Press release
20.02.2010 - Wedemark/Shanghai
Sennheiser Live Mixing Workshop in Shanghai
By Nicky Almasy
A workshop on “live mixing and sound engineering” might sound like something that might only interest a knob-twiddling geek, but Sennheiser Sound Academy’s recent seminar in Shanghai made it interesting by focusing on the magic that happens between the stage and the mixing desk through a ’hands on’ approach and using real rock bands.
 Organized by the Sennheiser Sound Academy and Sennheiser Beijing, the Sennheiser Live Mixing Workshop was held in Shanghai from January 24 to 28, 2010 |
After successfully running the same program in Spain, Russia, Turkey and India, the German audio specialist hit China almost like an old fashioned rock-tour, taking residence in Shanghai for five days from January 24-28. On board were Grammy award-winning producer and engineer Gregor Zielinsky, frequency manager Svenja Dunkel, RF wireless expert Klaus Willemsen, ’front of house’ sound engineer Oliver Voges, and ’ear-monitoring’ sound engineer Wayne ’Heights’ Gittens. |
Monitoring engineer Wayne ’Heights’ Gittens |
The group ran simultaneous training sessions each day in two well-known Shanghai venues – Mao Livehouse and the more jazzy Melting Pot, with visitors divided into small groups to create an almost one-to-one atmosphere between participants and instructors. This enabled them to get up close and personal with the trade, become more familiar with life behind the mixing desk and fire away questions on the fly. A basic understanding of music event technology, recording and mixing was required. |
The average participant turnout per day was 100 people, which remained constant throughout the five days. The workshops drew an equal mix of locals and foreigners, all potential future sound engineers looking to gain a complete overview of how a live music event is set up, mixed and played.
In-depth seminars and introductions provided participants with a solid working knowledge of all different aspects of how to set up the PA and the mixing desks, of FOH sound theory, monitor sound theory, RF wireless technology, FOH soundcheck and wireless monitoring. Frequency manager Svenja Dunkel: “For many it was fascinating to see how the jobs of the FOH engineer, monitoring engineer and frequency manager interrelate. If one task has not been fulfilled to complete satisfaction, everybody else – and of course the sound – are affected. Teamwork and communication are vital.” The variety of these topics with all the instructors’ patience and willingness to help participants created a truly friendly atmosphere and an encouraging environment.
The Honeys’ live gig was the highlight of the successful workshop |
On day 4 and 5, local rock group The Honeys took the stage, with the band members patiently going through all the different miking and mixing possibilities – until the perfect set-up was ready on the afternoon of the last workshop day and the event climaxed with a real live gig. “The most important thing is that it’s not just theoretical, but we also have a band on the stage,” said producer and engineer Gregor Zielinsky, emphasizing the ’hands-on’ approach of the workshop. |
FOH engineer Oliver Voges was delighted to be back in Shanghai with the Live Mixing Workshop |
“The people’s reaction is great, they ask a lot of questions,” said engineer Oliver Voges. “We always say that this workshop is not teaching, we will be there and try to share our experience, and we take the people on our journey. We are not teachers, we are engineers, so we are on the same level with the visitors. The difference is with this set-up – and that’s why this is a great opportunity to learn – because if it would be in real life with real audience and band I would not have more than an hour and a half to set up, but this way we have lots of time without the pressure and we are able to demonstrate things and answer questions.” |
“We were very much looking forward to it because the corporation of [Sennheiser Beijing’s general manager] Marc Vincent is incredible. The first thing we decided two years ago when we were in Shanghai was that we definitely would be back and we wanted to present the workshop in different surroundings, somewhere where actual music takes place. So we saw the pictures of this club and we said, ’Yes, that’s it. This will be perfect, this is where it happens in real life and the venue holds the amount of people that a gig usually has to deal with.’ So personally, I’m very happy.”
The audience seemed happy with the program, too. “Well, I’ve been around for three days and definitely the last day was the most exciting, being more hands-on,” said Steve Elson, a performer and Shanghai studio owner from New Zealand. “The audience got to use the hidden in-ear monitors so they could actually hear what the guys were explaining during the previous days. They were able to get on stage and hear the difference between the wedge monitors, the in-ear monitors and live sound at the front. The sound mixes were pinned on and off so they could hear the difference. Also, although it got a little bit technical that day I’ve learned a lot about antennas on the third day. I got hold of some information which I never heard before, so I was really pleased.”
Members of local pop group MP4 agreed: “We’ve attended all five days and loved it from the beginning to the end. We’ve learnt a lot about monitors, which is very useful as we’re performers and have a sound engineer in the band.”
The dedicated team of instructors was answering questions until the very last minute. Svenja Dunkel, who’s been in charge of her own station, initially concentrating on all the preparation for Sennheiser, calls herself ’the shadow behind the monitor guy’; most of her work being invisible as it usually goes with setting up the equipment.
 Sennheiser Beijing’s product manager Chen Ziqian and frequency manager Svenja Dunkel explaining the wireless monitoring receivers to the participants |
“Nobody can see it from here as I take care of all the wired microphones normally and the wireless part, which includes all the 150 receivers that we gave the audience on the last day. With the participants we ran through what I’m doing normally and then I showed them the practical part. It was important to not only tell them but also to demonstrate it. The job of frequency manager is not as well-known as the front-of-house and the monitor jobs, but people were really appreciative to learn something new from a different aspect. People were so interested and communicative.” |
Further workshops are being planned and can be booked via the Sennheiser Sound Academy.
The Sennheiser Group, with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. The family-owned company, which was established in 1945, recorded sales of over €385 million in 2008. Sennheiser employs more than 2,100 people worldwide, around 55% of whom are in Germany. Sennheiser has manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA, and is represented worldwide by subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as by long-term trading partners in many other countries. Also part of the Sennheiser Group are Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin (studio microphones), and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications A/S (headsets for PCs, offices and call centers).
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