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Firehouse is the Powerhouse Behind Recent VH1/MTV Productions
September was a busy month for New York-based sound and communications specialists Firehouse Productions, with three televised music awards shows, including the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), VH1 Divas, and VH1 Hip Hop Honors, scheduled almost back to
back. Sennheiser artists Jennifer Hudson, Leona Lewis and Miley Cyrus at the VH1 Divas, and Mary J. Blige and Eminem at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors, used a combination of Sennheiser wireless microphones and personal monitor systems provided by Firehouse Productions at all three events.
Vinny Siniscal, RF coordinator for Firehouse Productions, explained how they satisfied the requirements of Sennheiser-endorsed artists at the VH1 Divas and the other shows: "We generally bring four to six channels of Sennheiser vocal microphones that we keep for their particular artists who may be on tour and are unable to bring in their own gear." Case in point: Sennheiser user Miley Cyrus flew to New York for the VH1 Divas concert from the West
Coast during a one-day break from her Wonder World Tour schedule.
Noted Siniscal, "We use Sennheiser SKM 5200 wireless handheld vocal mics with MD 5235 dynamic capsules, together with an EM 3732 twin receiver with 90 MHz switching bandwidth."
This year's VH1 Divas, the eighth in the long-running series of concert events, took place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York. The show was hosted by multiple Emmy and Grammy Award-winner and former "American Idol" judge, Paula Abdul. In addition to Sennheiser artists Jennifer Hudson, Leona Lewis and Miley Cyrus, featured performers also included former American Idol contestants Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks, and British star Adele, plus a laundry list of guest artists and presenters.
Multi-award-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson sported her crystal-encrusted custom SKM 5200 during a rendition of Spotlight, the lead single from her debut album, and a duet with Stevie Wonder on All In Love Is Fair, from his classic 1973 Innervisions album. Leona Lewis performed her brand-new single, Happy, from her latest album, and was then joined by Cyndi Lauper on her 1983 hit, True Colors, with a standard SKM 5200. Following a performance of her latest single, Party In The USA, Miley Cyrus, also using an SKM 5200, sang a duet with Sheryl Crow on the latter's Grammy-winning hit, If It Makes You Happy.
For all three broadcast events, Firehouse used ew 300 IEM G2 wireless personal monitor systems and provided wireless SKM 5200 handheld vocal mics and receivers for the performers. "All the ears at all the shows were Sennheiser," confirms Siniscal. "We only used G2 equipment: 16 channels with 32 receivers to cover all the stages. In fact," he says, "they were the only personal monitors used at the shows. The only artists to bring their own were Green Day at the VMAs - and they also had G2s!"
Firehouse Productions has long used Sennheiser equipment, and has now adopted the company's antenna systems. "I've changed out pretty much all of my antenna systems to the A 5000-CPs, just because of the environment," says Siniscal. "It makes a lot of sense to use the A 5000s on the stage due to their pattern control, as opposed to other helical antennas. With over 280 RF channels operating per show, I need all the help I can get."
In picture: Miley Cyrus took control of the stage during the recent VH1 Divas, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York using her tried and true combination microphone - the Sennheiser SKM 5200 with MD 5235 capsule.
Photo: WireImage.
14th December 2009
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