Beyoncé performed at Super Bowl XLVII with Sennheiser wireless microphones

Beyoncé's audio team and experienced music event producer ATK Audiotek opted for Sennheiser wireless technology.

The XLVII Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, played at the Mercedes-Benz in New Orleans, featured a performance by Beyoncé at halftime, one of the highlights of the broadcast with millions of viewers.

With millions of fans keeping an eye on the show organized by Pepsi, there was no room for error. For this reason, Beyoncé's audio team and the experienced music event producer, ATK Audiotek, opted for wireless technology. Sennheiser. Continuing in the tradition of last year's record-breaking show by Madonna, who also performed with Sennheiser, Beyoncé's 12-minute-long performance featured a medley of some of her best and best-known songs.

Beyoncé, a 17th-time Grammy winner and longtime Sennheiser user, used a custom, chrome-finished Sennheiser SKM 5200-II portable transmitter topped with an MD 5235 dynamic capsule. “She has such a great voice,” said Eighth Day Sound Systems' Stephen Curtin, who is also Beyoncé's front-of-house engineer. "It is difficult to put many other microphones on it since it can easily distort the capsule if it is too involved in the subject. Being calm because there are not going to be big problems is very important for me from the beginning."

Beyoncé, her entire girl band and her dance troupe performed a medley of hits including Love On Top, Crazy In Love, End Of Time y Baby Boy, before her Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams teamed up for tracks that included Bootylicious and Independent Woman. Rowland and Williams also stayed on stage for Beyoncé's smash hit, Single Ladies, and they let her do a solo Halo for the grand finale.

“Nothing beats the quality and frequency response of the RF compressor on Sennheiser equipment,” said Jason Kirschnick, Chief Technology Officer at Eighth Day Sound Systems, Beyoncé's tour service provider.

Monitor engineer Demetrius Moore succinctly sums up the microphone's sonic attributes: “The Sennheiser SKM 5200 is the best live-sounding vocal microphone in the world, hands down,” he said.

Before the start, and using a matte black Sennheiser SKM 5200-II transmitter with an MD 5235 dynamic capsule, Alicia Keys presented the All-Star Athlete flag sitting on the piano on stage in the shape of the NFL logo. Keys' voice was shimmering and crystal clear, and her stirring rendition of the national anthem served as the perfect spark for what would be one of the most memorable Super Bowl events in recent history.

More than 80 audio and communication channels

Sennheiser's advanced RF technology is tremendously beneficial during special events such as the Super Bowl, where this year Jason Eskew and the team at Professional Wireless Systems coordinated more than 80 channels of audio and communication. Stephen Curtin is carrying a total of 12 channels of Sennheiser EM 3732-II wireless receivers on the current leg of Beyoncé's tour. There are eight channels for SKM 5200-II microphones, including one main and one backup for Beyoncé, three background vocalists and guests, plus four for trumpets. All trumpet players use SK 5212-II portable transmitters.

“From a technical perspective, RF is a big advantage simply because we can get the 3732 as a bandwidth product and cover the entire frequency range,” Curtin explained. "This gives us the ease of adapting it where we can, especially in crowded RF environments. There aren't many products that can do that; everything else is specific to certain bandwidths."

“Sound-wise, Sennheiser has always been my choice,” he continued. “There is always a significant difference when you compare someone using another product with Sennheiser.” The misaligned rejection of the Sennheiser vocal microphone is another benefit that Curtin appreciates. “Having great directivity and being able to obtain a significant amount of benefits before coupling is a great novelty.”