiser wireless solutions played a pivotal role in delivering pristine live audio throughout the Super Bowl LX broadcast.

Brandi Carlile’s rendition of “America the Beautiful” during the pre-game show marked the debut of a prototype Spectera SKM handheld, while the Apple Music Halftime Show brought memorable guest performances on the proven Sennheiser Digital 6000 wireless system by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.

Spectera is a wideband, bidirectional digital wireless ecosystem that enables simultaneous audio transmission, system control and monitoring within a single RF channel. It allows up to 64 channels (32 in/32 out) of simultaneous audio transmission, monitoring and control within a single rack unit, significantly reducing RF complexity and improving stability.

Carlile’s performance featured a custom gold Spectera SKM handheld prototype and Neumann KK 205 microphone capsule, operating at 1 millisecond (ms) latency with 96 kHz audio resolution. The Spectera system’s ultra-low latency and high-definition signal path ensured exceptional vocal clarity and immediacy across the stadium and broadcast feed.

The star-studded halftime show, led by Bad Bunny, featured guest performances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, each using custom-finished Sennheiser Digital 6000 handheld transmitters—white for Gaga and silver for Martin. Their wireless microphones delivered consistency, transparency and reliability.

Across the event, seven Sennheiser wireless microphones and nine stereo in-ear systems operated using just 6 MHz of RF spectrum, highlighting the spectral efficiency of the Spectera and Digital 6000 solutions in one of live audio’s most congested RF environments.

“The clarity and stability were what stood out right away,” said Jerry Streeter, monitor engineer for Carlile. “There is no audible compression, the top end stays smooth on wedges, and the in-ears sound incredibly open. From an RF perspective, getting all that performance on a single TV channel is a game changer.”

The path to the Spectera handheld transmitter’s Super Bowl LX debut began last year, when RF engineer Cameron Stuckey collaborated with Sennheiser on the ambitious New York theater production “Masquerade,” where early Spectera in-ear monitoring systems demonstrated reliable, high-channel-count wireless performance in an exceptionally challenging RF environment. When Stuckey was later named lead RF coordinator for Super Bowl LX, that experience sparked discussions about whether Spectera could meet the technical demands of the event.

“That project [“Masquerade,”] required high-density, bidirectional wireless in a complex structure environment, utilizing every feature of Spectera – device capacity, multi-zone operation, modulation diversity,” said Stuckey. “It was the best demonstration of the system’s stability. Knowing the Sennheiser team was as committed to perfection as I was meant it was ready for any production.”

A key factor in bringing the Spectera handheld to the Super Bowl was the support of Sean Quackenbush, Carlile’s longtime front of house engineer, and her monitor engineer, Jerry Streeter, who have relied on Sennheiser and Neumann vocal solutions for years.

In preparation for the pre-game show, Quackenbush evaluated the Spectera handheld transmitter prototype alongside his preferred Neumann KK 205 capsule and recognized the system’s sonic advantages.

“As a front-of-house engineer, the biggest thing for me is when I don’t have to work on a vocal mic to make it sound right,” said Quackenbush. “With Spectera, what I heard right away was how musical it was. The proximity effect felt natural, not exaggerated, and for the first time with a wireless handheld you’re really hearing the Neumann capsule itself. It has that German studio quality you expect in a controlled environment, but we were hearing it live, wirelessly, in a stadium. Once we heard that immediacy and clarity, it was hard to imagine going back.”

In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, Stuckey and Quackenbush worked closely with Sennheiser to prepare a custom prototype Spectera handheld transmitter for the broadcast.

To ensure seamless coverage through rehearsals and the live broadcast, the production team deployed three Sennheiser DAD antennas covering the stadium bowl, with an additional DAD antenna supporting backstage and preparation areas.

“Spectera allows us to deploy antenna systems in a fraction of the time that coax-based narrowband systems require to get right,” said Stuckey. “Instead of compensating for lossy links or RF-Over-Fiber conversion artifacts, we define the coverage area, place the DAD antennas and plug it in. Spectrum selection is the challenge of large events like Super Bowl. Having such a wide tuning range and access to 1G4 spectrum means that Spectera can be used on any show, regardless of size. You’ll see it on TV again soon.”

WEDEMARK/BERLIN, Germany—At IBC 2025, Sept 11-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, the Sennheiser Group will showcase its audio solutions for the creation of professional media content and entertainment experiences. Visitors to stand 8.D50 in the Audio Hall will be able to see and experience the group’s audio highlights, encompassing solutions for recording, monitoring and playout, including some new launches from Neumann.

Celebrating the company’s 80th anniversary, the Sennheiser showcase plays with the fascinating contrast between historical images from Sennheiser’s rich broadcast past and the latest advances in audio technology, including the wideband Spectera wireless ecosystem and narrowband EW-DX systems.

Following on from the Sennheiser MKH 8030 figure-of-eight microphone, the company will demo the MKH 8018 stereo shotgun microphone, the latest addition to Sennheiser’s MKH series of RF condenser microphones. Providing flexibility for audio engineers, the climate-proof, rugged shotgun microphone features three switchable stereo modes: MS stereo, for step-free adjustment of spatial imaging, and wide or narrow XY stereo, which are premixed in the MKH 8018 with settings that were fine-tuned and verified in multiple user field tests. An integrated -10dB pad, broadcast-friendly frequency response of 40 – 20,000 Hz, and a compact, lightweight aluminium housing round off this exceptional pro microphone.

