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<\/a>For the ESC, ORF with Head of Sound Gerhard Jansa and Agor\u00e0 with project lead Valerio Motta turned the Vienna Stadthalle into a full-energy spectacle of lights, laser beams and sound (Photo credit: ORF)<\/p>\n\u201cI believe there was a unique combination of factors that contributed to the result: excellent sound coming from the PA system, great signal flow management, and outstanding audio quality in the artists\u2019 ears,\u201d continued Motta. \u201cNot receiving a single complaint from any artist is a strong validation of the listening experience they had throughout the event. Using Spectera during such a demanding production environment and integrating it into a workflow of this scale was interesting not only from a technical perspective but also in terms of operational flexibility and signal management. In a production where reliability and speed are essential, having tools that simplify complexity can make a real difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Sound Room<\/p>\n Behind the scenes, technical crews, artists, and broadcasters had been working tirelessly for weeks to fine-tune every detail of the spectacular shows. The Stadthalle\u2019s sound room, led by Head of Sound Gerhard Jansa, handled mic audio, IEM audio, artist audio preparation, and audio distribution to the OB vans. Failsafe operation was key for the entire event; for example, the sound room accommodated two independent mixing desks with an operator each.<\/p>\n The same idea of failsafe reliability was behind the six Spectera Base Stations that were used \u2013 while four were active for audio and control data, working on one RF channel each, another one was exclusively dedicated to scanning the spectrum 24\/7, but could also run as a spare as it was already linked with all antennas. A sixth Base Station was a true spare unit. <\/p>\n \u201cThe requirement of ORF was nicely simple and short: \u2018We need coverage in the entire venue.\u2019,\u201d recalled Schmitt. \u201cWe started out with two Spectera DAD antennas at stage right and green room left for each Base Station, and that gave us full transmit and receive power for the hall. For extra reliability, we then added another two antennas per Base Station. Also, a firmware variant especially for the event had given us a preview of upcoming functionalities that were needed on site, such as a level recorder.\u201d An RF control center in the sound room continuously provided a full overview of the current status of the Spectera wireless microphones and in-ears using Spectera WebUI and the Sonoros app. <\/p>\n Jonas N\u00e6sby pointed out the simplicity that Spectera provided for cabling the arena: \u201cWe used a fibre run from the sound room to FOH, converting back to copper using standard IT media converters. This meant that we got the full performance of the remote antennas, and not the usual compromise presented by RF-over-fibre systems used with conventional wireless.\u201d <\/p>\n Spectera DAD antennas were also mounted behind the stage to ensure perfect coverage when the artists would enter the stage from behind the video wall.<\/p>\n Rotation makes the wireless world go round<\/p>\n The songs presented at ESC are three minutes long, and just as the many stagehands who were working so swiftly outside the camera angles, the audio team only had 42 seconds to change over to the next act. With six people maximum on stage per act, the team provided a mic rotation of six Spectera handhelds, an in-ear rotation of six Spectera SEK bodypacks working as in-ears only, and an \u2018all-in\u2019 rotation of six Spectera bodypacks with headsets mics and in-ear monitors. <\/p>\n Naesby noted, \u201cFor the artists who opted for a hands-free solution, we used the bidirectional Spectera bodypack with a cardioid Headmic 4. This mic contributed prominently to the overall sound quality, performing extremely well in front of the PA and wind machines. For those who preferred a Spectera handheld mic, we had brought the soon to be released Neumann KK 105 A capsules. This is a super-cardioid model to get less pick-up from adjacent sound sources and the room.\u201d<\/p>\n Highlighting the dimensions of the show, N\u00e6sby pointed out that \u201cNo other TV production builds in more redundancy than the Eurovision Song Contest. Almost the entire set-up has a full backup system ready to take over. Really, the only two things, where a dual set-up doesn\u2019t work, are the artist, and the microphone in their hand, making it the single most important piece of equipment in the signal chain. The Spectera handheld SKM quickly proved to be the perfect solution. The unmatched RF stability of wideband transmission, combined with multi-antenna capabilities instantly provided confidence to the production that ORF had made the right choice of bringing these pre-production samples to a show of this calibre.\u201d<\/p>\n Amidst their work at the Stadthalle, the crews in the sound room still found the time to give something back: From load-in to the grand finale, donations were collected for St. Anna Children\u2019s Hospital in Vienna, with Sennheiser matching the contributions. ORF and the EBU also invited 16 young patients and their parents to a special backstage visit with tour guide Victoria, where they met Austrian performer Cosmo and Cyprus entrant Antigoni, while collecting autographs and selfies from other artists along the way. <\/p>\n Wideband advantages<\/p>\n \u201cSpectera made life easier for everybody,\u201d continued Schmitt. \u201cFor the talent, who were impressed by its fantastically clear, spatial in-ear sound and who had just one bodypack to hide in their costumes when using a headset mic. For the dressing\/undressing team, who were happy that there was just one bodypack to fit into the costume, and last but not least for us, as Spectera is providing us with essential health data.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDuring rehearsals, we had a small incident where the talent on stage said \u2018I can\u2019t hear myself.\u2019,\u201d explained Schmitt. \u201cIn the past, that would have meant that we had to dash out of the sound room and up onto the stage to check what was wrong with the device. Now, we could see the issue in the Spectera software, connect with the liaison manager, ask her to plug in the earphones of the talent, and all was set. Nobody was in panic mode, everything was calm, which gave us a very, very good feeling for this production.