HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 2008: Television viewers have been getting an eyeful of Sennheiser this year as the company’s wireless microphone and personal monitor equipment has been increasingly incorporated into reality programming audio production. Now, as the new fall season gets underway, Sennheiser RF products are dominating primetime with appearances on “Dancing with the Stars,” “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” and “America’s Funniest Videos,” plus daytime talk show, “Ellen.”

Earlier this year, Sennheiser RF products were heavily featured on “Rock the Cradle,” “The Singing Bee” and the season finale of the fifth season of “The Biggest Loser.” More recently, “America’s Got Talent,” which wound up its latest season on October 1st, has been utilizing four channels of the new EM 3732 digital receiver, provided by Burbank, California-based Soundtronics.

ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” returned for its seventh season in late September, pulling in over 21 million viewers for its live premier night. SKM 5200 wireless handhelds with MD 5235 omni capsules as well as MD 42 omni reporter’s microphones make frequent appearances onscreen. Less visible are the contestants’ sub-miniature MKE Platinum lavalier microphones the SK 5212/SK 5012 body-pack transmitters, and the numerous mics on the orchestra. Behind the scenes, new EM 3732 dual-channel digital receivers and A 5000 CP antennas ensure trouble-free audio production.

The show’s mixer, Evan Adelman, who also mixes “America’s Funniest Videos,” reports that the body-packs are switched on, set up, then sewn directly into the dancers’ costumes. Until several seasons ago the men’s transmitters were simply hung off their belts. But then, says Adelman, “Joey Fatone was doing some kind of a spin and his transmitter flew off. But the microphone remained attached to him and the connector never came loose. The transmitter was flying around but I never lost his microphone!”

During the three-day live premier of “Dancing with the Stars,” eight channels of Sennheiser’s ew 300 IEM personal monitor transmitters were additionally brought in for the Jonas Brothers, who made a guest appearance. Jessica Simpson, who made a cameo on the second week of the show, also made use of Sennheiser RF equipment.

Randy Faustino, mixer for “American Idol,” where competitors make use of Sennheiser’s popular SKM 5200/MD 5235 combination, recently wrapped audio production on another music competition show, “MTV’s Top Pop Group,” which also uses all Sennheiser equipment, he reports. Faustino, who recommended Sennheiser wireless gear for FOX’s “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” which just started a new season, is not surprised that the mics and IEM systems are dominating primetime television. “It’s a great product. Something comes out and it sounds good, people want to try it!” he says.

The Emmy Award-winning “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” one of the most-watched daytime talk shows, recently adopted EM 3732 digital receivers, wireless handhelds and body-packs in time for its sixth season, which began September 8th. The show, previously owned by NBC, is now filmed in HD at Warner Bros. Studios.

Thom Salisbury, Sennheiser’s western regional sales manager noted, “The performance of our wireless gear, as well as our ability to react quickly to the changing guest appearance needs, really sets Sennheiser apart and truly makes us partners with the audio crew. They know our equipment and our people will come through for them in a pinch.”

Ensuring that the Sennheiser brand will be seen on televisions across the country into the New Year, the second season of NBC’s “The Celebrity Apprentice” has started shooting, and features a large quantity of the company’s equipment. More than seventy channels of Sennheiser 3000 and 5000 series camera-mount receivers and body-pack transmitters, supplied by Audio Specialties Group of Burbank, California, are being used to capture the action for the reality series, which will premiere in January 2009.

As if that weren’t enough, Sennheiser products are also popping up in the commercial breaks. The new Windows campaign features celebrities and ordinary folk stating, “I’m a PC,” including Pharrell Williams of record production duo The Neptunes and the funk/rock band N.E.R.D., who delivers the line via an SKM 5200 wireless mic.

Concluded Dawn Birr, product manager for Sennheiser professional products, “This season, turning on primetime TV is equivalent to watching a Sennheiser commercial!

