Thousands of people this week gathered at Rockefeller Plaza for the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, an event that was televised locally and nationally in prime time.
The event, an annual tradition since 1933, featured live performances by Susan Boyle, Charice and others. Mount Vernon, NY-based Wireless First, a production specialist, selected Sennheiser to provide the wireless infrastructure for the event.
Aside from the obvious logistical challenges of mounting and decorating a giant Norwegian spruce with 30,000 environmentally friendly LED lights, Rockefeller Center represents a mammoth RF challenge to wireless operators because it is in extremely close proximity to Radio City Music Hall and most of the major TV broadcast networks.
For this year’s production, Wireless First used all Sennheiser equipment, including 18 channels of Sennheiser's EM 3732 wireless receivers, which were used in conjunction with its MKE 2 lavalier mics and its SKM 5200 handheld wireless transmitter.
Each of the SKM 5200 handheld mics was outfitted with a Neumann KK 105 S capsule to ensure pristine audio reproduction. In addition, Wireless First installed 12 G3 wireless personal monitors as well as another dozen channels of receivers.
