| On the road with Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient™
Engineer Bill Barnett uses the 3D Active Ambient system with Maxwell and Stevie Wonder.
 Anaheim, CA (January 14, 2010) Three years after its introduction, the Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient IEM System remains the only viable way for artists to hear natural stage sound with their earphones in place. As a result, this patent-pending technology is finding its way onto more and more major tours. Chicago-based monitor engineer Bill Barnett is in the enviable position of working with two exceptional artists – Stevie Wonder and Maxwell. Both use the Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient.
“Stevie really loves the 3D, and he travels everywhere with it,” says Barnett. “He really likes the ambience. I usually set it pretty low for him, but usually by the time I get the bodypack back, he’s gone in there and turned it up. It’s funny, because I never see him do it, but obviously he knows how to get in there and adjust the ambient level to what he likes.”
Like most monitor engineers with artists on ears, Barnett has his own 3D system that he uses to mix with. “It lets me hear the in-ear mix exactly the same as the artist, and that’s important,” he notes. “I don’t actually use the ambient function while I’m mixing, except when someone needs to talk. If someone comes running up and has to tell me something, I can just reach down and flip the ambience switch to have a conversation. I love the fact that I don’t have to pull the earpiece out to talk.”
Asked what else he likes about the 3D Active Ambient, Barnett mentioned the field-replaceable cable. “The Sensaphonics cables have gotten so much better. They’re thicker now, and if something happens, it’s great to know I can switch it out myself.”
Barnett has been a Sensaphonics customer since 2001. “I was with 98 Degrees,” he recalls, “and we had Sensaphonics make custom sleeves for Shure earpieces, and that really helped with fit and seal. Then later, I moved up to the full custom earpieces, the 2X-S, and they were fantastic. I don’t like to listen to my ears too loud, and the isolation I get actually lets me hear more clearly at lower levels. And that’s important to me.”
Sharing that concern with his artists is, of course, a delicate situation. “That is a touchy subject, especially with someone like Stevie. I mean, the man is blind, so to know that I’m in control of his hearing for a two-hour show really makes me think. So I’m planning to get a dB Check so I’ll know exactly how loud he’s listening.” The Sensaphonics dB Check is a sound level analyzer that displays the exact level and safe listening times, with the earphones in place.
Barnett is preparing for another busy year in 2010. “Maxwell is gearing up for another tour, probably starting the end of January,” he reports. “Stevie, of course, just tours when he wants to, but whenever he calls, I’m ready. These are both great artists to work with, and Sensaphonics makes it easier to keep them happy. I’ve been very blessed.”
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