Sennheiser supported Riedel in the 36th Copa America with bespoke microphones

With a production designed by the joint venture circle-o (Riedel and West4Media), the 36th Copa America has had microphones from the manufacturer Sennheiser, custom designed to capture sound from racing boats.

the Copa America it's not just the oldest sports trophy, but also the hardest to win in sailing. The edition 2021, which took place in the Hauraki Gulf off the coast of Auckland (New Zealand) selected the communications specialist Riedel to carry out global technology project for the transmission and management of the competition for its production partner circle-o.

To complement your hardware and software solutions, Riedel deployed microphones Sennheiser, tailor-made by the manufacturer for the coverage of the prestigious sailing event, where the two innovative German companies worked closely together on this project.

Sennheiser engineers provided custom-designed waterproof microphones for crew articulated microphones and on-board cameras, which ensured optimal audio for both transmissions and equipment communications.

These microphones were seamlessly combined with the wireless intercom bolero Riedel and were also integrated into the overall communication configuration of the project.

“We are absolutely delighted to have partnered with Riedel in this spectacular project- has pointed out Andreas Sennheiser, co-executive director-. The America's Cup is a high-tech race that puts both teams and equipment under the toughest tests. In addition, it's one more proof that sports broadcasts are a real driver of innovation".

Thomas Riedel, CEO and founder of Riedel Communications, stresses that “decades of experience in the most demanding production environments culminated in this special project, with such special challenges. Together with partner suppliers, representing the global standard in their fields, our team created a perfect production infrastructure that allowed circle-or bring their live coverage to exciting new levels”.

For Riedel's manager, “its impressive coverage opened up completely new perspectives on navigation and perfectly illustrated the great impact technology can have on entertainment formats and the tangibility of sporting events”.

A microphone goes to sea

Michael Horn, Manager of sennheiser's Competence Center for Mechanical and Acoustic Design, explains the first prototypes developed by the team: "when Riedel contacted us about his concept for the America's Cup, it became clear that any microphone aboard the regatta ships had to withstand really extreme sea conditions, diving completely into water and having to deal with the loud noise of the wind".

To do this, Horn and his team developed a solution based on the elements MKE 2. This included a professional transmission microphone (response in frequency of 20 hz – 20.000 hz), which has a water-protected capsule by a Umbrella diaphragm, and extending over the acoustically active diaphragm without altering its acoustic performance. In addition, the capsule had a protective grille for water to drip without entering the microphone.

Another crucial element was the anti-wind, made with a special foam material. Even when it was soaked, still retained its excellent wind protection properties.

Microphones achieved class protection IPX7, which means they were water resistant until 1 bar (1 meter / 3 feet during 30 minutes). Thanks to its elastic suspension, Sennheiser's microphones (brand that markets in Spain Magnetron) were insensitive to any structure noise, regardless of whether they were used in headphone settings or as ambient microphones.

"The interaction of all these components is what makes this microphone so special," horn says.. Other models can withstand some splashes or even some strange splashing, but this is the one. It just works, regardless of whether it's dry or wet, providing captivating live audio from ships and facilitating communications within teams".

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