Girl Named Tom recently wrapped a several-month tour on which they used the new Sennheiser EW-DX digital wireless system for vocals as well as electric and acoustic guitars and the EW G4 wireless in-ear monitoring system for all five musicians in the band.
“We were honoured to be the first American touring act performing with this specific set up, and we are thrilled to report that these microphones are the best we’ve ever used, by far,” the band commented. “At our first soundcheck, our sound man, Felix Hunt, was raving about the system, the strength of signal, the ease of set up and the consistency from night to night, city to city. The sound quality is smooth and consistent, giving us the ability to improve our music immensely”.
The three singers are all using Sennheiser’s MM 435 cardioid dynamic vocal microphone capsule: “I was excited to try out the 435 and it definitely delivered,” commented Hunt, who mixes front-of-house, monitors and is also the band’s tour manager. “It has a lot of nice detail, especially for a dynamic mic, but it is still predictable in the way that a dynamic mic should be. I really love the microphones. I like the 435 pretty much better than any other vocal mic I’ve ever used. I’m anxious to try it out on other artists as well.”
Hunt has been especially impressed by how the set-up of the EW-DX system at each show. “It has been a new thing for me with how quickly these mics scan and how easily they sync. Every day I fire them up, I scan and sync them, I hand the band the mics and they are good to go. I’ve never even had to mess with networking, they scan so fast, and I don’t think I’ve ever had to resync, so it is super simple,” Hunt enthused.
The siblings are quick to praise the EW-DX mics for helping them take their vocals to the next level: “When Bekah first sang into the 435 capsule she was amazed at the natural sound of her voice,” commented band member Joshua Liechty. “And Caleb has reflected multiple times throughout this first tour on how these mics have improved his confidence as a singer. Thanks to the richness of the mic and the clarity of the IEM system, Caleb has been transformed from a confident harmonizer into a confident lead singer when so called.”
The band’s touring EW-DX system was also fit for a wireless electric guitar and three wireless acoustic guitars: “We did the first couple of weeks wired, then we went wireless, and everything went really well,” Hunt reported. “Once we get the gain structure settled in, we plug it in every day and it’s the same as wired. For me, the true test of how the wireless works on a show like this is on the artists’ in-ears. If this works well, it will probably sound really good out in front.”
The three singers and the bass player use G4 wireless IEM setups, with the drummer on a wired body pack. “It is super easy to tune them, and it doesn’t take much time at all,” Hunt explained. “I scan the packs every day and then attach the relevant frequencies to the network boxes. There is almost no processing on the in-ears, which is a testament to the mics, for sure. I haven’t had to fuss with sculpting and EQ and they are always really, really happy with their vocal sound.”
Hunt says the system has stood up to the task. “There have been no problems with the reach,” he also commented. “We use one of the mics in the talk back which is carried all around the stage and there are no troubles. We did a dinner-type of show in Alexandria, Virginia, and the band went out into the crowd, singing in the middle of the room, and we had no problems at all with the signal.
Despite playing in some challenging RF environments, Hunt says, the EW-DX system has stood up to the task. “There have been no problems with the reach,” he also comments. “We use one of the mics in the talk back which is carried all around the stage and there are no troubles. We did a dinner-type of show in Alexandria, Virginia, and the band went out into the crowd, singing in the middle of the room, and we had no problems at all with the signal.
While the trio’s familiarity with Sennheiser began on The Voice, it was the long-standing relationship between Sennheiser Relations Manager Tim Moore and GNT’s manager Jenni Tackett that solidified the partnership: “Tim has always taken great care of my artists, not only with the quality of products and sound on stage, but with care and understanding of the artists entire organization,” said Tackett.
For the Liechty siblings, it’s all about the live show right now: “It really matters how these songs spin through the air to our fans and with Sennheiser, they sound clear as a bell.”
