JONAS PRODUCTIONS, ON TOUR WITH HARRY CONNICK JR.

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JONAS PRODUCTIONS, ON TOUR WITH HARRY CONNICK JR.
IS A BELIEVER IN SENNHEISER AND NEUMANN

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JULY 2008: Sennheiser technology was at the
forefront for the performance by Harry Connick Jr. and His Big Band during
the two-hour Concert for Hope that preceded the Sunday Mass led by Pope
Benedict XVI at New York's Yankee Stadium in mid-April. Indiana-based Jonas
Productions, Inc., Connick's long-time production sound partner, ensured
there would be no technical problems by relying on tried and trusted Neumann
and Sennheiser microphones and RF technology. In addition, Connick's usual
touring set-up was supplemented with Sennheiser headphones for the entire
band.

Having used Sennheiser equipment with Connick around the world, Scott
Griffith, senior RF coordinator and monitor engineer knew there would be no
problems. "I put a lot of time every day into RF coordination," he said.
"We've used it all over the world. We've been all over North America and
Canada, Western Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia, and in that time I
haven't had a single failure of a Sennheiser RF product or any of the
microphones during a show. All the Sennheiser RF equipment is rock solid
every night."

The setup at Yankee Stadium, where Connick and His Big Band performed as
part of a two-hour show that also featured tenor Ronan Tynan, Jose
Feliciano, opera star Marcello Giord and Connick's guest, vocalist Kim
Burrell, was certainly a challenge. Front-of-house engineer Randy Cole
explains, "Imagine the band playing around what would be home plate, Harry
singing and playing piano at what would be roughly the pitcher's mound, then
the PA being above the stage where the Pope was located, at second base. We
ended up using Sennheiser HD 280 headphones so at least the band could hear
in time." The musicians were undoubtedly also helped by the -32dB of passive
isolation afforded by the HD 280 PRO headphones.

The typical touring setup includes Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld transmitters
outfitted with Neumann KK 105-S capsules for Connick. "As the RF environment
gets more and more hostile it becomes more and more important that we have
the 5kHz agility," says Griffith. "On a full blown show we also have three
Neumann KMS 105s on gooseneck stands - one at the piano, one at the upright
piano and one at the B3 organ."

"It's the best vocal mic I've ever worked with, period," states Cole. "Harry
tends to not really sing into the mic so much as sing around it. When he's
speaking he tends to drop the mic down around his waist. I still get the
same response as when he's speaking right into it. You still maintain a
nice, full-range, warm sound, and when he gets on it it's not too boomy."

Griffith oversees a half-dozen channels of Sennheiser EM 3532 true diversity
receivers. "Two are for trumpet players, who are using SK 5212 belt-packs
with an MKE Platinum lavalier mic. It's really important with those guys
that the mic isn't a distraction, because it's so much closer to their face
than, say, a trombone player. I love the sound of the Sennheisers, and I
love the sound of that belt-pack."

Tenor saxophone player Jerry Weldon also uses an SK 5212, paired with a
Sennheiser e 908 mic. "One thing that we really like about the 908 is the
way that the mic is shock-isolated from the gooseneck. That does wonders for
handling noise," says Griffith. "Same thing with our walk-on trombonist,
Lucien Barbarin, who uses a 5212 and a 908. He does a lot of human voice
mimicking with the trombone, and it's a really faithful reproduction of
that."

As for the rest of the band, says Cole, "We use a combination of Neumann TLM
193s for the saxophones and TLM 127s for the trombones. All those mics are
great in their own way but the 127s are fantastic on the trombones. They
give that nice, deep, warm sound of the trombone. It's smoother than
anything else I've used on them."

Cole continues, "What I've been using on the kick is a TLM 193. One of the
saxophone positions is right in front of the drummer, so I've got a row of
193s there already. It's a kind of New Orleans street beat kick drum for the
majority of the songs. Then when we do the traditional jazz he does four on
the floor, and with the 193 I'm able to have a kick drum that isn't a pop
sound. Using any other mic didn't really go between the two styles, and the
193 matched well with what's already coming into the saxophone mics."

Adds Griffith, "The drum overheads are KM 184s. That's my entire drum mix
for the horn players. I really am catching the snare and the toms and even
some of the kick drum with those, and it's a faithful reproduction."
Griffith is using a KM 185 to capture the high-end of the acoustic bass.
"The KM 185 is pointed at where his fingers hit the strings at the bottom of
the neck to catch the slappy sound of the bass," he explains.

"If the tour ever does need support," says Griffith, "service from
Sennheiser is great. If I need something I pick up the phone and I call Dawn
Birr or Alice Hencir personally and they send me anything I need right away.
Logistics are never a problem. Any service issues that we've had, it's just
been a phone call and it shows up the next day."

SENNHEISER
Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and
wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany,
Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in sixty countries around the
world through long-term distribution partners and subsidiaries in France,
UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore,
Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and the USA. Sennheiser's technology is
produced in manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland and the United States
of America. Their pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the
company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and
the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences.

The Sennheiser Group is proud to be affiliated with Georg Neumann (Technical
Grammy(r) award-winning studio microphones), Klein and Hummel (studio
monitors) and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications that brings their
award-winning technology to headsets for PCs, offices and call centers.

NEUMANN
Neumann's award-winning line of microphones has set the standard in the
industry since 1928. In 1999, Neumann received the prestigious Technical
Grammy(r) for its 70 years of innovation in microphone design and
contribution to the music industry. A continuing commitment to provide
innovative, technically-refined products and engineering solutions of proven
quality ensures that Neumann's stature will remain unassailable.

Neumann is proudly affiliated with the Sennheiser Group, which also
encompasses Klein + Hummel (renowned sound reinforcement solutions) and
Sennheiser Communications (technologically advanced headsets for PCs,
offices and call centers). Neumann products are distributed exclusively in
the United States, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean
through Sennheiser Electronic Corporation, located in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com €
www.neumannusa.com

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