\u201d<\/p>\n Schmitt goes on to cite a more complex example with an act that changed the stage costume three times \u2013 in an environment where inconsistency can introduce errors. \u201cIn the past, we didn\u2019t have any feedback from the device about how it fared with the newly chosen costume, which in this case was studded with metal elements, making us wireless experts extra nervous. With Spectera, we could immediately see when RF health deteriorated and take counter-action, before the artists even noticed that something was not OK. <\/p>\n \u201cOverall, Spectera earned praise from engineers, production teams and delegations alike for its crystal-clear audio, flawless wireless performance and exceptional RF stability in what is one of the most demanding and most celebrated live music broadcasts in the world,\u201d Schmitt concluded. <\/p>\n Spectera goes full circle<\/p>\n Sennheiser WMAS developers Jan Watermann and Sebastian Georgi were excited to see Spectera come to the ESC. \u201cA truly unique event, and we were so pleased to see the system being employed on it for the first time,\u201d said Georgi.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was actually at the ESC in Copenhagen in 2014 when fading problems required me to develop some software fixes for Digital 9000,\u201d recalled Watermann. \u201cA former shipyard had been chosen as the ESC venue, measuring 160 meters by 160 meters, everything made of metal. No RF would work in that environment. No comms radio, no police radio, no radio networks of any public authorities. We got Digital 9000 to work by employing special filters and optimizing antenna positions.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can actually say that the ESC was the birth of Spectera, because it was there and then that we decided to address the fading issues from a totally new angle. With standard wireless, you can set up more antennas, but that does not solve the underlying problem: the fading notches and cancellations. We wanted to eliminate those at the root.\u201d<\/p>\n Georgi added: \u201cAnd so we started out with the development of wideband technology for professional audio. Working with a broadband channel of 8 MHz, which is not prone to those fading notches, was the beginning. As bandwidth must not be wasted, this required multiplexing microphones differently, which again led us to the idea of time slots, and so the ball got rolling.\u201c <\/p>\n Watermann and Georgi actually returned to that same Copenhagen venue with their WMAS demonstrator in January 2016. \u201cWe set up a single antenna, and had coverage within the entire hall! That was the first time I saw Jonas N\u00e6sby on the verge of tears,\u201d smiles Georgi. \u201cThis shipyard is like a Faraday cage, and we had perfect coverage just like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Spectera puts an end to fading \u2013 and phasing <\/p>\n Watermann pointed out another important aspect that often gets overlooked: \u201cThe second issue we resolved are the phase issues and clock synchronisation of digital systems, the fact that phases can cancel each other out when multiple signals converge,\u201d said Watermann. \u201cStandard digital microphones have an internal clock, which simply starts transmitting. Even though the sample rate of the mics is the same, they aren\u2019t perfectly in sync. To be able to output them together, I would have to convert them all individually, because I can\u2019t tell the microphone to go slightly faster or a little bit slower; it just transmits, and you have to process the signals as they arrive.<\/p>\n \u201cA classic example of phasing issues is a broadcast host who uses a headset microphone and at the same time a handheld mic for interviewing a guest. During the interview, the host tends to forget that he or she is miked up already, and speaks into the handheld, too. The sound engineer gets the host audio over the headset mic and the handheld, so two signals, and on the mixing desk this results in cancellations within the frequency curve. The audio suddenly sounds weirdly phase-shifted, out of tune, if you will. Then the audio engineer usually reacts very quickly and pulls the fader down on one of the mics, but for a few seconds, you can hear this phasing effect.\u201d<\/p>\n Georgi added: \u201cFor Spectera, we needed to be synchronised anyway for the TDMA technique we\u2019re using, so we can now sync the internal clock of the mics, too. Now the sound engineer no longer has any issues with phasing and can simply mix all mics. This isn\u2019t just theory; we built the demonstrator and actually had five open microphones, and several people listened in and noticed, \u2018Wow, there\u2019s no more phasing here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is where Spectera comes full circle,\u201d the developers concluded. \u201cDevelopment started as a solution to the fading challenges that the ESC posed, and in its 2026 edition Spectera has arrived at the ESC, solving these issues, streamlining workflows and delivering exceptional audio for artists and audiences alike.\u201d<\/p>\n N\u00e6sby also was proud to once again have new Sennheiser technology on Eurovision: \u201cSennheiser made this show wireless back in the 80\u2019s, digitised it in 2013 with the introduction of Digital 9000 and now uses the cutting-edge Sennheiser WMAS with Spectera.\u201d<\/p>\n Sennheiser equipment in use during ESC 2026<\/p>\n 4 x active Spectera Base Stations, using one RF channel each 46 x Spectera SKM handheld microphones with Neumann KK 105 A super-cardioid capsules<\/p>\n 101 x Spectera SEK bidirectional bodypacks<\/p>\n Headmics 4 (cardioid)<\/p>\n IE 100 PRO in-ears and EK 2000 IEM bodypacks for the orchestra and dancers (openings and intervals) <\/p>\n (Ends)<\/p>\n The high-resolution images accompanying this media release and additional photos can be downloaded here<\/a>. Please make sure to include the photo credit where given. <\/p>\n Additional show images are available via the ORF, please register at https:\/\/presse.orf.at\/<\/a> and create an account . <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n About Agor\u00e0<\/p>\n Rome-based Agor\u00e0 is a leading production company for the rental, supply and installation of lighting, audio, video graphics, rigging and structures for every kind of music, corporate, sport and mass event. Founded in 1990 by brothers Wolfango and Vittorio De Amicis, the company\u2019s customer focus, high degree of customization and excellent quality of work have made it grow rapidly to one of today\u2019s leading production companies in Italy and one of the largest in Europe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ESC 2026 – Sennheiser and Agor\u00e0.docxDOCX – 12 Mb<\/p>\n Download<\/p>\n<\/a>Failsafe operation was key at the ESC \u2013 one of two independent monitor consoles<\/p>\n
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\u200b1 x Spectera Base Station for scanning<\/p>\n