Sennheiser Spectera boosts 'Grease' production’ by Secret Cinema

The Spectera wireless audio system from Sennheiser, brand that distributes Magnetron in Spain, offers an immersive experience for this well-known production, carried out by Secret Cinema in London.

The well-known production Grease, launched by Secret Cinema at the event venue Evolution London has had the wireless broadband system Sennheiser Spectera, in an important deployment in the United Kingdom.

After being on the billboard from the beginning of August until a few weeks ago in Battersea Park, this immersive cinematic experience has transported audiences to the iconic world of the institute Rydell High, where the line between screen and reality disappeared.

The ambitious scale of this production and its unique requirements have provided the perfect testing ground for the advanced capabilities of the Sennheiser Spectera system, that has far exceeded all expectations.

Located in a large area of ​​75×50 meters indoors and 50×50 outdoors, Grease of Secret Cinema posed a considerable challenge for the wireless audio coverage, since the production had six different scenarios inside the venue and another five outside, including a fair setting with a circus attraction, a bar area with dancers, etc.

Sennheiser Spectera, brand that sells Magnetron in the Spanish market, is the first Broadband two-way digital wireless ecosystem of the world, that offers up to 64 channels in a single unit.

This advanced system provides never before achieved control over latency, audio quality and range, at the same time reduces equipment requirements thanks to its bidirectional body transmitters, what simultaneously manage the microphone and in-ear monitor signals.

Around the unique demands of this production, Gareth Fry, sound designer, explains that “it is a huge venue. Everything is a stage with performances and everything is a space for the public, mixing with each other, and that has been one of the key points of the show: create that immersive effect and make the audience feel as if they were completely inside the institute Rydell High and in iconic scenes of Grease”.

The Spectera system successfully provided a ccomplete overture for thirty members of the cast, distributing forty mic mixes and ten IEMs throughout the venue, what it was used for only two base stations and a total of eight DAD antennas that operated on two television channels.

“This was our first big presentation, testing the Spectera system to the limit. With the entire cast using microphones at the same time, achieving that coverage with a traditional system would have been very difficult, expensive and would have consumed a lot of time”, Fry assures.

The system's bidirectional capabilities were transformative for production. cast members they just needed a flask, which managed both the transmission of the microphone and the reception of the in-ear monitor.

Marcus Blight, Sennheiser technical applications engineer, provided continuous support throughout the deployment in such a complex environment. “Preparation was significantly faster, the Implementation is twenty times easier and less complicated, and the system robustness It is ten times larger - he points out -. By not having massive amplifiers, he electricity saving It is also an advantage. We do not consume a lot of current or many active devices turned on in the same space, y the system is more sustainable”.

The technical complexity of production exceeded the traditional requirements of a theater. Featuring features precisely timed to the original film and a combination of live action and pre-recorded elements, the wireless system had to facilitate audio input and, at the same time, offer fluid coverage in various spaces.

“Due to the magnitude of the project, with a large number of followers and speakers everywhere, the implementation of the radio had to be simple, and Spectera allowed it - Blight emphasizes -. The complexity of carrying out this type of production with a narrow web system would have been significant”.

Stage Sound Services, rental partner for production, had been preparing for this moment. Your manager, James Lewis, and senior accounts, Jonathan Everett, they secured the delivery of Spectera specifically for this show, recognizing its potential to transform your approach to wireless audio on a large scale. Kevin Gwyther-Brown, business development manager at Sennheiser, This company collaborated closely throughout the entire process, taking advantage of the exhaustive training sessions held at the beginning of the year.

"The serie 6000 the Sennheiser has been quite robust as radio system, so as far as Spectera is concerned, "It was clear that the build quality was going to be excellent," says Lewis.. At the beginning of this year, Marcus and Kevin gave a session on this system that was interesting and very informative. Although there was much to learn, since it is a completely different technology than the RF systems with which we are more familiar”.

Como Añade Gwyther-Brown, “Stage Sound Services has always been and remains committed to Sennheiser and the adoption of new technologies.”. This production perfectly exemplifies this collaboration, with the experience and innovative approach of its team, which made Spectera implementation a success resounding”.

The advanced system monitoring capabilities They allowed us to know the status of the artists' equipment, as Fry explains: “It is a bidirectional system that communicates with the control racks. With the IEMs we could see, from the control system, if someone had accidentally lowered the volume of their headphones and the system can detect if they had accidentally unplugged them”.

Tom Lishman, sound production engineer, highlights the crucial role the system played in the show's success. “We fully rely on IEM technology to keep the cast in sync in this huge building.”, and it worked in all scenarios. I don't think we could have achieved this with any other technology.. “We knew we were doing things that had not been done before.”.

The implementation demonstrated the Spectera flexibility in antenna connectivity, with some exterior connected via fiber optics and others internal via Cat5e cable with the two base stations of the system in two rack spaces. This versatility, combined with its range extension capabilities and advanced audio quality controls, was essential for the demanding production requirements.

During the months that Secret Media has produced Grease have also been used Sennheiser HM headphone microphones 200, completing a comprehensive wireless audio solution that overcame all the challenges presented by this ambitious theatrical experience.