Music

Want a to Swing from a Mic Like Bono? How It Was Done.

If you saw any portion of U2’s 360 Tour, you’ll remember the last portion of the show when Bono used a mic in a circular frame that hung down from the rafters like an old boxing mic.  In addition to lighting up, the thing was damn strong, allowing Bono to swing on it like he was Tarzan.

Creating such a thing was more complicated that you might realize.  From a site called Make Parts Fast:

[Tommy] Voeten [president of 1212-Studio, a company hired to help built the 360 stages ]received a second request from U2. He was asked to build a custom LED-illuminated microphone for Bono that was to be suspended from a steel cable, enabling Bono to swing from the microphone, which was named the U2MIC.

Close up view of the 3D printed microphone. The final illuminating ring is composed of two FDM shells assembled together.

“Bono’s microphone was a much more complicated design and manufacturing challenge because of how it was going to be used on tour,” said Voeten. Again, the Dimension 3D Printer was instrumental in the development of the final product. Voeten’s team was able to print several design iterations and sections of the microphone to examine the pressure points and light distribution within the rings and between all the components. Voeten was so satisfied with the quality and strength of the printed FDM parts, he optimized the design so they could be used as final parts on the U2MICs.

The rest of the article is fascinating from an audio/video gearhead point of view.  Check it out.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38019 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

Let us know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.