SENNHEISER Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Sennheiser’s pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com

PHOTO CAPTION Can you find the Sennheiser body-packs on Dancing with the Star’s top contenders, Brooke Burke and her dancing partner, Derek Hough? ©PHOTOGRAPHER/ABC

OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT: The All-Star Game decides home field advantage going into Major League Baseball’s World Series, but it was an all-Sennheiser microphone lineup that brought the crack of the bat and the sound of the crowd into millions of homes this year. Viewers who tuned into the 2008 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays on FOX heard every sound from the field and the stands thanks to an array of Sennheiser MKH 8000 series, MKH 416 shotgun and MKE 2 lavalier microphones positioned around the stadiums, embedded in the bases and the outfield wall, and mounted on the roving RF cameras.

Production mixer Joseph Carpenter reports that he typically used five of the new MKH 8000 series microphones throughout the National League game schedule this season, as well as during the post-season October Classic. “I have three of them, omni pattern, in my parabolic microphones around the home plate, for the bat crack and the glove pop. I also use a pair of them in centerfield for my main surround channels. I wish I had more - I’d use them all over the place!”

As for the front channels of the 5.1 soundfield, Carpenter has typically been using eight Sennheiser MKH 416 shotgun mics. “I have a main pair of 416s that are straight out of the booth, on either side. Depending on the stadium, they are either an XY [coincident] or a wide pattern AB [spaced stereo] pair. I also have microphones on the high first and high third camera positions. The ones in the booth are a little closer in proximity to the crowd, so I try and aim the high first and high third at the maximum distance across the stadium for a distance perspective. There’s another pair of 416s that point across to the upper decks. And, depending on the stadium, the amount of noise and where it comes from, and the type of PA system they have, I have another pair at low first and low third, near the foul poles, that point more into the crowd.”

The frequency response of the MKH 8000 allows Carpenter to treat the mics, which are positioned exactly 180 degrees opposite each other, very differently according to his needs. “I’m using the same microphones two completely different ways. On the infield, on the bat crack and glove pop, I’m trying to notch the crowd to get as much of the frequencies out of them as I can in terms of the glove popping and the bat cracking. I’m accentuating those crowd frequencies on the outfield mics in the rear channels. I find that these 8000s are so dynamic that they don’t require much EQ as they are, but when you do want to specifically enhance or detract they’re perfect, because they pick up quite a wide range,” he reports.

All of the MKH 8000s are hardwired back to the broadcast production truck, as are nearly all of the MKH 416s, except for those mounted on a couple of roaming RF cameras. “We also have wireless microphones in the bases, which are MKE 2 lavaliers on SK 250 transmitters. We use SK 250s in the outfield wall, as well,” Carpenter adds.

With the field now covered by so many microphones, Carpenter comments that he is making use of newer technology to automatically switch the 5.1 surround soundfield perspective with the cameras. “Sometimes subtle changes in your audio perspective give you a nuance to a sporting event, especially in baseball, which is shot from so many different angles,” he says. “Once we started putting mics in the bases I really tried to bring that front forward, so that it was more of a perspective change aurally as well as visually. Now the technology has brought us to a point where camera tallies can trigger faders on a console, I figure, why not use it? I try and keep evolving and experimenting. Plus, one day everybody is going to have surround systems, so let’s figure it out now.”

SENNHEISER Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Sennheiser’s pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com

PHOTO CAPTIONS (first image) FOX production mixer for the 2008 Major League World Series, Joe Carpenter, used a number of Sennheiser MKH 8020 and 8040 Series, MKH 416 shotgun and MKE 2 lavalier microphones, positioned around both of the stadiums, embedded in the bases and the outfield wall, and mounted on the roving RF cameras, to capture critical field and crowd coverage. (second image) Fred Ferris, aiming one of the omni-directional MKH 8020 Series in the parabolic microphone reflector around first base for bat cracks and field effects during the 2008 World Series at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida.

