Axient Digital passes the test for Henry Cohen of CP Communications
CP Communications is a full service RF production provider for major sports and special events broadcasting. With the 600 MHz UHF spectrum being significantly reduced, and the 500MHz band experiencing repacking of the remaining DTV broadcasters, finding robust, reliable wireless solutions is a critical need. Senior RF engineer Henry Cohen tested a 4-channel Shure Axient Digital system at two major televised sports events in large urban markets, requiring high RF channel counts across a multi-zone distributed antenna system.
Cohen found the Axient Digital platform very promising for its spectral efficiency, and for its new Quadversity™ antenna capability, which allows four antenna inputs into its receiver.
“Quadversity is a powerful feature. It proved very useful in executing a large RF coverage area,” notes Cohen. “Often, balancing coverage areas for overlapping target zones is a real-time effort, adjusting sensitivity and turning zones on and off as needed during the event. Quadversity eliminates a lot of that activity, making for a much improved work flow, which was invaluable.”
Cohen was also impressed with the Axient Digital RF performance, which benefits from a new digital radio with improved sensitivity for operation above today’s higher noise floors. Henry notes: “The digital RF system in this product is vastly improved, surpassing other Shure products as well as competitors in both signal robustness and spectral efficiency in both regular and ‘high density’ modes.”
Overall, Cohen found that Axient Digital will thrive in the difficult RF scenarios that CP Communications is constantly faced with. He also appreciates the fact that the Axient Digital receivers he buys now will be fully compatible with the advanced ADX series transmitters that Shure will ship in early 2018.
“The system has a great design, feature set, and build quality. Its integration of improvements and new features provide a real workflow advantage. All things considered, the new Axient Digital system is the best option in wireless microphone products coming to market to cope with reduced and more congested spectrum.”
Customer Profile
Henry Cohen is a RF system design specialist with CP Communications, a full service production support provider of RF audio and video for major sports and special events broadcasting across the U.S.
Challenge
To improve wireless reliability, increase channel count, and maintain sound quality in the increasingly crowded UHF environment.
Solution
Shure Axient Digital wireless with AD Series transmitters
Advantages
Significantly upgraded RF performance with improved spectral efficiency, audio quality, and overall workflow
Gear List
| Model Number | Quantity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accommodates up to 8 Shure rechargeable bodypack and handheld transmitter batteries in a single rack space. | |
| 4 | A rugged metal handheld transmitter with powerful features and a KSM8 cartridge. Black or nickel finish. | |
| 1 | Compatible with all AD series and ADX series transmitters. | |
| 4 | Lightweight, durable bodypack with optional rechargeability and TA4 connector option. |
Related Products and Accessories
Related Stories
Wavetool shows added value Musical Awards: The Kick-off 2023 in the Netherlands
During the Musical Awards: The Kick-off 2023, the technical team relied on Wavetool – a professional audio and RF monitoring and listening software for audio engineers - to secure flawless monitoring and efficient signal control.
Bastille Day: a sneak peek into the audio that energises the July 14th parade
6,300 men and women paraded on foot, 221 vehicles, 200 Republican Guard horses, 71 planes, 25 helicopters, 9 brass bands, 200 singers, nearly 60 technicians and sound engineers mobilised. The July 14th parade, expected by both the French public and the television channels, is akin to a real live tour de force.
Shure TwinPlex lavalier used in theme park Astrid Lindgren's World
Astrid Lindgren’s World (ALW) is a theme park in Sweden based on well-known children’s book characters like Pippi Longstocking. Located in Lindgren’s hometown in Vimmerby, Sweden, it is one of the Scandinavian country’s largest theme parks and receives up to 500,000 visitors during a normal summer season. ALW has been developed over several decades and is today a very popular destination that families with children visit regularly. Benum Sweden has frequently delivered Shure TwinPlex lavalier microphones to Audiosystem, the Kalmer audio company which has been a stable technology supplier to ALW since the 1990s. The company has been an active part of the technical development at ALW since 2003. During the current season, the park is using up to 100 wireless microphone systems and some ten in-ear systems at nine different stages, together with Shure TwinPlex because of the longer life cycle and high-sound quality.
Modernization of conference technology with Shure MXCW at the main headquarters of DIN e.V. Berlin
In the course of the core renovation of the DIN e.V. conference center, the media technology was to be fundamentally redesigned and installed. In order to be able to distribute the video and audio signals across the entire DIN Berlin site, all 13 conference rooms in the building were to be equipped with new video conferencing technology.
The National Theater Brno, Reduta upgrades their systems again with Shure
The theatre was using Shure ULX series over the last years and experiences seamless usage of the years. They want to upgrade the ULX system to a wireless system in top quality and a system that was compatible with their existing antenna system. They also want to have the possibility of using remote control.
Axient Digital delivers “like a wire” instrument sound for Reba McEntire-Brooks & Dunn residency in Las Vegas
For the three-week residency of Reba McEntire with Brooks & Dunn at the Coliseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, production manager/monitor engineer JD DuCrest tested the Axient Digital wireless system, both for its sound quality on stringed instruments and its ability to excel in the venue’s difficult RF environment.
Axient Digital takes center stage at 2017 Billboard Latin Music Awards
For the 2017 event at the University of Miami’s Watsco Center, the network had the opportunity to incorporate the new Axient Digital into the mix of Shure systems that handled the vast majority of RF miking during the four-hour show.
