On a world tour to promote their new album Humbug, which runs through to February next year, indie rockers the Arctic Monkeys are carrying a range of Sennheiser microphones to give them their signature sound.
Having previously worked as front of house engineer with acts including the White Stripes, Mark Ronson, Keane, and The Flaming Lips. Sensibly adopting the approach that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, he has continued with the previous FOH preference for Sennheiser microphones scattered liberally throughout the stage.
The drum kit features a mixture of e901 and e902 dynamic cardioid mics, one of each on the kick drum and 904s on the rack and floor toms.
“I’ve loved both of these mics since they came out, both have a very sturdy design and sound great,” says Matthew. “I’m a particular fan of the 902. It’s got a fantastic deep, low end thump to it and makes my job really straightforward, as it provides an instant huge kick drum sound!”
In contrast, Matthew approaches the guitars and bass with a mixture of cutting edge and timeless Sennheiser technology, double miking each with an e906 and an MD421-II.
“For me it’s the ultimate combination for guitar amplifiers, a mix between the classic 421 and something more modern in the form of the e906,” he says.
“I like the fatness of the 421 and the flatness of the 906 together, it’s a combination of mics that works supremely well together for guitars. The switchable hi settings on the 906 are very useful as well!”
On vocals, an e935 is used for lead, with the rest of the band performing backing vocals via e945s.
“Most of the band is on the 945 for the hyper-cardioid pattern, as the stage volume is so high. As with all Sennheiser microphones, they offer great sound quality as well as really effective rejection of all the background noise,” says Matthew.
“We use the 935 for lead vocals because we need to cope with a more dynamic range and as some of the performance is off-mic, it really helps to have the wider cardioid pattern. Both the 935 and 945 allow me to get clear, natural sounding vocals which really jump out in a loud mix.
“They are always my live vocal microphone of choice, not least because they’ve proved to be extremely reliable. I’ve been using the 935 from its first release and have always been impressed at how well it can take some of the worst abuse and just keep on working!”
In addition, the hyper-cardioid pattern of 935 and 945 also help with the stage monitoring allowing Will, the band’s monitor engineer, to get the band’s vocals up and over the loud guitars and drums on stage without feedback.
“Sennheiser is also amazing at providing worldwide support for its products,” adds Matthew. “We’ve always had the highest quality service from the team. They really stand behind their products and their support for the end user is superb.”
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