Press release
10.11.2008 - Sennheiser UK
Janet Jackson takes Sennheiser wireless on Rock Witchu Tour
Janet Jackson's first major tour in seven years has come to a close in the USA. To help the singer shine through the mix, front-of-house engineer Jon Lemon and monitor engineer Blake Suib selected Sennheiser's SKM 5200 wireless handheld transmitter outfitted with a Neumann KK 105 S capsule.
Jackson used both a headset and a handheld mic on the Rock Witchu Tour, as Lemon arranged an audition of an array of potential microphones for the singer before the tour began.
"Blake and I were keen on the Sennheiser/Neumann package," he explained. "She preferred it, and we preferred it to everything that was out there. I knew she wanted a full-bodied tone. So, for the sections of the show where she used a handheld, we went with the KK 105 S capsule on the SKM 5200. The mic then was modified. The show designer bejewelled the whole microphone with some special crystals."
As for monitors, he continued, "Of course she uses Sennheiser evolution wireless ew 300 IEM G2 personal wireless monitors, with Future Sonics ear buds."
The two-and-a-half-hour show featured over forty songs and included numerous costume changes, making Sennheiser's ultra-compact miniature bodypacks an essential element of the show. "They're sewn into pockets everywhere as she has so many costume changes," said Lemon.
"The performing musicians are positioned off-stage in the massive theatrical production," he added. "Lil John, our drummer, is loaded up with Sennheiser and Neumann mics. They're my preferred choice of drum mics. I tend to use Sennheiser and Neumann mics with most bands that I work for, whether it's using Sennheiser e 604s on drums and Neumann TLM 193 and TLM 103s on overheads and guitars, or Neumann KM 184s on ride and hi-hat cymbals."
Lemon, well known for working at FOH with rock acts such as Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Depeche Mode, Oasis, and Beck, recalled that he received a call in July to mix Jackson's 2008 Rock Witchu Tour. "She'd heard stuff that I'd done and decided I was the guy! She likes loud music in general, and Janet impressed upon me that she wanted it loud, which surprised me. I keep bumping into pop artists now who say they don't want this sweet pop sound, they want their live shows to be edgy."
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