Contact:
Mike Lohman Amy
Erickson
Shure Incorporated Greenough
Communications
lohman_mike@shure.com aerickson@greenoughcom.com
Soundtronics
Supplies Over 40 Channels of Handheld UHF-R® Wireless Systems For Two-Hour Live Broadcast of A Cappella Singing
Competition
NILES, IL, December 22, 2010 — One of the breakout ratings hits of the fall TV season,
NBC’s The Sing-Off is an elimination
competition among a cappella singing groups, hosted by Nick Lachey.
The finale was broadcast on Monday, December 20, with phone-in voters awarding
the top prize to the Alabama gospel group Committed. For the two-hour live
broadcast, the program specified a full stage of Shure UHF-R wireless systems,
including 28 handheld transmitters with KSM9 mic capsules and another 14
channels with SM58® heads. In addition, the show requested four channels of
Shure PSM® 900 personal monitors with eight bodypack
receivers, which were used by guest artists including Sara Bareilles,
Sheryl Crow, Neil Diamond, and Boyz II Men. All
systems were supplied by Soundtronics Wireless in
Burbank.
“It
turned out to be a lot trickier than we thought,” reports Jason Bellamy of Soundtronics Wireless, which supplied and coordinated all
wireless systems. “We actually installed the first 28 channels of wireless,
plus the in-ears, last Thursday, which was difficult enough. But on show day,
the producers decided to add more performances, so we had to find room for 14
more frequencies. It was a real challenge, but we got it done.”
“This
is live TV, and there’s no room for error,” notes Larry Reed, broadcast audio
mixer for The Sing-Off. “Frankly,
that’s why I use Soundtronics whenever I can. They
are the absolute best RF company I know. Today,
literally at the last minute, they got us 14 extra channels of Shure systems,
which is an amazing feat in a location like Warner Brothers studios.”
For
The Sing-Off, the Soundtronics
team coordinates frequencies with neighboring stages of several other
productions. “We work with the sound department at Warners,
which coordinates everything wireless – audio, IFB, cameras, PL, you name it,”
notes Jason Bellamy. “We run all that information through an intermod program called IAS to come up with a frequency
list for the show. After that, it’s about deployment and troubleshooting. It’s
a team effort to make sure everything can be accommodated.”
Broadcast
mixer Larry Reed, who specified the Shure systems, was thrilled with the
result. “The audio was flawless tonight,” he reports. “There was no
interference, no artifacts, and no dropouts. The mics
couldn’t have been better if they were hardwired.”
Reed
specified Shure in large part because of the KSM9 mic capsule. “The
specification is actually a group decision, based on the number and type of
wireless channels we need,” he explains. “But it’s my job to get the best sound
possible, and the KSM9 just sounds gorgeous on vocals, especially in cardioid mode. It’s got a beautiful, warm, natural sound to
it. For a show like The Sing-Off,
which is all about the vocals, it’s the perfect choice.”
Soundtronics partner Jason Bellamy notes that the Shure
UHF-R system has the technical ability to match its sound quality. “This is
live TV, and with the amount of frequency congestion we’re facing, productions
like The Sing-Off rely on us to
provide a reliable wireless set-up. Our Phoenix III antenna helps us tune out
interference and maximize available channels, and the wireless system is a big
part of that equation. The Shure UHF-R is one of our go-to systems. It’s got
good, clean, strong RF power, which we need, and they
are extremely reliable. In fact, I can’t remember the last time we had an
onsite mechanical malfunction with Shure. We own well over 100 channels of it.”
“There’s
nothing like mixing for live TV, It’s nerve-wracking but at the same time, it’s
a total rush,” concludes Larry Reed. “You need to be confident in your crew and
your equipment. When you’ve got a combination of a rock solid wireless like
Shure and experts like Soundtronics to set them up,
you can trust there will be no technical issues. It lets me focus on my job,
which is to produce great sound for the home viewer.
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Links:
Soundtronics Wireless http://www.soundtronics.com/
The
Sing-Off http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/
About Shure
Incorporated
Founded
in 1925, Shure Incorporated (www.shure.com) is widely
acknowledged as the world's leading manufacturer of microphones and audio
electronics. Over the years, the Company has designed and produced many
high-quality professional and consumer audio products that have become
legendary for performance, reliability, and value. Shure’s diverse product line includes
world-class wired microphones, wireless microphones and in-ear personal monitor
systems, headphones for performers, presenters and recordists, award-winning
earphones and headsets for use with MP3 players and smart phones, and top-rated
phonograph cartridges for professional DJs. Today, Shure products are the first
choice whenever audio performance is a top priority.
Shure
Incorporated corporate headquarters is located in
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