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 2008: For one amazing night in September, the Long Beach artist group, FLOOD, dedicates four square blocks of indoor and outdoor space in the East Village Arts District to dozens of sound art installations. Now in its fifth year, “SoundWalk” bills itself as “an audio tour for people who don’t normally take audio tours” and has gained international acclaim. This year, seasoned theater sound designer and UC Irvine Professor Vincent Olivieri presented “Sound Ceiling” using four ultra-directional Sennheiser AudioBeam loudspeakers to deliver four unique aural environments within one undivided space.

To realize his installation, Olivieri spaced the four Sennheiser AudioBeam loudspeakers three feet from one another and lined them up against one wall in a room that was about 20′ by 10′. He covered the opposite wall in absorbent material to minimize reflections. The extraordinarily narrow beamwidth of the AudioBeam made the distinct program material emanating from each speaker seem like an aural spotlight. A participant walked into one of the four “spotlights” and experienced one soundtrack while someone else a few feet away and standing in a different “spotlight” experienced something completely different. Participants could walk from “spotlight” to “spotlight” and radically alter their aural environment in just a few paces. Program material included the sounds of machinery, forest animals, a train, the New York City subway, an art gallery, and water dropping.

Nothing in everyday life can compare to the “Sound Ceiling” experience, according to Olivieri. “By delivering a variety of aural environments to different ultra-directional loudspeakers, I hoped to raise questions about how we define our environment,” he explained. “How do our ears determine where we are? How do our bodies navigate the disparity that arises when different senses perceive wholly different environmental cues? What happens when people in the same physical space receive different environmental cues? “Sound Ceiling” caused each listener to challenge their preconception of how sound affects perception of the physical environment. By passing through the “Sound Ceiling,” a variety of aural cues caused the listener to reevaluate their surroundings.”

“Suffice it to say, ‘Sound Ceiling’ could not have happened without Sennheiser’s new AudioBeam technology,” he continued. “They have a reputation for creating high-quality products that are innovative and reliable. Audio Beam is no exception.”

The Sennheiser AudioBeam is much more than a variation on standard loudspeaker technology, for which only high-frequency content is directional. Instead, AudioBeam uses 150 piezoelectric transducers to transmit an ultrasonic signal that demodulates at a short distance in front of the speaker. As a consequence, even low-frequency content retains tremendous directionality.

By all accounts, “Sound Ceiling” was a smashing success - a steady stream of participants filled the room throughout the evening and appeared equally puzzled and delighted by the experience. Olivieri will certainly elaborate on “Sound Ceiling” at next year’s SoundWalk. But Olivieri is already contemplating other creative uses for UC Irvine’s new AudioBeams.

“Most of my professional work has been as a theatrical sound designer,” he said. “Part of designing sound is determining how best to deliver that sound to the audience. Standard practice is to divide the audience into subsections and design delivery systems for each subsection. In theatrical environments, the goal is usually to create a uniform aural experience for every member of the audience, but I have long been interested in breaking that rule.

“The Sennheiser AudioBeam now makes it possible to break that rule,” he continued. “More importantly, it raises a host of interesting philosophical questions that both me and my masters students are excited to tackle. For example, what is the role of audio if not every member of the audience hears it? How does changing the aural environment for different members of the audience alter their experience of the event?”

SENNHEISER Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission, and acoustic audio systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Sennheiser’s pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com

PHOTO CAPTION Vincent Olivieri, theater sound designer and UC Irvine professor, presented the fifth annual “Sound Ceiling” sound art installation using four ultra-directional Sennheiser AudioBeam loudspeakers to deliver four unique aural environments within one undivided space.

OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT: Steve Winwood continues to enjoy as prolific and collaborative a career as any musician could hope for. Over the past forty years, Winwood has worked with blues legends Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Bo Diddley, rock icons Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Joe Cocker, and even pop idol Christina Aguilera, among many, many others. His solo releases, including 2008’s “Nine Lives,” have enjoyed commercial success and critical acclaim. Together, his collaborations and celebrated solo efforts have the now sixty year-old Winwood touring and recording as vigorously as ever! Winwood relies on a Neumann KMS 105 vocal microphone for both his live engagements and his studio work, and he and his band upgraded their wireless personal monitoring systems to Sennheiser ew 300 IEM G2s for their recent tour of North America with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

“We first heard the Neumann KMS 105 many years ago during soundcheck at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville,” recalled James Towler, who wears the many hats of FOH engineer, studio engineer and tour manager for Winwood. “They had one there and let us try it. We were all awestruck by the sudden clarity of Steve’s vocals. Even the spill coming down the side of the stage was crystalline - just brilliant! We went out and bought four of them straightaway.”

