The Feeling chooses Sennheiser and Neumann

20 November 2006

UK - The Feeling have recently returned from a sell-out tour supporting 'The Fray' in the US and Canada, and are now on a nationwide tour of the UK accompanied by a complete arsenal of Sennheiser and Neumann mics, together with Sennheiser in-ears. Production manager and FOH engineer Jon Sword says: "The band are very much hands-on when it comes to microphone choice and we recently auditioned the Neumann KMS 105. We tried it out and that was it! The band specialise in close harmonies on stage and the sound was breathtaking."

Sword continues: "We find that the mic characteristics totally compliment the band's style. Mid-range is very sweet and velvety, and despite running them as loud as we would ever want them, the top end still has plenty of air and is devoid of any harsh sibilance."

The supercardioid polar pattern means that on-stage levels can be maintained without any feedback, and coupled with the audio quality of the Evolution 300 IEM G2 wireless monitors, the band is helped even further with their performance. The combination is such that each member hears a clear balance of their close-knit harmonies, which lets them focus on what they're playing.

Jon Sword adds, "Lead vocalist Dan Gillespie Sells wanted to try the wireless KMS 105 and the quality was tremendous. Not only did we love the warmth of the sound, but Sennheiser wireless has lived up to all expectations. Throughout the US and UK tours, frequency management has been rock solid. We have never experienced a single drop-out, no altercation with the sound quality, and everything's been so stable it's frightening!"

Sword is using four Evolution e606's on amps with an additional e609 on bass. These mics have been designed to hang right in front of the speaker and Sennheiser has re-engineered the capsule for a punchier sound to capture the raw energy of the guitar amps.

For Paul Stewart on drums, Sword likes to pair an e901 and e902 on kick which gives the best of both worlds of high SPL capabilities and a solid, fast attack. He also comments: "The e604 clip-on mics have always been my favourite for toms. Apart from their unobtrusiveness, they have a really big sound that requires the minimum of EQ. On hi-hat and tambourine I use two e614 condenser mics which pick up the presence of the cymbal and give me a much cleaner overall sound than other mics I have tried. I'm also loving the size of them, so small!"

The Feeling continues their busy UK schedule and the band has already booked a further tour in the UK for February 2007, continuing on into Europe and America in March.

(Chris Henry)