Middlesex University Invests In Sennheiser

Middlesex University has recently made a significant investment in Sennheiser's Digital 6000 wireless microphone series to upgrade and future proof the systems used for its renowned media production courses.

The University's BA Television and Digital Production degree has been developed with industry experts to give students one of the most practical and career-focused television production degrees in the UK. The programme boasts a high ratio of technicians to students, professional grade teaching facilities with an equipment catalogue that includes EVS video servers, Sony vision mixers, Allen & Heath dLive mixing consoles, and Sennheiser microphone systems. The facilities are state-of-the-art and the University has hired its television studio facility to many production companies for programmes such as Humans 3, Unforgotten, and Mother, Father, Son. Graduates have gone on to work for an array of industry leading organisations, including the BBC, Endemol, ITV, E4, Disney and Sky TV.

The course comprises practical modules to plan and operate a range of productions from drama and sitcom, to documentary and chat shows, to film, across the spectrum of broadcasting, streaming, and video on demand media.

"The technical staff are all practitioners, so for a student looking for a hands-on degree that will fully equip them as technical operators from the get go, I don't think you can top what we have to offer," explained Aidan Delaney, technical manager in the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries at Middlesex University. "One of our graduates won Best Music Video at the NME Awards in 2017, another has gone on to become a producer for the television series The Circle in just a few years since graduating, which is very impressive."

To remain at the technological edge and cater for new elements in the degree programme, the department needed to upgrade and expand its range of microphones, replacing its existing stock of Sennheiser G3 500 series equipment.

The team decided to mix their stock between digital and analogue solutions, by purchasing both Sennheiser evolution wireless G4 500 Series and Digital 6000 wireless microphone systems.

"Due to a significant budget opportunity, the University had undertaken an overhaul of its entire audio system infrastructure to help navigate the emerging technology landscape. We decided to migrate our audio systems to Dante, so it was important that the new microphone systems would be compliant and have the flexibility to connect via Dante across the board," said Delaney. "Sennheiser was the obvious choice as it fits this mould and is industry standard, so we can familiarise students with the equipment they will be using in the field."

Delaney and his team decided to mix their stock between digital and analogue solutions, selecting both evolution wireless G4 500 Series and Digital 6000 wireless microphone systems. The new investment was selected and sourced through leading pro audio supplier and integrator, Stage Electrics.

"Our initial contact with the University was through a long-standing relationship of mine with one of the team," said Paul Roughton, Stage Electrics' National Sales Manager. "We were asked for our advice on the best solution for the course, bearing in mind that they wanted to invest in industry standard radio mic solutions. We suggested Sennheiser Digital 6000 and then went to the university to give them a demo. It's really exciting to be involved with such a forward thinking team who deliver an outstanding course and are keen to invest in the latest technology."

The Sennheiser G4 500 Series and Digital 6000 systems, including the mini bodypack SK 6212, offers students the opportunity to work with a variety of products, and also teaches them about analogue processes, whilst learning about new digital technology at the same time.

Along with its investment into Sennheiser products for the television studio, the University is now planning to invest in further Sennheiser products with the addition of MKE1 compact clip-on mic for its equipment loan store.

"Based on our experience in the TV studio, the MKE1 sounds great at lower levels, it’s really transparent with a full, natural sound, and excellent presence, and compact in size," Delaney concluded. "It's very discrete, and I’m really impressed with the size in comparison to other offerings on the market. They will make a great addition to our equipment stock, which I am proud to say is looking very impressive, and comprehensive, with the recent additions from Sennheiser."

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