SoundBase Pro Audio App
Sennheiser will also host SoundBase as a guest in their booth. The company will demo its app, which they tout as the world’s first universal wireless audio management software. To coordinate a production’s wireless mics and monitors today, RF managers and monitor engineers still need to handle multiple software tools to set up the wireless brand by brand. SoundBase addresses these fragmented workflow challenges that have long plagued the industry.

Developed by audio veterans Matt Dale and Donny Kuser, the app integrates with equipment from all major manufacturers, eliminating the need to switch between multiple applications, particularly during critical production moments. It streamlines wireless coordination, centralizes communication, and enables seamless remote collaboration. https://soundbase.app/

SoundBase works with wireless systems from every major manufacturer, providing the audio team with a single, time-saving and efficient workflow

The SoundBase RF planning tool and Spectera, the world’s first bidirectional wideband wireless ecosystem, will be demoed on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the show:

• Spectera demo sessions at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• SoundBase demo sessions at 12 noon and 3 p.m.

Visitors who cannot make it to these slots will be able to view ad hoc presentations at stand 8D50.

Hello Neumann
Also at the Sennheiser stand, Neumann will showcase its range of studio monitors in a dedicated studio area featuring a 7.1.4 immersive setup. This includes a brand-new subwoofer with multichannel bass management to be launched at IBC.

Neumann will also present a variety of its microphones, including the BCM 104 broadcast mic, capsule heads for wireless systems, MCM Miniature Clip Mics, TLM 102 and TLM 107 as well as a selection of its legendary classics, such as the U 87 Ai, U 67, U 47 fet and M 49 V. Also at the stand, the KU 100 binaural head, now in its 34th year and still the easiest way to produce stunningly realistic immersive audio, Sennheiser said.

As part of the immersive studio/OB van area, Merging Technologies—part of Neumann—will showcase the Pyramix 15 DAW, along with the Hapi Mk III modular audio interface. The desktop audio interfaces Merging Anubis and Neumann MT 48 will also be demonstrated, including recently added OSC control capabilities, allowing remote controlling fader moves and other parameter changes via third-party hardware controllers.

Running in a Ravenna AES 67 network, the studio area links to a second demo area of the Neumann/Merging showcase, which is on a Dante AES 67 network. Here, visitors will be able to experience Neumann’s new RIME plug-in, enabling immersive monitoring using NDH 20 and NDH 30 headphones.

Also demonstrated will be Merging’s state-of-the-art Ovation playout system and show sequencer. Version 11, which was recently released, introduces a bold new design with a refined dark-mode interface and streamlined usability. The updated, fully customizable mixer, panner, and renderer allows users to tailor busses, strips, and aux channels to any workflow—whether for stereo, multizone, or immersive formats.

AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio
Delivering immersive audio experiences without segmenting the audience or complicating the signal chain remains a key challenge for live broadcasters. The AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio live renderer solves this issue by enabling real-time rendering of immersive content into a stereo-compatible AMBEO format. The two-channel output retains spatial depth and localization cues, optimised for playback on any stereo system, and improves voice intelligibility—no additional decoding or hardware required.

Powered by proprietary immersive audio algorithms, AMBEO generates a hardware-agnostic, downstream-compatible signal that preserves the creative intent and immersive quality of the original mix. Broadcasters and streaming providers can maintain the stereo delivery path while offering a significantly enhanced listening experience.

Visitors can experience this technology embedded on a Merging ANUBIS device, showcasing low-latency performance and seamless integration into existing live production workflows.

Sennheiser will be in Stand 8.D50 in the RAI Amsterdam.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.—PGA Tour Studios has deployed the new Sennheiser Spectera bidirectional wireless audio ecosystem across its new campus here.

Responsible for extensive live PGA Tour coverage and diverse studio shows, the PGA Tour Studios audio team required a system that could support a state-of-the-art facility with seven dedicated studios and manage up to 11 shows broadcasting at the same time in an environment packed with competing RF signals.

PGA Tour Studios needed a wireless solution that could keep pace with the demands of a fast-moving, multistudio production environment. Spectera emerged as the best choice due to its technical capabilities as well as how it simplified installation and allowed the engineering team to focus on production rather than infrastructure.

The new system needed to offer effortless transitions between studios and a dramatically simplified management interface. The PGA Tour chose Spectera, Sennheiser’s wideband, bidirectional wireless ecosystem, the company said.

Seamless Integration
Unlike traditional wireless audio setups, Sennheiser said, Spectera doesn’t rely on a complex mix of separate systems for microphones and in-ear monitors or interruptible foldback (IFB) monitors—each on its own frequency and requiring channel and guard band planning.

Spectera combines microphones, IFBs and control data on a single wideband RF channel, managed from a compact 1 rack-unit base station. This fundamentally simplifies the handling of wireless audio in live production. PGA Tour Studios strategically implemented Spectera as the backbone audio infrastructure of its new campus.

“Our original vision was to implement a building-wide RF system that offered seamless coverage across all studios, regardless of location,” Ricardo Landaeta, manager of audio broadcast for the PGA Tour, said. “We have seven studios, each with three or four talents, and our goal is to run six shows weekly with a maximum of four talents per show, operating four days a week for 12 hours. Resilience, quality and versatility are important. With Spectera, talent can easily transition between studios by simply grabbing a pack, and guest integration is smooth.”

