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Tag: Quadversity

  • Shure Axient® Digital Wireless System Brings Pristine Audio to Glyndebourne Festival

    Shure Axient® Digital Wireless System Brings Pristine Audio to Glyndebourne Festival

    The renowned Glyndebourne opera house, best known for hosting an annual summer festival that is a cornerstone of the UK’s operatic calendar, has embraced Shure’s Axient Digital Wireless System to deliver unparalleled audio quality for its 2024 season. The Glyndebourne Festival runs each year from May to August, followed by an autumn season of opera and concerts that puts rising stars centre stage.

    Glyndebourne has consistently pushed boundaries in operatic production. With Axient Digital technology, the opera house sets a new standard for world-class audio experiences.

    The Axient Digital system at Glyndebourne serves multiple purposes, from facilitating communication during rehearsals to supporting high-quality recordings and broadcasts of productions. The system’s flexibility has proven particularly valuable in Glyndebourne’s repertory setting, enabling rapid redeployment of configurations between different productions.

    To meet the complex audio demands of multiple simultaneous productions, Glyndebourne’s technical team turned to audio experts HD Pro Audio to implement a solution that could handle the rigorous requirements of live opera while maintaining the highest levels of audio fidelity. Shure’s industry-leading Axient Digital Wireless System,  the benchmark for this type of production, was specified for the project.

    The Shure equipment deployed at Glyndebourne consisted of a comprehensive array of Axient Digital technology. This included seven AD4Q Four-Channel Digital Wireless Receivers, 20 ADX1M Micro Bodypack Transmitter, one AD600 Axient Digital Spectrum Manager, two AD3 Digital Plug-on Wireless Transmitters, and four AD2 Handheld Wireless Microphone Transmitters. This sophisticated suite of equipment provided Glyndebourne with unparalleled flexibility and reliability in managing complex audio setups across productions.

    Andy Huffer, Sales Director at HD Pro Audio, commented: The Axient Digital frequency management’s ability to handle large numbers of channels within the same bandwidth was invaluable in managing the frequency-dense environment at the festival.”

    The Head of Sound & Video at Glyndebourne Productions LTD, added: “Glyndebourne’s adoption of Axient Digital showcases the system’s versatility in high-stakes performance environments. The small, lightweight beltpacks have been a game-changer, allowing for easy concealment without compromising the intricate costume and wig designs or performer comfort. The integration with our SSL desk and the system’s robust frequency management capabilities provides a new level of freedom, control, and reliability that is crucial for live opera productions.”

    “Reliability and consistency are paramount in live opera, and Axient Digital delivers that unequivocally,” Moss continued. “Shure’s Wireless Workbench software was straightforward to use and the Axient system’s integration with our production network makes simultaneous use across multiple applications effortless. It’s not just about sound quality – it’s about having a system we can trust night after night, regardless of the production’s demands.”

    Peppe Mallozzi, Sales Manager at Shure, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “Working with an institution as prestigious as Glyndebourne is always exciting. Their use, and planned future use, of Axient Digital’s features, demonstrates the system’s capability to meet the exacting standards of world-class opera. We’re proud to play a role in bringing these incredible performances to life with pristine audio quality.”

    In the coming years, the Glyndebourne team plans to explore the Axient Digital Quadversity options to provide coverage in its dressing rooms for testing as well as on the stage.

  • Shure delivers array of microphones and audio technology for Super Bowl LV

    Shure delivers array of microphones and audio technology for Super Bowl LV

    CHICAGO —This year’s Super Bowl again included a number of Shure products that helped bring quality audio to the more than 100 million viewers worldwide. And with fewer fans in attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions, viewers might have heard more of the game audio than in the past. Shure played a key role in the entire Super Bowl Sunday lineup of activities.

    The Super Bowl TikTok Tailgate featured a live concert performance by Miley Cyrus, who used the Shure 565SD Classic Unisphere® Vocal Microphone. This dual-impedance, unidirectional dynamic microphone was made famous for its use at Woodstock. She shared the pre-game stage with guests Billy Idol and Joan Jett, who used KSM9 capsules and were on the Axient® Digital Wireless System.