Of course, an awesome live vocal microphone must do more than simply sound superb, it must be robust to the rigors of the road and have sufficient off-axis rejection to prevent feedback and spill from other instruments. In both regards, Towler claims the KMS 105 excels. In fact, he suggested they bring the microphone into the studio because Winwood tracks live with his band. The fidelity and rejection that made it so valuable on stage served perfectly in the studio as well.

“Almost all the vocals on ‘Nine Lives’ were cut live in the studio with Steve on the KMS 105 and a pair of Neumann U 87s on his Hammond,” remarked Towler. “We captured a fantastic, natural sound with plenty of isolation on the vocals.”

On tour, everybody but Winwood’s drummer uses Sennheiser ew 300 IEM G2 wireless personal monitors. Apart from improved fidelity and stereo separation, which all the musicians noticed and appreciated, Towler was grateful for the robust wireless performance of the units. “We’re in arenas one day, casinos the next, and festivals the day after that. We’re in a lot of dirty RF environments, and we’re almost always playing with several other bands who all have wireless systems of their own. You can see that the potential for problems is tremendous, yet we go in night after night without a single glitch. I use the scanning feature to find open frequencies, lock in, and that’s it. It takes the headache out of it.”

Winwood and his band are now heading off to Europe for a string of headlining gigs though October and November.

SENNHEISER Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Sennheiser’s pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

NEUMANN Neumann’s award-winning line of microphones has set the standard in the industry since 1928. In 1999, Neumann received the prestigious Technical Grammy(r) for its 70 years of innovation in microphone design and contribution to the music industry. A continuing commitment to provide innovative, technically-refined products and engineering solutions of proven quality ensures that Neumann’s stature will remain unassailable.

Neumann is proudly affiliated with the Sennheiser Group, which also encompasses Klein + Hummel (renowned sound reinforcement solutions) and Sennheiser Communications (technologically advanced headsets for PCs, offices and call centers). Neumann products are distributed exclusively in the United States, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean through Sennheiser Electronic Corporation, located in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com • www.neumannusa.com

PHOTO CAPTIONS (first image) Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer, Steve Winwood uses the Neumann KMS 105 for live performance and for his studio recording. (second image) James Towler, FOH engineer for Steve Winwood, found the Neumann KMS 105 delivered amazing clarity for Steve Winwood’s vocals.

OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT: Leading microphone manufacturer Sennheiser has teamed up with Harmonix Music Systems, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games to feature Sennheiser virtual microphones, Sennheiser-sponsored virtual events, and Sennheiser virtual accessories in Rock Band 2, which was released on September 14, 2008 in the U.S. The agreement gives Sennheiser an exciting new avenue of exposure to a young generation of aspiring musicians and amps up Rock Band 2 with in-game models of the most highly-respected live vocal microphones in the music industry.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Harmonix Music Systems,” said Kristy Jo Winkler, Sennheiser relations manager for the Americas and Canada. “The kids will now get the opportunity to sing into the world’s leading brand of microphones in Rock Band 2! This unique opportunity is another great example of Sennheiser’s ongoing commitment to innovation.”

After earning virtual money on tour in Rock Band 2, vocalists can go to the game’s “Rock Shop” and buy Sennheiser e 935, Sennheiser MD 431 II, Sennheiser MD 441, or Neumann KMS 105 live vocal mics. Of course, these are the same mics used in the real world by such mega stars as The Foo Fighters, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Jonas Brothers and Avril Lavigne. Players can also access descriptions of the microphones, allowing them to select the characteristics that best fit their band. For example, do they need a Sennheiser e 935 like Avril Lavigne is using on her current tour to cut through screaming guitars, or do they want to emulate Dave Grohl growling into the MD 431 II? When players use a Sennheiser microphone, the logo remains prominent on-screen.