Spectera’s breakthrough runs both microphone and IFB channels together in the same centrally managed 6 or 8 MHz of bandwidth. Up to 64 audio channels (32 in, 32 out) can be handled from a single rack unit, something previously requiring a tangle of receivers, transmitters and careful manual frequency calculations.

The bidirectional SEK bodypacks operate as a mic or line transmitter and an IFB receiver at once, reducing gear and cabling for everyone on stage. Operators are also able to monitor and control packs remotely, leveraging Spectera’s continuous two-way link, the company said.

“It’s rewarding to see the system commissioned and performing precisely as Ricardo and his team envisioned,” Valerie Seward, broadcast engineer at PGA Tour Studios, said. “We’re managing up to 10 shows concurrently, and engineering has enabled talents to work across multiple studios without impacting audio quality. Our main goal was to deliver a pristine audio environment and foster clear communication for our talents, and we’ve achieved and exceeded that goal without needing any backend changes.”

The setup includes two Spectera base stations supporting 24 microphones and IFB monitors, distributed across the facility with seven dedicated antennas to ensure optimal coverage. There are plans for this setup to be expanded to six base stations and additional packs in fall of 2025, providing building-wide coverage and hardware redundancy, it said.

The infrastructure cost savings were an important factor in selecting Spectera. The system does not rely on RF-over-fiber converters, combiners and amplifiers, or ¾-inch RF cable, all of which add large overhead to the cost of the system. In the case of Spectera, base stations are connected to antennas using standard Ethernet cables, and the antennas are POE (Power over Ethernet), further simplifying the setup, it said.

“The commissioning process was remarkably swift and straightforward,” said Joel Latimer, audio engineer A1 at PGA Tour. “It took just 10 minutes to turn it on, set it up and showcase what it can do. The ease of use took all of us pleasantly by surprise.”

This rapid deployment allowed the system to go live quickly. After two weeks of extensive testing completed in early January, PGA Tour Studios fully deployed Spectera, actively supporting on-air broadcasts across four studios.

Streamlined Workflow
For PGA Tour Studios, Spectera demonstrated its RF resilience and stability, even in demanding broadcast environments. During times of heightened activity, such as The Players Championship, the campus is surrounded by a massive truck compound generating a large amount of external RF signals. Despite these difficult conditions and numerous internal shoots occurring at the same time, the Spectera system did not experience a single dropout, hit or interference issue, Sennheiser said.

The system’s simplicity has streamlined PGA Tour Studios’ workflow. Talent can move between different studios without worry, pick up any available pack and immediately be operational without the need for any backend reconfigurations or manual adjustments.

Engineers can swap out depleted batteries during live broadcasts, significantly cutting down on delays to production. The process of going live again after a battery swap now takes 7 seconds. Spectera integrated with PGA Tour Studios’ existing Dante and Calrec 2110 audio environments, ensuring that even with signal conversion occurring, there was no discernible delay or compromise in audio, it said.

“Our expectations for stability have been met even with other studios and activities happening around us,” Latimer said. Battery life has also been surprisingly good—we’ve even seen packs last up to seven hours on new batteries. The key is that we want everything to run smoothly, and nothing has gone wrong.

“We really like the software as well; it provides a fantastic visual reference for everything that’s happening with each pack,” Latimer continued. “Especially when mixing a show, we can quickly check the band RF levels. If there’s any signal loss, we can immediately identify it and communicate with engineers to allocate resources. Spectera is incredibly intuitive.”

The PGA Tour Studios audio team has set up Spectera in such a manner that it can have access to all base stations from all computers around the facility. Using Spectera WebUI for each base station, the team can continuously monitor the health of microphones, IEMs/IFBs and antennas, as well as critical battery and RF levels. The audio team can log into any base station from anywhere on the network as needed enabling the team to be proactive in its management to prevent surprises and ensure system integrity, it said.

Spectera’s versatility makes it integral to a vast array of PGA Tour Studios’ productions. It’s consistently used across coverage of numerous live tournaments, including four streams for PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, PGA Tour Champions and Korn Ferry Tour on Golf Channel. It is also the core system for popular studio shows including “The Drop” on Golf Channel, “On the Range” on Golf Channel and YouTube and the “Creator Classic Series presented by YouTube.”

More information is available on the Senneheiser website.

AMSTERDAM—Sennheiser has introduced its Spectera digital wireless audio transmission system that delivers bidirectional wideband functionality by leveraging WMAS (Wireless Multichannel Audio System) technology here at IBC 2024.

Use of WMAS technology enables Spectera to reduce wireless system complexity, while at the same time increasing capability, enabling time-saving workflows and offering full remote control and monitoring, including permanent spectrum sensing, Sennheiser said.

Spectera features bidirectional bodypacks that manage both digital IEM/IFB and mic/line signals at the same time. The solution is resistant to RF fading and allows for flexible use of a wideband RF channel, for example for digital IEMs with a latency down to a spectacular 0.7 milliseconds, it said.

“We are thrilled to see years of technological development and spectrum policy work turn into a digital wireless ecosystem that will solve many of the issues that users of wireless multichannel systems are faced with today,” said co-CEOs Andreas Sennheiser and Daniel Sennheiser in a joint statement.

