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Merchant Takes Motherland Around NYC

In support of her third solo album, Motherland, gifted singer and songwriter Natalie Merchant has embarked on a whirlwind publicity campaign, making stops during the month of November at the Today Show, the Late Show with David Letterman, Austin City Limits, and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in addition to headlining numerous venues across the country. All the stops have been removed in a quest to match the level of technical sonic perfection to Merchant's otherworldly voice and the overflowing talent of her supporting band.

   To meet the challenge, Merchant¹s mixer/sound engineer Scott Scherban, working with FOH Engineer, George Cowan, began at the front of the signal chain, requesting a Sennheiser 300 evolution series wireless microphone system outfitted with an e 865 condenser capsule for Merchant. He supplied her backup singers with wired Sennheiser e 865 and Neumann KMS 105 microphones, depending on their timbre and microphone technique, and placed an additional e 865 at Merchant's piano. "After all," Scherban reasoned, "if you don't start with good microphones, then what's the point of improving the rest of the system?" He noted that Merchant herself is quite knowledgeable and interested in the technical side of her performance.

   They went with the Sennheiser 865 capsule after some unsettling experiences with another brand's dynamic response. Merchant has an awesome dynamic range, running from -20dB to +18dB on some nights, which saturated the other microphone. Sennheiser designed the 865 to withstand - and indeed beautifully convey - the brutally loud input of rock legend Sting. It seemed like the perfect solution.

   Owing to the genuine fidelity of the 865 and Merchant's musicianship, Scherban avoids all dynamics processing save for a dbx 903 set merely to limit dangerously loud material. "Too much processing ruins the simple beauty of Ms. Merchant's voice," Scherban opined. "I like to keep things as natural as possible." He uses the input strip on his Midas Heritage console for minimal equalizing.

   In addition to fidelity, Scherban appreciates Sennheiser's tight polar response, which complements their new DAS Compact side fill monitors. "The narrow pattern fits her singing style perfectly," he noted. "She sings right on mic and moves around on stage a lot. The DAS Compact 1 delivers an incredible low end that belies their genuinely compact size. And it's a tight low-end, not 'wall-y' or loose. Save for the obligate notching of room modes, I leave them flat because they sound great. With the DAS Compact 1s and the Sennheiser microphone, Ms. Merchant can be whispering while the rest of the band is at full-tilt without a hint of feedback. It's a nice system."

   Just introduced, the D.A.S. Compact 1 is a highly versatile, bi-amplified, three-way trapezoidal system cab, featuring Class D switching self-powered amplification at a competitive price point. Configurable as a powerful stand alone full-range unit, or as a mid-high range partner to a dedicated low end system, the Compact 1's Class D amplification delivers considerable advantage in terms of power-to-weight, dynamic response and efficiency, and provides 500 W (RMS) each to the low frequency driver and the mid-high section.

   The low frequency section employs a 15-inch driver (with four-inch voice coil). The mid range is handled by a horn loaded six-inch cone loudspeaker. And the M-5 one-inch exit compression driver, with two-inch titanium diaphragm, completes the array and is coupled with a constant directivity horn to provide enhanced high frequency pattern control and definition. In addition to the technical excellence of their products, Scherban cites first-rate customer service as a Sennheiser hallmark. "Rob Treloar, Sennheiser's NE distributed brands manager has been really good to us. His extensive engineering background makes him more than just a salesperson because he improves our show by meeting our needs with the products and systems that dissolve problems before they exist."

   In picture: Today, Tonight, and the Late Show - Scott Scherban takes the DAS Compact 1 all around New York.

22nd November 2001

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