    Poet Amanda Gorman, who was the country’s first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate, recited an original poem before the game in front of Shure’s iconic Super 55 Deluxe Vocal Microphone.

    Gorman’s poem, “Chorus of the Captains,” celebrated and introduced the three honorary captains who were specially invited to the game by the NFL based on their exceptional service.

    For the game itself, head referee Carl Cheffers wore a redundant system custom built by ATK/Audiotek, using a pair of the TwinPlex™ TL47 Subminiature Lavalier Microphones, and two Axient Digital Wireless bodypacks with receivers setup for both Quadversity™ and Frequency Diversity. They were deployed for the game by Professional Wireless Systems (PWS).

    Quadversity is a patented technology that leverages four simultaneous RF inputs to feed a single channel. In hostile RF environments like the Super Bowl, Quadversity increases signal stability and can extend the coverage area of a microphone. Frequency Diversity is a feature that utilizes a simultaneous secondary frequency as back-up in case the primary frequency is compromised – giving even more protection in mission critical applications.

    Jack Bowling, Super Bowl Game Stadium FOH Engineer for ATK/Audiotek, has specified TwinPlex TL47 lavaliers for the referees for the past three Super Bowls, as well as on the L.A. Rams and L.A. Chargers games.

    “The sound quality on the TwinPlex is exactly what we need and has the durability needed for sports,” said Bowling. “It has reliably worked for all the seasons I’ve worked with them.”

    Both Eric Church and H.E.R. sported Axient Digital Frequency Diversity handhelds for the National Anthem and America The Beautiful, respectively.

    “ATK/Audiotek has long partnered with Professional Wireless Systems to design and deploy these wireless systems at the Super Bowl,” said Gary Trenda, Lead RF Technician for PWS. “PWS has been specifying Axient Digital Systems since they became available and, given our prior experiences using this equipment, it was an easy decision to deploy it again for this year’s Big Game. We’re confident in the performance of Axient Digital in unpredictable RF environments. Frequency Diversity and Quadversity give us the reliability we need for show critical wireless audio systems.”

    Axient Digital also played a key support role for Walter Payton Man of the Year presentation. The wireless provider for entertainment was ATK and the subcontractor was PWS.

    CP Communications supplied CBS Sports with Axient Digital Frequency Diversity handheld microphones with KSM8 capsules and AD1 bodypack transmitters with TwinPlex mic capsules as well as headworn mics for the CBS Pre-Game Studio Shows. CP also supported the CBS Sports game broadcast by providing additional TwinPlex mics in parabolic dishes to capture on-field audio. The natural sound quality, low handling noise, and medical-grade cable construction are just some of the reasons why TwinPlex is featured for the most important NFL game of the year.

    “We exploited Shure’s Axient Digital system Quadversity feature, that other companies don’t have, by deploying an RF over fiber (RFoF) system to enhance coverage so that on-air talent can move from set to set without changing hardware,” said Michael Mason, President of CP Communications. “During these COVID challenged times, it was important to CBS Sports to minimize touch and person-to-person contact. Using the Quadversity and a multi-zone approach accomplished just that.”

    The Super Bowl public address announcer, Alan Roach, used Shure’s SM7B microphone, one of the most popular broadcast microphones on the market for delivering smooth, warm vocals.

    For wireless mics used for game activities, Shure Wireless Workbench® software was implemented to monitor all of the gear. With challenging and dynamic RF environments like the Super Bowl, Wireless Workbench provides the flexibility to coordinate frequencies over time and space for the highest sound quality possible.

    “It’s always an honor for our products to perform on one of the biggest world stages,” said Rick Renner, Director, U.S. Pro Audio Sales, Shure. “From the pre-game show, to the game itself, to even many of the commercials in between, Shure provides various audio components to bring the sounds of one of the biggest nights in sports to fans worldwide.”