“Our wideband solution will be ideal for large productions, whether in the touring, broadcasting or theater fields, or in any other area that requires multichannel audio setups. Spectera satisfies our customers’ chief desires and needs regarding ease of use, operational reliability and flexibility. It offers less hardware, drastically reduced frequency coordination, redundancy and the flexibility of an ecosystem that grows with your needs.”

​Bidirectional digital wideband transmission addresses many common challenges, such as overly complex frequency coordination and complicated rack cabling for high channel counts as well as the large footprint typical of a multichannel wireless system, the company said.

Sebastian Georgi and Jan Watermann are the inventors of Sennheiser’s specific approach to WMAS. The technology they developed is a proprietary variant of OFDM-TDMA, specifically tailored to reliable multichannel, bidirectional, low-latency communication. 

“Instead of many individual 200 kHz narrowband RF carrier frequencies, we use a single wideband RF channel for audio transmission – bidirectional transmission of audio and control data, to be more exact. In Sennheiser’s approach, the wideband RF channel is a TV channel of 6 or 8 MHz, depending on local regulations,” they said in a joint statement.

The WMAS system organizes audio links within this channel. Every audio link is assigned a specific time slot for transmitting its audio information, making it possible to have IEMs and mics in the very same TV channel instead of two channels separated by a guard band. A single 6 or 8 MHz channel can accommodate an entire production, the company said.

​The Spectera ecosystem base station is a single rack unit with 32 inputs and 32 outputs and replaces a rack-full of wireless mic receivers and IEM transmitters, it said. 

​The system’s SEK bodypacks are space-savers as well because the same bodypack can handle both IEM and microphone or instrument requirements, and this can be flexibly determined and changed during a show, it said.

The bodypack features a 3-pin connector for a lavalier or headset microphone or an instrument cable, such as the CI 1-4. The 3.5 mm headphone jack connects to Sennheiser’s range of professional in-ear phones and features an impedance-matching high-power headphone amplifier. 

The bodypack is available in UHF (470 – 608 MHz and 630 – 698 MHz) and 1G4 (1350 – 1400 MHz and 1435 – 1525 MHz) frequency variants.

See Sennheiser at IBC 2024 Stand 8.D50.

More information is available on the company’s website.

WASHINGTON—The FCC today voted to allow the use of a new, more spectrally efficient wireless microphone technology within the broadcast TV spectrum. Wireless Multi-Channel Audio Systems (WMAS) uses spectrum more efficiently than currently available narrowband microphones, meaning more microphones can be used without allocating more airwaves.  The rules will permit WMAS to operate on a licensed or unlicensed basis, while preserving the existing spectrum rights of others that share those frequencies. 

The protocol is backed by some of the industry’s largest mic manufacturers including Shure and Sennheiser. The NAB also backs the adoption of the protocol (with certain restrictions).

“WMAS is more spectrally efficient and affords greater protection for all users of the spectrum than conventional narrowband microphones,” Sennheiser told the FCC last week. “Events and studios that currently require multiple TV channels to operate their audio equipment will be able to condense the number of TV channels they require through a WMAS, in many cases reducing the required number of channels to a single channel. 

"A single WMAS can operate, on average, between 48 and 64 wireless microphones with professional sound quality and latency in a single TV channel, as compared to the multiple channels that would be required to operate a similar number of conventional, narrowband microphones with the same level of audio quality.”  

In addition to TV, radio and film studios, wireless microphones—which operate under the FCC’s technical rules for Part 74 low-power auxiliary station devices and Part 15 unlicensed devices—are used in other settings including theaters and music venues, educational institutions, conventions, corporate events, houses of worship, and internet webcasts.  The new rules will allow WMAS to operate in the broadcast TV bands and 600 MHz duplex gap on both a licensed and unlicensed basis, and in other Part 74 LPAS frequency bands on a licensed basis.

WMAS will enable more wireless microphones to operate in the spectrum available (i.e., more microphones per megahertz of spectrum), which provides additional options when more microphones are needed, according to the commission.  The rules do not alter the existing spectrum rights or expectations regarding spectrum access and availability for other authorized users that share the frequency bands with wireless microphone operations (including, for example, broadcast licensees, Wi-Fi, and white space device users). 

Netflix and Sennheiser have partnered to launch AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio on the streaming service.

The AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio renderer translates original immersive mixes into 2-channel audio.

Sennheiser said it worked with Netflix and other industry partners during development in order to fine-tune the system, which is now available to license.

The rendering software runs in the streaming service’s cloud-based encoding pipelines and produces AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio from existing ADM or IAB files, without the need for another separate mix.

A preview tool enables the re-recording mixer to compare stereo to AMBEO during post production and adjust the rendering settings by stems/groups, said Sennheiser. The renderer offers patented granular control of the spatialisation, ranging from full AMBEO effect to standard stereo mixdown, while specific channels can be excluded from modification.

(See also: Netflix Upgrades Audio)

Netflix is the first streaming platform to deliver the new audio experience, on select titles such as the latest season of Stranger Things, viewers watching on a stereo system will automatically receive the spatial experience without the need to make any changes.

