Sennheiser MD 431 Is Mic Of Choice For PJ Harvey

Photo: Alexandra Waespi

FOH Engineer for PJ Harvey, Howard Bullivant has chosen the Sennheiser MD 431 as the vocal microphone of choice for the Mercury Prize-winning artist’s latest tour.

“I originally chose the Sennheiser MD 441 for her vocal simply because it’s a fantastically versatile microphone,” said Bullivant. “Polly [PJ Harvey] used it on some of the vocal recording on her latest Hope Six Demolition Project album and in rehearsal, so it was always an option for the live shows, but in the end, when the whole PJ Harvey production was set-up with nine musicians on stage and 23 monitors, we thought that the MD 431 had slightly better rejection, and Polly choose it above the MD 441 to use for the festival shows.”

Directed by renowned British theatre director Ian Rickson, dressed by Ann Demeulemeester, with lighting by Adam Silverman and set design by multi-media artist Jeremy Herbert, the PJ Harvey live show has received critical acclaim around the world. “We are pushing the limits of what is possible on stage and have been very happy with the support we have had,” said Monitor Engineer Magali Couturier.

Bullivant has also used the MD 431 for performances by James Blake and has used a range off Sennheiser microphones, including the e935, 904, 604 and 609, when working with Bat for Lashes.

PJ Harvey returns to UK stages on Sunday 30 October, beginning her UK tour with two dates at Brixton Academy.

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