In addition to featuring microphones in Rock Band 2, Sennheiser also “sponsors” a challenge event in-game and “awards” t-shirts to players with serious skills - t-shirts that the Rock Band stars can wear indefinitely! A link to Sennheiser’s website is prominently placed on the video game’s hugely popular website, rockband.com, and Sennheiser is credited in the game.

Released on September 14, 2008, Rock Band 2 raises the bar in music gaming innovation with the ability to export most of the songs from the original Rock Band disc[i], Online World Tour, daily Battle-Of-The Band Tournaments, Auto-Calibration to eliminate TV lag, wireless drums, velocity sensitive drum heads, support for up to three cymbals (sold separately), advanced voice detection technology, No Fail Mode, and a real Drum Trainer. Rock Band 2’s massive list of innovations also includes the ability to export your in-game band avatar to the internet or order custom merchandise including apparel and figures.

Rock Band 2 features the largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame to date including over 100 songs [ii] on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack with an unrivaled blend of classic and new artists including AC/DC, Guns ‘N Roses, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Motorhead and more! With the addition of complete and immediate backwards compatibility for songs purchased from Rock Band’s ever-expanding online music store and the ability to export most songs from the original Rock Band disc, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs[iii] by year’s end.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

HALEDON, NJ – NOVEMBER 7, 2008 – New songstress Allison Gayne has struck a chord among fans as she launches her first single, Crazy Mixed Up, on iTunes, Rhapsody and Amazon.com. The new song, which is a quirky tune about a woman in love with a “crazy good loving guy,” as is quoted in its lyrics, is now available on iTunes and Rhapsody under the search “Jay St. Records” as well as on Amazon.com under the search, “Allison Gayne.”

As a singer with seven years of vocal instruction under her belt, Gayne teamed with the new independent record label, Jay St. Records (JSR), over the summer to record

Crazy Mixed Up,” which was written by Harry Henderson for MacKay Publishing. During the process, she received great help and support from JSR Executive Producer Harry Henderson along with her co-music producer and manager, Michael Pizzileo.

“Allison gets it in terms of getting into the heart of a song,” says Henderson. “She will do whatever it takes to get the desired performance. We are eager to showcase her New York style and streetwise attitude in her upcoming releases.”

“After years of having a passion for music, it is with great pleasure that I am able to finally share my love for music with the public at large,” says Gayne. “Crazy Mixed Up is a fun song that it can lift anyone’s spirits, which is representative of the uplifting music I want to deliver to my fans. I always pride on enjoying my musical experience and I want to ensure that my fans receive that same experience.”

Now that Crazy Mixed Up has been released, Gayne is busy working with Pizzileo and Henderson on a four to five song mini-album that will include her self-produced dance song, Peep Show, which will be followed by a full album debut in 2009.

“I am very excited about the new mini-album that we are working on,” says Gayne. “In this case, I am not only singing on the album but am also writing some of the music and lyrics. This gives allows me the opportunity to hone in on my creative juices. In writing my own music, I am able to capture the ultimate form of creativity and expression.”

After seven years of vocal lessons and participation in several talent shows, Gayne has seized her destiny as a professional vocalist. When she is not recording at the studio, she is busy writing songs and performing as a lead singer in the cover band, “Random Access.” She also works full time as a senior account executive for a Long Island public relations firm. For more information about Allison Gayne and to hear her some of her music, visit www.myspace.com/allisonbgayne.

Based in Haledon, NJ, Jay St. Records (JSR) is an independent music development and marketing company that offers vast services including songwriting, producing, recording, manufacturing and distributing. Its core values are based on the JSR executive producer Harry Henderson’s childhood days on Jay St. in North Jersey. For more information on JSR, visit www.jaystrecords.com.