“Sennheiser firmly believes in the immersive future of audio,” said Dr Renato Pellegrini of Sennheiser’s AMBEO team. “Creators all over the globe have been using our tools to create outstanding immersive works, pushing the boundaries of music and film production. With AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio, we are now taking the next step – making this new audio reality accessible to everyone.”

“We feel AMBEO Spatial Audio offers a meaningful improvement for Netflix members,” added Scott Kramer, manager for sound technology at Netflix. “Re-recording mixers often tell me that it better translates their detailed immersive mix work to stereo. Crucially, this process preserves the original sound mix and respects creative intent with a remarkably clean sound.”

Viewers can find an up-to-date list of content available in AMBEO Spatial Audio, by typing Spatial Audio into the streamer’s search field.

This article originally appeared on TV Tech sister brand, TVBEurope.

WEDEMARK, Germany—Sennheiser is shuffling its business strategy, announcing that it will commit more of its resources to its three divisions focusing on professional services, while seeking a partner to invest in its consumer business.

Sennheiser is made of four business units: pro audio, business communications, Neumann and consumer electronics. Each group, as Sennheiser co-CEO Andreas Sennheiser points out, is characterized by different customer groups, customer requirements, product life cycles and market dynamics.

“To be best able to exploit the potential in each of these markets, we are concentrating on our own resources on the three business areas in the professional division and are looking for a strong partner to invest in our consumer business,” said Daniel Sennheiser, the company’s other co-CEO.

The consumer electronics division consists of the headphone market and soundbar business, which includes the true wireless headphone market.

“Our products are known for the best sound and for delivering a unique sound experience. These crucial aspects are at the heart of the purchasing decision for our customers in the premium headphones, enhanced hearing, audiophile and soundbars segments," explained Daniel Sennheiser. “These are the strengths that we want to work with a partner to build upon.” 

As for the greater focus on Sennheiser’s professional divisions, the company plans to independently invest in its sound competence and its market presence and visibility, per the announcement.

“All business units are to emerge strengthened from the planned repositioning. With a strong partner at our side to invest in our consumer business, we will be even better equipped to play to our strengths—and to continue to bring the benefit of these strengths to our customers,” said Daniel Sennheiser. 

Andreas Sennheiser added: “For over 75 years, Sennheiser has stood for excellent technology and unique audio experiences. In doing so, we always focus on the needs of our customers. And we will continue to do so in the future.”

For more information, visit en-us.sennheiser.com. 

NEW YORK—While there continues to be some debate about the health of the NFL’s television ratings in the post-Colin Kaepernick era, it is generally agreed that both the video and audio elements are continuing to evolve. That is particularly true when it comes to mixing audio for the gridiron.

Fred Aldous and Gary Trenda work on opposite ends of the audio thread. Aldous serves as senior mixer and audio consultant for Fox, for whom he mixes the “A” NFL game of the week. He has snagged a mere 23 Emmy awards and is a member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Educating the next generation of audio specialists is critical to Aldous, who helped build the audio curriculum taught at CRAS, an audio recording school in Arizona.

Trenda is an audio and RF technician who provides technical services to a variety of industries. He works on a wide range of wireless audio system projects, including the Latin Grammy Awards and Super Bowl Halftime Show. Trenda is also a member of the audio staff at Lam-beau Field where he supervises a team of specialists who provide audio for the Green Bay Packers games.

IMMERSIVE, THE NEXT STEP?

The audio portion of the Green Bay Packers game day presentation breaks down into several components, according to Trenda. “One engineer has the job of mixing sound for the main bowl of the stadium, another mixes for the rest of the facility,” he said. “The difference between the two is pretty easy to understand. If a fan leaves their seat to go into the concourse to get a hot dog, we provide audio that includes the local radio broadcast so they can stay in touch with the play by play action. We call that our ‘back of house’ mix. Obviously, play by play audio is not required for fans who are inside the bowl watching the action.”

Where does Aldous think we are in the evolution of sports broadcasting to the home market? “The next step will involve more immersive audio, specifically Atmos [adding height to the viewer experience].” he said. “This will give the viewer a better ‘in stadium’ experience.’

Aldous has mastered 5.1 over the years, which brought a whole new dimension of the in stadium experience from stereo and Aldous expects the move to Atmos will do the same.

“In my opinion specialty events will incorporate this before regular sports season events,” he said. “Over the years we have relied on Sennheiser products to help us do the job that requires a high level of confidence. They are very good at creating innovative products that satisfy the needs of our industry.”

Are audio mixers waiting for video technology to get to the point where the viewer can choose from a number of visual perspectives (the 50 yard line on a football field, say) to develop techniques that will match sound to picture in a number of different streams simultaneously? “With VR on the horizon I believe that we will be able to send more specific audio along with picture,” says Aldous. “It doesn’t make any sense to do so now, as the perspective of the field of play remains in front of the viewer at all times-for now!”

GAME COORDINATION

Trenda’s team coordinates with the broadcast crews that the networks send in. Each home game is different. The crews who handle audio for NBC’s Sunday Night Football or Monday Night for ESPN tend to remain the same year after year. The personnel who cover the other games can change based on which TV truck is sent.

“We send these crews our stadium audio elements—the referee microphone, for example. Depending on their needs, we can also send them the material that goes into the bowl-player introductions, the stadium announcer giving down and distance, that sort of thing. Each crew decides what they want to use from the stadium elements.”

