The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest, with host broadcaster Ictimai TV at the helm, have placed their trust in experience. So Brainpool TV GmbH, which worked with the German host broadcaster NDR to produce last year’s outstanding Song Contest, will be producing and directing this year’s event too. Similarly, as in Dusseldorf, Markus Müller of MM Communications will be supplying the wireless equipment. He will work with a team of six to look after the microphone and monitoring requirements in Baku, supporting Florian Kessler, the Head of Sound. Dr. Heinrich Esser, President of the Professional Systems Division at Sennheiser, said: “We are proud that the organisers of the ESC have placed their trust in our microphone technology once again this year, and we are glad to be working with Brainpool and Markus Müller.”

For the Eurovision Song Contest – with its semi-finals on 22nd and 24th May and the grand final on 26th May – more than 150 wireless microphone and monitoring links will be operating in the newly-built Baku Crystal Hall. As well as the microphones for the artists and presenters, this includes the microphones for the opening act and the interval
show, production microphones, microphones for the rehearsal room and press conferences, and wireless monitoring systems for the artists, presenters and technical crew.

The planning for the microphone and monitoring systems will be in the capable and experienced hands of Markus Müller and his team; they will be assisted by two Sennheiser RF experts, Klaus Willemsen and Gerhard Spyra. Markus Müller said: “A live broadcast with 125 million viewers is an immense challenge: it counts on the reliability both of the equipment and of the people behind the scenes. I am greatly looking forward to Baku and the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest!“

Sennheiser equipment for the Eurovision Song Contest:

Microphones for contestants, other performers and presenters:

• 46 x SKM 5200-II hand-held transmitters with Neumann KK 104-S capsule heads
• 52 x SK 5212-II bodypack transmitters with 180 x HSP 4 headset microphones
• each with EM 3732-II dual-channel receivers
• 7 x ASA 3000 antenna splitters
• 21 x evolution e 908 instrument microphones

Wireless monitoring for contestants, presenters and technicians:

• 25 x SR 2050 dual-channel transmitters
• 6 x AC 3200 II antenna combiners
• 197 x EK 2000 monitor receivers
• 400 x IE 60 in-ear headphones

Other rehearsal, production and event microphones:

• 22 x SKM 5200 hand-held transmitters (with EM 3732-II dual-channel receivers)
• 20 x SK 5212 bodypack transmitters (with EM 3732-II dual-channel receivers)
• 2 x camera systems with SK 50 pocket transmitters, MKE 1 clip-on microphones and EK 3041 camera receivers
• 4 x camera systems with SKP 2000 plug-on transmitters and EK 2000 camera receivers
• 12 x Neumann KMS 105 vocal microphones
• 12 x ME 36 gooseneck microphones with MZTX 31 PTT table stands