Sennheiser Backs Up Berliner Philharmoniker in the Immersive Beethoven Concert: Commemorating the Fall of Berlin Wall

In November 9, 2014, the Berliner Philharmoniker performed in commemoration of the fall of Berlin Wall exactly 25 years ago. Conducted by Sir Ramon Rattle and performed by Karol Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater, the Berliner Philharmoniker was supported by Neumann and Sennheiser digital microphones for this special event, offering topnotch audio quality for recording and processing the event in 3D sound. The Sennheiser and Neumann microphones were added to the microphones, which are already installed and used in the hall.

Sennheiser International Recording Applications Manager Tonmeister Gregor Zielinsky built the concept by consulting the Philharmonie sound engineers and created digital microphone signals installed begin the capsules.

Sennheiser International Recording Applications Manager Tonmeister Gregor Zielinsky admitted to use the digital microphones and created several recordings, saying, “My impression is that completely digital productions have a particular sound character, regardless of which pieces I am actually recording. The sound is always clean, detailed and differentiated. It’s a bit like looking through a freshly cleaned window rather than a dirty one. Particularly when I’m recording classical music, the production gains additional audio quality when digital microphones are used.”

The microphones bundle is made up of:

• Sennheiser MKH 800 TWIN
• Neumann KM 133 D

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Using the miking technique, which specially enables 3D-processed recordings, the entire event uses a rectangular microphone array, which is suspended and installed in the hall.

The rectangle microphone array is consisted of:

• four Sennheiser MKH 800 TWIN on MZD 8000 digital modules in the corners
• each MKH 800 TWIN: has two capsules with signals that can be accessed separately
• one capsule of each microphone pointed forwards while the other pointed backwards

The four corners are mounted in two different heights on the same plane with similar depth. In addition to that, there will be front and rear signal-operated loudspeakers and Neumann microphones pointed upwards, using subsequent 3D mix. And finally, without any SBK 133 sound diffraction spheres, the MKH 800 have the Neumann KM 133 D to accompany them.

Gregor Zielinsky sees microphones as the best filters there are. Though it may be a common aphorism, Zielinsky based his choices in this motto and so was able to choose the appropriate microphones. These are the matchups he created:

First and Second Violins: miked with three Sennheiser MKH 8040

Brass section: miked with a total of four Sennheiser MKH 8090

Cymbals and Triangle: Same microphone type as Sennheiser MKH 8090

Four Solo Vocalists (Soprano, Tenor, Alto, Bass): miked with four MKH 8090

Chorus: miked with four MKH 8040 and two MKH 8090

Harp: Two Neumann TLM 103

Eighteen Neumann KM 184 D: divided among:

• Violas
• Cellos
• Double basses
• Bass drum
• Woodwind instruments

Usually offered in Solution-D product family, the Neumann Digital Microphone Solutions is composed of RCS remote control software, which enables conveniently remote-controlled microphones and either 2 or 8 channels DMI interface, which is responsible for establishing the signal flow for audio devices’ connection. For the RCS remote control software, it was created in accordance with AES42 standard, which are composed of:

• Signal and data transmission
• Signal feed
• Remote control and synchronization

Sennheiser microphones use MZD 8000 digital modules either screwed at the heads of the microphones of the XLR modules or operated at a distance.

Arrangement Advantage: direct proximity of the A/D conversion to the capsule itself and the elimination of a conventional external preamplifier and the noise level this may introduce

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