If LeBron James is dribbling up court, or a half back breaks through the line and sprints 40 yards to the goal line, will mixers demand that microphone and console manufacturers provide gear that will allow him/her to match picture exactly? That day is upon us, says Aldous. “We already have that technology. What restricts us now is access to players with mics that we can broadcast in real time. We are very mindful of language and the possibility of something going indiscreet being sent over the air. We do record a lot of mics, and edit content for playback once it is sanitized.”

Will we get to the point where automation syncs audio to the moving image in real time? “Unfortunately I think we will get there at some point—what will be lost is the finesse of the mix. Automation cannot recreate the detail that a human can provide. We add a lot of different elements to a mix that are not camera specific to make the mix realistic.”

An intercom connection ties together Gary Trenda’s team and the broadcast truck. If, for example, a television producer wants to broadcast the player introductions, the TV crew can take audio from the Packers’ feed and can cue the start of the introductions via the intercom.

Audio delay is also something that needs to be accounted for. “There can be a significant delay between the live action on the field and a TV or radio broadcast,” Trenda said. “Rather than taking the broadcast audio feed from a radio or TV tuner, we’re able to get feeds directly from the TV truck and home radio booth. These direct feeds allow us to sync the audio with the action on the field.”

RF CONCERNS

Repercussions from the FCC sale of chunks of the radio frequency spectrum continue to impact sports broadcasts.

“The most recent FCC TV Band auction included the sale of much of the 600 MHz range, and we’re in the midst of another TV station repack," said Trenda. “Any TV stations currently broadcasting on channels 38-52 will be repacked to a lower channel number, which will increase crowding in TV channels 2-36 and make it more difficult to find space for reliable operation of wireless systems. This includes important game elements like the referee mic. As the RF spectrum gets more crowded, people will consider using wired microphones where they can.

“We currently use Shure Axient analog wireless microphones for the referee. One way manufacturers are responding to the loss of RF spectrum is with microphone systems that can be more spectrally efficient. Shure Axient Digital, for example, has a high-density mode that allows the user to fit more transmitters into less space. When the time comes to replace our current system, we’ll definitely consider new technology like this to address the challenges of a crowded RF environment.”

The reduction in frequency range has left production crews to make some tough choices. It can be difficult to know what area of the RF spectrum will be available in different cities. Some equipment will continue to be legal to operate, but others will need to be replaced entirely.

“In some cases, there’s no good upgrade path,” Trenda said. "We have a few systems that will simply need to be replaced to comply with the new FCC rules. It’s important to understand the changing RF environment and have a comprehensive band plan for your entire suite of wireless equipment.”

Top photo: Master control at Lambeau Field, home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers

BURBANK, CA–Bexel an NEP Broadcast Services Company, says it has completed a “major purchase” of audio and RF intercom inventory and plans to invest over $1.5m on new audio technology this year.

“We are excited about this investment, which not only increases our rental inventory, but also supports the latest wide-band technology, offering our customers more flexibility to meet the demands of the limited spectrum,” said Tom Dickinson, vice president of technology for, Bexel.

[Read: NEP, Bexel Support NCAA Tournament Production]

Bexel has invested heavily in RF microphone systems, primarily from Sennheiser, Lectrosonics and Shure. The new systems comply with new FCC spectrum requirements and provide increased flexibility with wide-band capable systems. The investment includes Sennheiser EM 3732-II high-end RF receivers, SKM 5200/5212-II world class RF transmitters, Lectrosonics DRM encrypted receiver modules for digitally encrypted secure audio plus SMWB transmitter and Venue frames and DUET MTR IFB transmitters. Shure includes ADX1 and ACX2FD dual transmitters plus AD4QUS 4 channel receivers.

The company has also purchased advanced RF intercom systems comprising of Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak II, Radio Active Designs RAD UV-1G and Pliant Technologies Crewcom wireless intercom systems. These technologies provide unique and different approaches to the RF spectrum that enable a variety of solutions to meet the demands of this new, complex frequency space, as well as complying with the new FCC guidelines.

In addition, Bexel is increasing its investment in their custom Sideline Audio/Video Cart, a plug-and-play solution for streamlining the acquisition of audio and video feeds on the field. The self-contained, mobile cart is designed to be set-up within minutes on the sideline or the end-zone of a sports field. It is equipped with single-mode fiber, SMPTE hybrid and copper cables, and hydra cable assemblies, and it enables MADI audio and wireless audio and video transmissions. 

With the company’s latest investment, the carts have been upgraded to include Shure Axient or Sennheiser RF microphones, Radio Active Designs (RAD) or Clear-Com RF intercom systems, Sennheiser shotgun microphones and Klover Mik-26 Parabolic microphones. This solution is is fully customizable to each client’s specifications.

OLD LYME, CONN.—The FCC has set a deadline for wireless microphone manufacturers to cease operation in the 600 MHz band, so as a result Sennheiser is providing its customers an opportunity to trade in their equipment that would be affected for new gear.

Between now and Dec. 14, owners of any non-compliant wireless systems from any manufacturer can trade it in for the latest Sennheiser FCC-compliant equipment through a special rebate program.

There are three steps to the rebate program. Step one, equipment owners should check eligibility for the rebate by checking for a printed sticker on the equipment that indicates its operating frequency range; anything above 608 MHz will require an upgrade to maintain FCC compliance. Step two, consumers may purchase authorized wireless equipment from an authorized Sennheiser dealer. Step three, consumers will send the outdated gear to Sennheiser.

