Sennheiser’s Spectera system hits the dance floor

Sennheiser's Spectera system hits the dance floor. Image Tobias Bro Klindt

The Danish EDM sensation, Infernal, is putting Sennheiser' Spectera through its paces with sold-out shows at Copenhagen’s Vega

The EDM duo Infernal is known for headlining the biggest Danish festivals, playing songs like From Paris to Berlin and Don’t Play Safe. By chance, the group's monitor engineer, Christian Almer, also happens to work for Sennheiser. It was inevitable, then, that he brought a Spectera system to try out for Infernal's wireless monitoring in the duo's newest shows.

Almer was asked to become part of the Spectera Pioneer Program, which has also been tested during the World of Hans Zimmer concert in Germany. He was keen to trial the system, saying, “As part of the Pioneer Program, I wanted to test everything. During my frequency coordination I often deliberately found two TV channels with very strong signals and placed my wideband channel right between them.”

Spectera was employed as an in-ear monitoring system for both the shows at Vega and eight private events. To measure Spectera’s range, Almer connected one or two antennas to the base station, with the antennas placed near the stage.

The members of Infernal, Lina Rafn and Paw Lagermann, were pleased by the Sennheiser Spectera system. Lagermann shared, “I am excited by the top-end clarity and the full stereo perspective – it really feels fluid and endless.”

Almer in fact wears many hats as a RF technician and monitor engineer. Image Jannick Boerlum

Spectera features

The Spectera system’s features, like adjustable volume controls, a large operating range and crisp sound quality, also appealed to the duo. “I love the feature where I can click and see exactly what my volume is set to,” said Rafn. “The more I use it, the more confident I become.”

Lagermann agreed, saying, “I also feel like mentioning the range of the system. It’s such a huge plus that I can be standing somewhere backstage and still do a quick soundcheck together with my monitor engineer by the stage.”

The big game changer for Almer was the ability to extend the coverage beyond the venue with a 100-meter Ethernet cable and another antenna, which is not possible with a conventional in-ear system.

An unforgettable party with Spectera

Infernal’s Vega shows presented unique challenges for Almer. Usually, a monitor engineer will be positioned at the side of the stage to keep an eye on what’s going on. However, all equipment was hidden behind the large LED screen during the shows. The bidirectional communication from Spectera minimised this problem, allowing the link status, battery status and volume levels to be easily checked without eye contact.

Infernal uses four channels of Sennheiser Digital 6000 for vocals: two main and two backup. The duo also uses eight channels of Sennheiser ew G4 IEMs for the band, monitor cue, and communication with the tour manager, showing the range of products used by the team.

Invaluable feedback

The true intent of the Spectera Pioneer Program is evident in Almer’s feedback. “For the future, I’d love a volume recall function in the software to ensure levels on the Spectera SEK packs are set correctly before each show,” he said.

Almer also suggested that Sennheiser add a log feature to track in-ear levels throughout a show and enable the transmission of signals like MIDI from the keytar. This feedback is invaluable in helping Sennheiser refine its audio technology.

To learn more about Sennheiser, visit sennheiser.com