Personally, I wanted to create a video that Mr. Shure would have been proud of. I think we’ve done that, and I hope you’ll agree. Thanks for checking it out.

How do you make it in the music business? Blaze your own trail, network, have an online presence, and take rejection in stride. Those were some of the answers I heard regularly during a GRAMMY Camp L.A. panel where high school campers asked industry professionals what steps to take to make it as an artist or land a dream job in the music biz.

Grouplove producer and drummer Ryan Rabin gave students this advice on the subject.

“The Internet is a powerful thing. Grouplove started by a group of friends recording a few songs together for fun and throwing them on the Internet. Indie music blogs kept posting the songs and a few months later there was label interest and we played a show. We had never even really played live together.”

Fast-forward to two years later and the band grabbed their first number-one single, “Tongue Tied,” on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

Steven Slate, a music producer who’s worked with bands such as Train and Black Eyed Peas, also chimed in.

“It’s all about the people you meet along the way and never losing focus of who you are and why you’re passionate about music. Surround yourself with bright minds and creative individuals. That’s when the big ideas come to the table.”

And what if you’re rejected? GRAMMY campers were told they can pretty much expect rejection at least once when pursuing music.

“The timing has to be right. If you go after it when the timing isn’t right, it won’t work out,” said Brian London, keyboardist for Lady Gaga and Katy Perry (he’s also musical director for Bruno Mars and Taio Cruz).

“Sometimes things will just work out in the strangest ways, when you least expect it,” added Grouplove’s Rabin.

Former American Idol contestant Haley Reinhart was also there. When she didn’t win Idol, she kept pursuing her dream of making it as an artist and managed to land a record deal with Interscope Records. “Keep putting yourself out there and don’t give up,” she told us.

I also had the chance to swing by a few classes, where I saw music production students work with Pro Tools (while wearing Shure SRH440s) and singer/songwriter students rock their songs on wired SM58® microphones and wireless Beta 87As.

Are you or any high school students you know interested in attending GRAMMY Camp? Check out grammyintheschools.com for 2013 application information. Financial aid is available, and approximately 75 percent of students who apply for financial aid receive assistance.

As people continue to demand more and more wireless spectrum for their myriad devices, audio pros must find ways to maximize the number of wireless microphones that can operate reliably in the remaining spectrum. Debuting at InfoComm 2012, Shure adds two new additions to the ULX-D Digital Wireless System:  the ULXD4D Dual Channel Receiver and the ULXD4Q Quad Channel Receiver. They pack either two or four channels of wireless into one rack unit, saving  space and reducing installation time.

In Standard mode, up to 17 ULX-D systems can operate in just 6 MHz of spectrum, which is equal to one U.S. TV channel. Need even more systems? No problem. Just activate High Density mode, which allows up to 47 systems to operate in just 6 MHz of spectrum, with a working range of 100 feet.

Skeptical?

This video demonstrates High Density mode with time-lapse footage shot at Shure Corporate Headquarters, where 100 transmitters were placed side by side, and then turned on one by one. If you’re wondering how it works…well, according to Chris:

“High Density mode optimizes the output power and digital transmission scheme to allow ULX-D systems to be set to frequencies that are just 125 kHz apart, instead of the standard 350 kHz spacing.  This allows you to pack more systems into less spectrum with no loss of sound quality.”

Go on: see for yourself.

Learn more about ULX-D Digital Wireless on shure.com.

Post-show update: ULX-D won a ProSoundNetwork Best of Show Award at InfoComm 2012! We’re thrilled and honored.

One of the things I love most about my job is that no day is ever the same or what I consider “normal.” Some days are more challenging than others and some are more fun than others. It really just depends on what I’m working on and who I’m working with on a particular day. Not too long ago, I enjoyed one of my best days ever as a Shure Associate.

For the past several months, I’ve been working on a corporate video project for our CEO and we’ve recently finished shooting and are now getting into the editing/post-production phase of the project. One of the remaining tasks was to record the voiceover for the script.

We had thrown around a bunch of ideas as to who we’d like to secure as the narrator for the video and the one name that kept coming up in conversation was that of longtime Shure endorser and SM58 fan, Henry Rollins.

For those of you who might not already know this, in addition to his career as a musician, talk show host, writer, actor, spoken word artist and all-around modern day Renaissance Man, Mr. Rollins is a very accomplished voiceover talent. Listen closely the next time you see a commercial for AT&T or Infinti and you just might catch one of the ads that he’s done.

I headed out to Hollywood last month and met up with Henry at Margarita Mix Studios for the recording session. After he got himself situated in the booth with our script, a few cans of apple juice and, of course, an SM58, Henry began to read the first few lines.

Wow.

I am not exaggerating to you when I tell you that I got chills and had goosebumps on my arm.

It was that powerful.

His voice has such grit and he reads so eloquently. I was absolutely blown away and excited at the thought of how much his voice is going to add to the video when it’s finished.

The session lasted about three hours and we did multiple takes of each segment of the script…just for good measure, but honestly, I think he nailed it on the first take every time. He’s an absolute pro at whatever he does…whether he’s behind the mic, in front of the camera…you name it.

And, for those of you who are curious, we’re planning to post the video on www.shure.com later this spring and I hope you’ll take a few minutes to check it out.

Thanks for reading and have a great day.