Here is the list of eligible products for the promotion: XS Wireless Series; evolution wireless D1 Series; AVX Series; evolution wireless we 100 G3 Series; evolution wireless ew 100 G3 Portable Series; evolution wireless ew 300 G3 Series; evolution wireless ew 300 IEM G3 Series; evolution wireless ew 500 G3 Series; SpeechLine Digital Wireless Series; 2000 Series; 2000 IEM; 3000/5000 Series; Digital 6000.

WASHINGTON—Wireless mic makers got the technical clarifications they were seeking from the Federal Communications Commission today, which approved two actions further defining operational parameters for the devices.

“We sincerely applaud the FCC staff for their work and due consideration on this order and proposed rulemaking,” Joe Ciaudelli, director of U.S. Spectrum Affairs for Sennheiser, said in a statement “This represents a very positive outcome for our customers and all professional wireless microphone users.”

The commissioners unanimously approved an Order on Reconsideration that addresses petitions filed by Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, Lectrosonics and Shure to reconsider two, 2015 commission orders. The Reconsideration addresses emissions as well as coordination and access to spectrum in certain bands. (See, “FCC to Hone Wireless Mic Rules,” June 29, 2017, for details).

A separate Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would give unlicensed wireless mic operations, e.g., “professional theater, music, performing arts and similar organizations“ the opportunity to obtain licensed access for smaller venue productions, in certain circumstances.

Neither the Order on Reconsideration nor the FNPFM were published as of press time, but TV Technology’s previous report on the issue was based on the draft proposal circulated among the commissioners before Thursday vote.

Here’s more from Sennheiser: “Having considered the thorough and relentless input of wireless microphone specialist Sennheiser and many others in the audio community, the FCC ruling modifies initial guidelines that may have negatively impacted manufacturers, owners and operators of wireless microphone equipment in their original form.

“The Order on Reconsideration is wide-ranging and affects several key provisions of the guidelines passed in August of 2015. ...The commission had initially created an out-of-band emission standard that might have resulted in unintended consequences. With the ratification, the FCC has now adopted the established European Telecommunications Standards Institute OOBE standard, which achieves the intended goal of protecting the use of adjacent frequency bands and harmonizes with international standards—allowing users to operate the same equipment in multiple countries in many cases.

“Additionally, the Order will enable legacy equipment that operates within the 600 MHz band to be modified to comply with the new regulations, saving a significant amount of still operational wireless gear from costly pre-mature obsolescence following the transition period.”

WEDEMARK, GERMANY—Sennheiser debuted its new MKE 2 elements microphone at the 2017 NAB Show along with the announcement that the microphone is fully compatible with GoPro’s Hero4 Black and Silver cameras.

Based on the Sennheiser microphone, the MKE 2 is designed to work in any element. It works in snow, wind and can be used underwater for up to 30 minutes and a depth of one meter. The mic features a windshield that can reduce wind noise even when wet, elastic suspension to suppress structure-borne noise, and back cover for the GoPro Hero4 protective case that keeps the camera hermetically sealed.

The Senneheiser MKE 2 elements mic has obtained a “Works with GoPro” verification and is part of the GoPro Developer Program. One expected development Sennheiser and GoPro are currently working on is having the Sennheiser be compatible with the GoPro Hero 5 camera, though no date was announced as to when that will be finalized.

The MKE 2 elements mic for GoPro Hero 4 cameras are now available.

AMSTERDAM—Sennheiser has flipped the page from its 26 series of broadcast headsets and introduced the new 27 series during the recent IBC conference. Made up of the HME 27, HMD 27 and HMDC 27, the new models offer a closed, circumaural headset.

HMD 27

All three of the 27 series models come with soft earpads and Sennhesier’s “split” headband. They also comply with the EC directive on noise in the workplace, as each is fitted with a switchable ActiveGard function that is designed to protect against noise bursts by detecting noise peaks above 110 dB and compressing the signal to 110 dB.

Where the headsets differ are their microphones. The HME 27 features a pre-polarized condenser microphone with cardioid pick-up pattern with a frequency response of 40 Hz to 20 kHz. Both the HMD 27 and HMDC 27 come with a hyper-cardioid boom microphone with a frequency response of 40 Hz to 18 kHz.

The 27 series is compatible with the 26 series, allowing for existing cable to be used on either model. The microphone booms are also compatible.

Sennheiser plans to release the 27 series later in September.

AMSTERDAM—The first thing most people think about in terms of creating virtual reality content is the camera, but Sennheiser wants to make sure they don’t forget about the audio, as the company unveiled during IBC 2016 the AMBEO VR Mic. The AMBEO mic is a compact, hand-held unit that Sennheiser says will produce “high-quality 3D audio that eliminates the boundaries between playback and reality.”

The AMBEO VR Mic is an Ambisonics microphone that uses four matched capsules in a tetrahedral arrangement. Fully balanced, the mic is powered by 4x 48 volts phantom powering. The mic comes with a split cable with four XLR connectors, a Rycote suspension mount and a foam windshield.

