More years ago than I remember – or even care to remember – I used to mix audio for a live band. They were popular too, one of the top bands in Perth here in Western Australia, when “pub bands” and live bands in nightclubs were still a thing.
We were working 7 nights a week with 2 gigs a night, so yes, it was a busy, busy time.
The heart of the setup was a 20 channel audio mixer and all the mics were fed into this from the stage via a 30 metre multicore cable. This alone took a good 15 minutes to plug everything in, not counting time to assemble mic stands and the like.
Thankfully, we had the foresight to colour code all the connectors otherwise it would be a logistical nightmare.
We did try wireless guitar connectivity for a while, but the latency was horrible and as the guitar amps were mic’d it wasn’t practical.
Wireless
Wireless has come a long way since those halcyon days of course. I have been using wireless mics on video cameras for some 15 years I am guessing, if not more in fact. The change to digital from analogue was a huge step forward, and now, as most would know, you can buy a decent wireless mic kit from GoPro, DJI, Hollyland, Insta360 and Sennheiser for minimal $.
But these types of systems are not suitable for a number of applications such as live concerts, lecture theatres, broadcast studios, film and TV production etc where a more robust and flexible option is needed.
Live Productions etc
And this is the area Sennheiser is targeting with the new EW-DX EM2 wireless system.
The EW-DX EM is a 2wo-channel digital half-rack (9.5″) receiver for use with Evolution Wireless Digital handheld, bodypack and table stand transmitters. It supports extended 88 MHz switching bandwidth, intermodulation-free operation for up to 293 channels with secure AES-256 encryption and redundant power supply via Power over Ethernet (PoE).
So strictly for the professionals then.
To simplify the description as little, basically it’s a small console box designed for rack mounting, and is designed for use with Soundbase software, and audio management platform developed by Show Code in collaboration with Sennheiser. It is designed to manage, coordinate, monitor, and document wireless microphone and in-ear monitor systems from multiple manufacturers through a single interface.
Features
For the audio boffins out there, the features of the Sennheiser EW-DX EM 2 are:
- Two-channel digital half rack (9.5″) in rugged metal housing
- Up to 88 MHz switching bandwidth
- Low latency of 1.9 ms wireless transmission thanks to proprietary Sennheiser Performance Audio Codec (SePAC)
- 142 dB input dynamic range – no need to set gain on your wireless transmitters at all, thanks to proprietary Sennheiser Performance Audio Codec (SePAC)
- Equidistant channel spacing to easily allocate intermodulation-free channels: Standard Mode with 600 kHz spacing for up to 146 channels; Link Density (LD) Mode with 300 kHz spacing for up to 293 channels
- Works seamlessly with SoundBase software, unifying your workflow into a single, simple platform
- Network enabled for expanded remote control with Sennheiser Control Cockpit, Wireless System Manager), and 3rd party media control systems via plug-in
- Power over Ethernet (PoE IEEE 802.3af Class 3)
- Ethernet connectivity (IPv4 and IPv6)
- AES-256 & Dante Media Encryption offers the strongest protection against signal hacking
- AutoScan-feature quickly scans your environment and deploys frequencies with equidistant channel spacing – even without RF knowledge
- Link Quality Indicator (LQI) showing the quality of the links separate to the RF levels
- Remote control via Smart Assist App over Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) at distances up to 25 meters
- Clear and easy focused user interface with OLED display, jog wheel navigation and control buttons
- Selective headphone output with volume control on front panel
- Extended menu settings such as custom frequency list, selectable sync parameter and walk test
I was sent a Sennheiser e835 wireless handheld mic for testing with the EW-DX EM 2, and while of course the testing environment was not ideal, I can say the audio was crystal clear. I couldn’t test the range, but Sennheiser says under clear line or sight, 100 metres can be expected.
The RRP of the Sennheiser EW-DX EM 2 without any mics is around $1529 and more information is available on the Sennheiser website here.