With over 40 million streams, New Zealand-born country-pop artist Kaylee Bell now considers Sennheiser’s Evolution Wireless Digital microphone systems an on-tour essential. Fresh from supporting Ed Sheeran on the six-date New Zealand leg of his Mathematics World Tour, Sennheiser EW-D has become a constant companion — with the band having previously chosen Sennheiser equipment for its reliable sound and dependable quality.

The self-managed musician kicked off 2023 by winning an Australian Golden Guitar Award for ‘Vocal Collaboration of the Year’, and now embarks on her own tour — the 16-date ‘Boots ‘N All’ debut tour of New Zealand — where the same wireless convenience will take her full live band shows to the next level.

Since setting themselves up with Sennheiser’s wireless system, the band has changed how they approach live performance. “As a performer — especially on the Ed tour, with the stage being so big — we had the freedom to run everywhere, which was amazing. Having such a minimal stage setup allows us to have so much more fun as a band. It gives a sense of unity, and being able to move around freely really allows our personalities to come through,” shares Bell.

From the production perspective of the band’s audio technician, Nick Campbell, the initial engagements with Ed Sheeran’s team were revelatory. “When asked about our setup we realised that all we needed onstage was a drum kit because everything else was now wireless,” he said. “All of our vocal mics and guitars, and all the backline that we have sitting off-stage are wireless, which they were really happy about as it made things a whole lot easier.”

During the tour, the team were able to bond with Ed Sheeran’s stage management crew. Kaylee’s front-of-house engineer Josh Anderson shared some insights saying, “They just don’t have issues on their shows. They are very particular about what they take on the road, and because of this they are able to run a very reliable set-up. The fact they use Sennheiser speaks volumes.” 

When chatting with Dave White, Ed’s RF and looper tech, Campbell gained an understanding of how shows of that magnitude work, and how the scalability of a Sennheiser setup like that could tie into it. Campbell says, “We can rock up to a pub with this gear and play to 50 people, or at the other end of the scale we can show up and support Ed Sheeran with the exact same gear and have more or less the same set-up time.” While the introduction of wireless may have reduced set-up times, it’s not all about convenience. The Sennheiser gear has also helped to reduce touring costs as the entire rig can be taken on the road in a 23kg pelican case.

Kaylee’s band have been using Sennheiser’s EW-D, but will now extended UHF range and channel count as they transition to the EW-DX on their ‘Boots ‘N All’ tour. By simplifying their workflow with its scalable transmitter and receiver options and automatic multi-channel RF set-up, the EW-DX is setting the standard in the live audio industry. “We don’t lose tone going wireless, all of our guitars have the same great level of consistency. This is the first thing we consider when adding new gear into the rig, so there will be no loss of quality as we move forward with the EW-DX,” says Anderson.

Also helping Anderson and Campbell to deliver an all-round professional sounding production are the G4 in-ear monitors that have been paired with Evolution Wireless Digital microphones, as well as the Smart Assist app which allows remote adjustments to be made from around the venue.

The Evolution Wireless Digital family of products brings a level of consistency and range that helps Kaylee and her band to transcend genres, and float across country, rock and pop. Kaylee finishes by explaining how Sennheiser enables this amalgamation saying, “There is a strong reliance on guitars to create a ‘rock’ element to our shows, but it’s also important to be able to deliver something quiet and reflective by breaking down a song with some beautiful acoustic guitar.”

Kicking off on 4 May 2023, Kaylee heads on her national NZ Boots ‘N All tour, for event dates and ticketing information visit here.

Photo credit: Mike Braid

Audio-Technica announces the launch of its new 3000 Series Wireless In-Ear Monitor System, created to bring professional sound quality and features to all levels of performers and performance venues. The ATW-3255 3000 Series Wireless In-Ear Monitor System is a durable in-ear monitor system that is easy to use and delivers high-quality sound with dependable RF across more than three times the tuning bandwidth of competitive models in its price range. 

With design elements modelled after Audio-Technica’s acclaimed 3000 Series UHF Wireless Microphone Systems, the 3000 Series IEM system features a rack-mount transmitter with front-panel controls and a large OLED display, compact body-pack receiver and ATH-E40 professional in-ear monitor headphones. The body-pack receiver’s efficient headphone amp and ATH-E40 headphone’s proprietary dual-phase push-pull drivers combine to provide a clear, natural sound quality on any stage.

The 3000 Series Wireless IEM offers UHF coverage for maximum versatility in the increasingly congested RF environment, spanning 650 to 693 MHz in frequency band EG2. Additional features include pan/personal mix controls; a cue mode that allows an audio engineer to monitor several IEM channels from a single receiver; a 3000 Link mode that enables compatibility with 3000 Series wireless microphone components; and network monitoring and control via the Audio-Technica Wireless Manager software. Both the transmitter and receiver include OLED screens for optimal readout of key settings and alerts, especially in low lighting situations. 

The body-pack receiver operates continuously for up to seven hours when powered by NiMH batteries and charged in the optional ATW-CHG3 or ATWCHG3N charging stations. For compatibility and convenience, these are the same chargers used by 3000 Series microphone systems’ UHF body-pack transmitters. The transmitter is equipped with balanced XLR inputs and loop output, plus a network port. 

“The system and feature set were developed based on market surveys and customer feedback gathered over a number of years,” stated Gary Boss, Audio-Technica U.S. Marketing Director. “We can confidently say that the feature-rich 3000 Series Wireless In-Ear Monitor System continues to deliver Audio-Technica’s promise of making high-quality, dependable audio accessible to all.”

