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Sennheiser's MKE 2 Gold Turns Purple

The very best productions are so moving and transparent that theatergoers are oblivious to the technical crafts that create them. This is particularly so for the recent adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning book. The Color Purple Broadway musical has received tremendous critical-acclaim and recently took to the road, with a first-stop of extended engagements in Chicago. Part of the show's magic stems from 25-year veteran theater sound engineer and sound designer Jon Weston's choice of microphones. For the stage, he specified Sennheiser wireless systems, the industry's gold standard for the past fifty years. For the immense Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Rock band, he specified a multitude of studio-grade Sennheiser and Neumann wired microphones. The results are so transcendent that theater-goers hear only beautiful music, not the tools that are used to convey that music.

The large production uses 26 wireless channels every night. "The music and performances in The Color Purple span a broad dynamic range," Weston explained. "There are many delicate moments. It was important that we avoid a 'tight' sound. However, there are plenty of loud moments where we have to hit some high levels. We'd have been in trouble with an 'open' sounding mic."

Weston selected his favorite stage mic, the Sennheiser MKE 2 Gold, a miniature omni-directional lavaliere condenser. He commented, "The MKE 2 Gold sounds most like what I expect a microphone on a human to sound like. It has a presence curve that makes vocals naturally bright. I don't have to build a bright amp/speaker system, which makes amplifying the rest of the program material easier."

Weston found a flattering complement to the MKE 2 Gold is the Sennheiser SK 5212 transmitter and the Sennheiser EM 3532 receiver. Weston is very particular about his wireless sound and he spent a long time carefully tuning and testing a wide range of transmitters. The SK 5212 is as perceptively close as he has come to obtaining a 'wired' sound from a wireless system.

Since Weston grew up in the studio business and cut his teeth recording 70-piece orchestras to three-channel, his knowledge of studio microphones and recording techniques makes him one of the most respected theater sound designers. "Sennheiser and Neumann make a tremendous range of wired microphones," he said. "Generally, when I want the microphone to impart a particular sound, I'll reach for a Neumann or a dynamic Sennheiser. When I want the microphone to be passive and flat across the spectrum, I'll reach for a Sennheiser MKH series condenser."

Weston placed Sennheiser and Neumann microphones "all over" the unusually large percussion section. Sennheiser e 604 small diaphragm dynamics, Sennheiser MKH 40 cardioid condensers, Sennheiser MKH 60 shotguns, and Neumann KM 100 small diaphragm condensers with AK40 modular capsules cover everything from a standard kit to large African drums. Neumann U 87 classic large diaphragm condensers join the previous list for melodic applications that span a seven-foot Steinway to trombones, trumpets, and other woodwind and brass instruments.

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Sennheiser's MKE 2 Gold Turns Purple

18th October 2007

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