HANOVER, Germany – With a lifespan of up to 25 years, scorpions have more sting and staying power than most other insects. The hard rock and heavy metal band that shares their name is at least as durable: it first rose to fame in the mid-1970s, and was first formed in 1965. Set to tour once more in 2010 to support their forthcoming album, Get Your Sting and Blackout, the band will once again rely on Sennheiser gear.
Almost from the beginning, the Scorpions and their longtime FOH engineer Achim Schulze have worked closely with Sennheiser, not only relying on Sennheiser's RF technology, but also helping define that sound and technology.
The band's latest DVD release, Amazonia – Live in the Jungle, for example, showcases the Scorpions' live performance using Sennheiser microphones, wireless technology, and wireless personal monitors in front of 40,000 fans in Brazil, with part of the proceeds going toward Greenpeace's efforts to slow tropical deforestation. The band will use the same Sennheiser gear for their 2010 world tour.
Schulze has spent most of his professional life behind the FOH desk for the Scorpions, joining them in 1979 while working for the touring company the band hired, Rocksound. "Rocksound had a very close relationship with Sennheiser," he recalled. "We discussed product ideas with Sennheiser, and we were among the first bands to test their prototypes."
Back in the days before Sennheiser wireless personal monitors were as widespread as today, Schulze and front man Klaus Meine traveled to the Sennheiser headquarters in Wedemark with their personal monitor wedges to test vocal microphones.
"Not only did Sennheiser give us the freedom to test products they had, as well as everything they had in the works, the Sennheiser engineers also modified microphones to help us get the sound we were looking for," said Schulze. "Today, Klaus uses the Sennheiser e 935 capsule. With the wireless SKM 935 G2, Klaus' voice is always powerful and nuanced and seems to find its own place in the mix." Three wired e 935 microphones deliver all of the band's backing vocals. A super-cardioid e 945 provides the pickup for guitarist Matthias Jabs' talk box.
The Scorpions' monitor engineer, Glen Schmeling, joined the band several years ago, after cutting his teeth in the 1990s working for bands, award shows, and big corporate events. "Sennheiser has always been my first choice because whatever the challenges, Sennheiser technology has always made my work trouble-free," he said. "When I came to work for the Scor¬pions, I was glad to see that they were already part of the Sennheiser family."
The Scorpions were using wireless personal monitors long before the technology came into vogue and, indeed, helped pioneer the modification of Sennheiser broadcast pocket receivers for live performance.
Today, every member of the band uses Sennheiser EK 300 IEM G2 wireless personal monitors, and Schmeling uses several Sennheiser NET 1 frequency management systems to keep the band's RF traffic flowing without conflict. "As long as I apply a few simple rules about antenna spacing and type, our Sennheiser system works flawlessly around the world, even in tough RF environments," he said. For his deskwork, Schmeling uses Sennheiser HD 25 headphones for their ability to reproduce faithful – even at loud volumes.
The Scorpions also travel with Sennheiser wired mics, many of which also share a history with the band. For instance, with all their traveling, setting up, and tearing down, they had always longed for a small drum mic that would clip to a drum rim instead of requiring a space-hogging stand. A little while later, the Sennheiser e 604 was born, and the Scorpions were among the first bands to beta-test it. The e 604 and the later e 904 are both now modern classics of the live drum set-up. The e 904s are used with the toms of drummer James Kottak. In addition, a built-in e 902 picks up the kick, an e 905 catches the sizzle and thump of the snare, and a multitude of e 914 small-diaphragm condensers capture cymbals and over¬heads. Flanking the drums, Sennheiser e 906s blanket the guitar amps of Jabs and Rudolf Schenker.
Because they travel the world so frequently and have been at it for so long, no one knows the rigors of the road like the Scorpions and their technical staff. Thus, they appreciate Sennheiser's Global Relations team. "The last time we were in Greece, we ran into a technical problem just before the show that threatened to bury us," said Schulze. "Pierre Morant and his colleagues from the Sennheiser Global Relations team responded immediately and literally saved the show. It's good to know that wherever we go, we can rely on that kind of super-responsive support and service."
For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com.
