SINGAPORE: Singapore-based AV Production (AVP), a production house renowned for concert productions and festivals, is redefining its touring audio workflow through the adoption of Sennheiser’s Spectera platform—driven by the real-world demands faced by its founder, Favian Ngan, who continues to operate as an active touring monitor engineer for leading Asian artists.

Currently serving as monitor engineer on a major international world tour with more than 70 shows completed, Favian is navigating increasingly complex RF environments across large indoor arenas and expansive outdoor stadiums. With stages often extending beyond 120 metres and incorporating catwalks, maintaining stable and consistent in-ear monitoring has become a growing challenge, particularly amid rising RF congestion and unpredictable interference across global touring circuits.

“In many venues, the RF environment has become increasingly challenging, with noise floors rising to unpredictable levels,” Favian explains. “A frequency that appears clean during soundcheck can suddenly become unusable during the show. Modern concerts often incorporate extensive LED walls, LED light sticks, effect lighting, and even anti-drone jammers, all of which contribute to this instability.”

Like many touring engineers, Favian had long relied on industry-standard analogue IEM systems. However, the limitations of these systems—particularly around frequency coordination, intermodulation and troubleshooting—became increasingly evident as production scales grew. The need to manage large channel counts across wide performance areas, combined with ageing inventory, prompted a search for a more future-ready solution.

The turning point came during an industry event, where Favian was introduced to Spectera by Darryl Tan, Business Development Manager at Sennheiser. “He told me that a powerful new wireless system would be launching soon, and that it would be well suited for a production company like mine,” Favian recalls. “Because it caters to touring production requirements in a very small form factor, he felt it would make a real difference to how we tour with gear on the road.”

As part of this early engagement, Favian joined the Spectera Pioneer Programme, gaining access to pre-launch systems supported by hands-on demos, technical briefings and on-site guidance from Sennheiser. While initial listening tests highlighted a clear improvement in audio quality, the system’s real test came under live touring conditions; beginning with deployment at a major tour stop in an 80,000-seat Olympic sports stadium.

“Spectera uses WMAS technology and it was something completely new to me,” Favian says. “It was also positioned as a very different system, so I wanted to hear it and test it for myself.”

One of the most immediate advantages observed was Spectera’s multi-antenna capability, allowing up to four antennas to operate simultaneously—addressing a longstanding limitation of analogue systems. “Our stages can be over 120 metres wide with central catwalks,” Favian explains. “With analogue systems, there is no perfect antenna position. You are always compromising.” By enabling strategic antenna placement across the stage and catwalk, Spectera delivered consistent RF coverage throughout the performance area. The transition from traditional BNC cabling to CAT6 further streamlined deployment, allowing extended cable runs without signal degradation—an important advantage in large-scale venues.

Operationally, Spectera has significantly enhanced monitor workflow through real-time feedback from each bodypack, including battery status, RF levels and connection health. “With analogue systems, if something goes wrong on stage, you are guessing and troubleshooting endlessly,” he says. “There is no easy way to deduce whether it is the battery, the pack or just RF interference.”

Frequency coordination has also been simplified, with Spectera operating within a 6 MHz bandwidth; addressing one of the most persistent challenges associated with analogue systems. “As productions grow in scale and demand, additional wireless channels are often introduced, which increases the risk of intermodulation distortion and complicates the overall coordination process”, Favian adds.

Powered by Sennheiser WMAS technology, Spectera enables multiple transceivers to operate concurrently within a single wideband RF channel using TDMA, TDD and OFDM, maximising RF efficiency while eliminating traditional coordination constraints. This architecture allows systems to scale without introducing interference or compromising performance.

Among the workflow enhancements, volume monitoring has emerged as a particularly valuable feature; especially during fast-paced live scenarios such as costume changes. “My artist now feels very confident on stage,” he adds. “He knows the volume will always be exactly where it should be.” For performers, the shift from analogue to digital has delivered a notable improvement in sound quality, eliminating compression artefacts and enabling a more natural, open sonic image. “The stereo image is extremely wide,” Favian explains. “Left and right are truly independent, which lets me space my instruments creatively.”

This clarity has proven especially beneficial for vocal-centric performances, allowing vocals to remain clearly defined within the mix while instruments are distributed across a wider stereo field. Favian currently operates 22 Spectera bodypacks with two Base Stations, deploying different audio modes based on performer requirements, including ultra-low latency for the artist and monitor engineer. “Latency remains a critical consideration for performers, particularly singers and musicians. Spectera sets a new benchmark with an exceptionally low IEM latency of just 0.7 milliseconds, which is the lowest available in any digital wireless in-ear monitoring system”, Favian explains. “This latency is vital for vocalists as it helps minimise bone-conduction interference and reduces the risk of comb filtering effects.”

Beyond performance, Spectera’s compact footprint—requiring just one rack unit per system—has streamlined logistics for touring deployments. Its IP-based architecture further enhances usability, enabling full system control via the Spectera WebUI. “The ability to manage Spectera via the Spectera WebUI has been a game changer,” Favian notes. “I can walk around the venue with my iPad, or even just a phone, and can instantly view the status of every pack and antenna.”

The transition to Spectera has been underpinned by close collaboration between AV Production, Sennheiser and Concept Systems, Sennheiser’s preferred partner for Spectera in Singapore. From RF planning to workflow optimisation and system configuration, the combined support structure has enabled AVP to integrate the system seamlessly into its touring ecosystem.

“The support has been very strong from the Sennheiser team,” Favian says. “They listened to my feedback and responded quickly.”

Now firmly embedded within AVP’s touring workflow, Spectera represents a shift from experimentation to essential infrastructure. “When you compare it side by side with other systems, you can clearly hear the difference,” he says. “But beyond sound quality, it is the control, RF stability and confidence it gives you during a show.”

For AV Production and Favian Ngan, the adoption of Spectera marks a decisive step forward—one that redefines the expectations of wireless audio performance in modern touring and large-scale live production environments.