All five members of Take That are using Sennheiser SKM5200 handheld wireless microphones with dynamic MD5235 heads and EM3732 MkII dual receivers, as well as 2000 series in-ear monitors (IEMs). Further sets of the IEMs are used by the backing band, dancers and technical crew, while wired backing vocal mics are e 935s.
One of the biggest challenges of the show is its sheer size, with a B stage projecting well into each stadium. This has meant the addition of Sennheiser's A5000-CP circular polarized antennas alongside a dual set of transmitters and receivers.
"Sennheiser UK's Andy Lillywhite and Mark Saunders helped us to set the system up. We ended up doing some fairly involved stuff to get microphones working 70m away inside the B stage," says Simon Hodge, monitor engineer for the backing musicians. "We've got some very long runs of aerial cables, but they devised a system with both head and local amplifiers to try and get the gain from the mics up and it works really well."
He continues, "The high power mode and the fact that the systems all network together means we can see a display on the screen and re-program all of them in one go, which is very useful.
"With the show featuring a B stage many metres from the main stage and the boys all on wireless personal monitoring, distance was a definite concern. The 2000 series IEM systems with AC 3200 active combiner and A5000-CP antenna have proved equal to the task," says Andy.
Another challenge was that the stages and the ramp linking them feature a high proportion of metal screens, which are a key part of the production's aesthetic, as well as providing places for the band members to hide at various points during the set.
"These shows are a testing environment for microphones - much of it takes place out in front of the PA, we've had humid and wet days, but they sound fantastic," says Front of House engineer Gary Bradshaw.
"The Progress tour is one of the biggest single tours that Sennheiser UK has worked with," concludes Mark Saunders. "The scale of the show has meant that even the newer products have been pushed to their limits, but these sort of shows are what the 2000 series IEMs and EM 3732s were designed for.
"Simon, Gary, Pete and Steve have set very high standards in a very testing set up to ensure that the guys in the band have seamless audio and RF performance, but they have been nothing but positive about working with Andy and I to make sure that we help them to achieve that."
For an indepth look at the technical aspects of Take That's Progress tour, see the July issue of LSI Magazine, out now(Jim Evans)