The new 3000 Series In-Ear Monitor System contains the ATW-R3250 Receiver, ATW-T3205 Transmitter, and ATH-E40 Professional In-Ear Headphones and is priced at AU$1499.

At half the price of other competing products, the COMBINE8 represents a significant value for in-any brand in-ear monitor (IEM) system, allowing you to connect up to 8 IEM transmitters to a single remote antenna like the CP Beam.

Key Features

• Any brand IEM (unlicensed) may be used.
• 8 Channels in 1RU, saving rack space.
• Greatly reduces interference from stock antennas and increases open channel count.
• Less than half the price of other competing products.
• Includes (8) BNC jumpers to connect transmitters, right out of the box.
• External dc power supply to power up to 8 transmitters (5A).

The COMBINE8 is packaged with the CP Beam Antenna in the RF Venue 8 Channel In-Ear Monitor Upgrade Pack

The COMBINE8 is shipping now, through all RF Venue Dealers and Distributors.

Shapeshifter, an enduring figure in New Zealand’s electronic music scene, has released its seventh album, Rituals, recorded using a suite of audio equipment from Sennheiser and Neumann.Berlin. The unique act has cultivated a large following over the last three decades and is known for mixing elements of acoustic and electronic instrumentation, while looping live and pre-recorded instruments and layering them with kaleidoscopic audio textures and synth beats. During the making of Rituals, Shapeshifter relied on go-to classics such as the Neumann U 87 microphone, Sennheiser’s HD 25 monitoring headphones, and for the first time, Sennheiser’s ew 300 IEM G3 Wireless Monitoring System — which the artist previously only used when performing live.

As a group of seasoned musicians, Shapeshifter had a new objective for their latest project. In the words of keyboardist, guitarist, percussionist, and producer Sam Trevethick (Sambora), “Before we started work on this album, we did a stock take and asked ourselves why we were creating new music. Was it to fulfill other people’s expectations of us? Were we trying to recreate the life we had enjoyed as a band these last few decades? That’s not us and Shapeshifter was never in the music industry for the sake of it. We no longer have to prove ourselves as a live electronic act. Rituals became a back-to-the-basics album where we refocused on the core essence of the band and recaptured the enjoyment of making music. This album is very ‘us’, from the musical themes to the lyrical themes, and we’ve really mastered this aesthetic.”

The creative approach is not cut-and-dried for Shapeshifter. The band members live in different parts of New Zealand, and tend to write and hone ideas separately, bringing them together among each member’s home studio and at their monitor engineers warehouse studio in Christchurch, which the band considers its home base and where much of Rituals originated. Due in part to this disparate writing and recording process, reliable equipment is a key consideration for the band – particularly for mixing and monitoring. Shapeshifter swears by the HD 25 monitoring headphones: “it is a staple in the studio for us. As a producer, it is so important to have the same headphones as the singer so you’re hearing the exact same things and can more easily troubleshoot during takes. We couldn’t do it in the studio without them,” says Sam.

As a live electronic act, Shapeshifter has mastered the art of mixing live recorded instruments and vocals with computerised rhythms and audio textures. On the stage, they achieve this unique sound using their ew 300 IEM G3 monitoring system from Sennheiser which allows them to hear all of the details and nuances of each other’s performance as it happens — without being distracted by outside noise. For the making of Rituals, the band brought their IEMs into the studio for the first time. Sam shares, “we shifted our whole live setup to the studio, and it changed our world. Using the IEM system to record allowed us to choose our own mix, adjust our mixes and hear everything we were doing with clarity. It is such a luxury to hear all of the details and nuances during recording, and it was especially eye-opening for me as a guitarist. Looking back, I can’t imagine how we did it before without the IEMs!”  While the ew 300 IEM G3 monitoring system has been succeeded by the EW IEM G4 wireless system, the band’s continued use and innovation with the system is a testament to the longevity and quality of Sennheiser equipment.

While the in-ear monitors were a new addition to the recording process for Rituals, the band made sure to bring some tried and tested equipment to the studio as well. Shapeshifter has been using the Neumann U 87 microphone since 2006, “the mic was our first studio equipment purchase, and it was the sound of our next two albums, Soulstice and The System is a Vampire,” says Sambora. The U 87 has been a staple in recording studios for over 50 years, trusted by thousands of artists for its balanced frequency response, incredibly low self-noise, and elegant design. Shapeshifter’s use of the mic has evolved over the years, “we primarily use it to add colour to our tracks. If we want vocals with a lot of clarity and sparkle, the U 87 is what we use. I even have one in my home studio.” In addition to recording vocals, the U 87 was also used for the kick drum and vibraphone. With this, Shapeshifter recorded Rituals with the Neumann KM 184 for their hi-hat, a pair of U 67’s for the grand piano and drum rooms, as well as the Sennheiser MD 441-U on toms. The band also uses the Sennheiser e 604 on drums to feed back into the G3 in-ear-monitor mix for foldback monitoring.

As a band that is so focused on the nuances of its music, where so many layers of sound and sonic textures meld together to take the listener on an aural journey, it is no secret that creating high quality recordings is a priority for Shapeshifter. In Sam’s words, “a musician can’t buy the best gear and assume that their music will be great – there is a lot of hard work, and a measure of luck that goes into writing great music. When the ideas for music do come, it is imperative to honour them, and a big part of honouring those ideas is recording in high quality audio.”

Shapeshifter has no plans to slow down on the back of Rituals. Sambora reflected on the album and what is next: “The process of recording Rituals was a journey for us that was not always easy. We recorded it during COVID and got to really focus on it, so lockdown worked in our favour in a way. Now that it’s out, we’ve rebuilt our energy as a group and are excited to create new material and bring new ideas to life in the next wave of Shapeshifter.”