An encoding software is also included, which translates the A format file generated from the recording of the four microphone channels into a B format file: W, X, Y and Z. The W component is the omni and X, Y, and Z components are figure-of-eight capsules along three spatial axels. The A to B format encoder is available in VST, AAX and AU plug-ins, as well as a stand-alone version for Mac and Windows.

Sennheiser will release the AMBEO VR Mic in November.

LAS VEGAS—Sennheiser is taking its MK 4 recording mic digital, announcing its new digital version at this year’s NAB Show. Featuring Apogee A/D conversion and mic preamp technology, the MK 4 digital can connect directly to iOS devices and either Mac or PC computers.

The MK 4 digital is an addition to the iOS/USB product line that Apogee has been developing with Sennheiser. The mic is delivered with a USB cable and a Lightning iOS cable for connecting to an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch; it also comes with a microphone clamp and pouch. Sennheiser says that the MK 4 digital is compatible with programs like Logic Pro X, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Pro Tools and Ableton Live, as well as iOS recording apps.

German-based audio company Sennheiser says that it will launch the MK 4 digital mic in the summer.

OLD LYME, CONN.—At Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt, Germany, Sennheiser has introduced a new app for its evolution wireless D1 radio microphone systems. With the app, users can convert their iPads or iPhones into a remote control for digital D1 systems, assisting in configuration, management and monitoring of radio links.

The WSR app can automatically detect whether D1 microphones are up-to-date with firmware and can provide an update if they are not. With the app, users can adjust the settings of individual units or groups, controlling audio effects, network settings and output signals.

With the app, an iOS device can become a signal tester, displaying the transmission quality of the radio link in real-time. The app also monitors the battery status, sound levels, and signal strength. The iPad version allows users to include photos for identification of the systems and to arrange the positions of the systems on the screen.

The app is now available via the Apple App Store.

WASHINGTON—Wireless mics will have no dedicated spectrum after next year’s incentive auction. The Federal Communications Commission delivered that verdict earlier this month when it announced that one channel in the television band would be set aside to be shared by wireless mics and white-space devices. Manufacturers and users of wireless mics lobbied to retain the two channels the FCC originally reserved in its 2010 Order that allowed unlicensed white-space devices to be used in TV spectrum. (See “Wireless Mics Afforded Two Channels,” Sept. 27, 2010.)

Those two channels were slowly absorbed by the Obama Administration’s plan to clear 500 MHz of spectrum for wireless broadband, and the subsequent squeeze on television frequencies. TV Technology asked Sennheiser’s Joe Ciaudelli (at right) about the implications of wireless mics sharing a single channel with unlicensed white-space devices.

TV Technology: How many wireless mics does Sennheiser have working in the field in the United States on any given day?
Ciaudelli: A more relevant measure is how many citizens benefit from content or live events made possible by wireless microphones... hundreds of millions.

TV Technology: Is interference with other wireless devices a problem now? If so, has it become worse in recent years?
Ciaudelli: Wireless microphones have a stellar history of peaceful co-existence with primary services that share the same frequency bands, such as over-the-air TV broadcast and land mobile emergency communications. Wireless microphones have to work flawlessly without experiencing interruption or interference. Therefore, microphone operators proactively seek clear frequencies, which have the added benefit of preventing interference to the primary service using the same band. 

Certainly frequency coordination became more challenging once wireless microphones lost access to 700 MHz five years ago, but manageable. White-space device deployment to date has been limited to a few hundred fixed devices. No personal portable white-space devices have been introduced. If they are, it is unrealistic to believe that consumers using them would proactively prevent interference in the same manner as wireless microphone operators do with their gear.

TV Technology: Why did Sennheiser and others go after two 6 MHz channels? Wouldn't one be enough in most markets?
Ciaudelli: The definition of wireless microphones also includes in-ear monitor systems and interruptible foldback listening systems. Just like broadband has paired blocks for uplink and downlink with a guard band in between, it is best practice to have duplex audio in separate send and receive channels.

TV Technology: Wireless mics have to be retuned each time they get moved in the spectrum, correct? What does that involve?
Ciaudelli: High-end systems can be tuned. Standard systems often need to be scrapped. Either way it is costly and inconvenient for the microphone owner.

TV Technology: Is there any anecdotal evidence that white-space devices—I am now told there are fewer than 500—interfere with wireless mics? Have there been incidents?
Ciaudelli: Wireless microphone operators can navigate around fixed white-space devices. The potential threat is from portable white-space devices. No portables have been introduced into the market despite the FCC opening UHF to them five years ago.

TV Technology: What is Sennheiser's confidence level in the FCC's white-space database approach to preventing interference among white-space devices, mics and TV signals?
Ciaudelli: Although the problems of the white-space database system have been well documented, bugs will be worked out. The commission also envisions that the system will refresh faster in the future so that licensed microphone operators can reserve channels on short notice. However, this still does not adequately address breaking news, since its time and location are often completely spontaneous. Furthermore, spectrum sharing not only depends on the database system, but also on the proper operation of all the white-space devices that it governs. That poses a high risk for hyper-critcal microphones even for planned events.

TV Technology: How does Sennheiser suggest its clients move forward in a landscape where they share a channel with white-space devices?
Ciaudelli: If you qualify to be a licensed microphone operator, become one so that you can register your events for interference protection in the database. Regarding equipment, buy high quality gear with flexible RF tuning architecture from a company that also provides a high level of guidance and after sales support.