NEW PRODUCT OVERVIEW: GLX-D DIGITAL WIRELESS SYSTEMS
Webinar Description
Join us for an in-depth look at the technological innovations that make GLX-D Digital Wireless a breakthrough for anyone needing great sound in a user-friendly, affordable wireless microphone or guitar system. In this 60-minute webinar, we will explore features including automatic frequency management and smart power options, and discuss available configurations.

Dates & Times
Monday, May 6, 2013; 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CDT Register for the 5/6 Webinar

Wednesday, May 8, 2013; 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CDT Register for the 5/8 Webinar

HOW TO CHOOSE A SHURE SOUND ISOLATING EARPHONE
Webinar Description
Whether you use them onstage with personal monitor systems or with an MP3 player at the gym, Shure Sound Isolating Earphones deliver professional sound quality and block unwanted outside noise. Join us for a 60-minute webinar that will walk you through the different models and how to choose the right one for your application.

Dates & Times
Monday, May 20, 2013; 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CDT Register for the 5/20 Webinar

Wednesday, May 22, 2013; 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CDT Register for the 5/22 Webinar

After you register, you’ll get a confirmation email that’ll tell you how to join the webinar.

System requirements for PC-based attendees: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, or 2003 Server. For Macintosh®-based attendees: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer required.

Happy learning!

View archives of our webinars at your convenience on shure.com.

I love doing artist interviews.  It’s not just sitting down and picking the brains of our endorsers that I find engaging.  In a way, it’s a bit like doing live sound.  We Artist Relations guys often function as interviewer, camera operator, and audio engineer when we go out and shoot interviews.  There is a rush in getting everything set up quickly and making sure it all looks and sounds decent for those ten to fifteen minutes you’re hosting artists. It has been a learning process for me – much of what I’ve come to know has been through trial and error.  Like live sound we have our good and bad days.  Fortunately we’ve gotten some new production tools that have made things easy.

Shure has added quite a few broadcast production tools in the last two years and it’s been fun for me to get to know them in this capacity.  They’ve sure made my job easier.   Here’s a rundown on the gear we take to the gigs.

Mics:

VP89M medium shotgun

RPM89S short shotgun cartridge

WL51B or MX150 lavalier mic

A dynamic mic – SM57, SM58, or Beta57A

My first go-to for a mic is the VP89M.  I just love it.  I’ll engage the low-frequency roll-off because we’re working with human voices.  The mic sits in the A89M-PG pistol grip mount, made by Rycote.  In the event we find ourselves in a small space where I’m very near multiple subjects I will swap out the medium shotgun tube for the short one.  This gives a wider pickup pattern.  Lavalier mics come in handy for very noisy environments.  Some on our team prefer them over the shotgun mic.  I’ll use them if I have to, but I’ve had interviews where some unpredictable element has caused me headaches.  People move lapels, scratch necks, shake their heads vigorously, wear noisy jewelry…trying to plan for those unknowns takes time I’d rather spend getting to know the interviewee, conversing, finding a good starting point for the interview.   Of course, the most dead-simple thing to do is put the UR3 plug-on transmitter right in to the back of a mic, and for that having a dynamic mic is handy.  However, it is really only for single subject interviews and, like the lavalier, I’m dependent on the subject’s behavior.

Wireless:

UR3 plug-on transmitter

UR5 portable diversity receiver

UR1 or UR1M bodypack transmitter

Most of the time I’m using the UR3 and the UR5 together.  The UR3 fits right at the bottom of the A89M-PG pistol grip holding the VP89M shotgun mic.  The UR5 has a shoe mount and fits our HD DV video camera and our photographer’s DSLR for when he’s shooting video.  The best practice is to turn on the UR3 with the RF off.   We do an on-site scan with the UR5 receiver to find an open frequency, then sync the transmitter and turn the transmitter’s RF on.  This is to avoid stepping on anything that the show might be using at the moment.  In the event we prefer to use lavalier mics, we’ll have a bodypack transmitter in the kit.

Monitoring:

SE earphones (interviewer’s preference)

SRH240A or SRH440

If I’m flying solo I’ll just do my monitoring from the camera with my SE425-CL earphones.  I use those most of the time.  We also have a set of SE315-K earphones in the kit in the event that we left our personal earphones at home.  Earphones are not for everybody, so if we’re going to have Paul Natkin shoot the interviews on his DSLR we know to bring some headphones.  Those are usually SRH240A or SRH440.  Those take up much more space in an audio kit than earphones though.

The goal is to be set up and ready to go inside of five minutes if need-be.  The options available in our audio kit have been honed over time, though I expect that new situations will cause further changes over time.  Right now the main concerns are finding some place with decent lighting, enough space to get a tripod set up, and an area where the artist will be comfortable.  That’s very important.  If you’re going to go for great lighting but there is no place to sit or elbow room to move it’s likely that information sought will be in shorter supply.  I try to remain empathetic and listen for a natural point to start and end the interview.  Having the tools to execute the technical side of the interview without too much effort allow for the human side to show itself.  Hopefully that’s reflected in the finished interview.

Richard

Noise cancelling headphones have become very popular in consumer markets over the past few years.  Especially around the holidays, TV spots featuring de-stressed travelers in headphone Nirvana seem to dominate the airwaves. This has caused a little bit of confusion about the difference between sound isolation (as used in Shure earphones) and noise cancellation headphones like the ones you see advertised on television.

Noise cancellation is an electronic process.   It was originally developed to improve radio communications in noisy environments like aircraft cockpits.  There’s a microphone built into each cup of the headphones that samples the ambient noise near the ear. That noise signal is fed into an electronic circuit that analyzes it and creates a mirror image of the noise, then adds the noise back into the music signal.   Some of the real noise is cancelled out by the mirror image inverse noise.

It works best on steady low frequency noise below a thousand hertz or so, for example, the drone of aircraft engines.  It doesn’t work as well at removing speech or other rapidly changing sounds.  Because this is an electronic process, noise cancellation circuitry requires a battery to function.  And like all circuitry, it has some degree of hiss and even some digital processing artifacts.  Some people complain that when they’re wearing noise-cancelling headphones they hear a whooshing or a rushing sound  - or detect varying air pressure in their ears.

Which Shure headphones are noise-cancelling?

The answer is none.   Shure doesn’t manufacture any noise-cancelling  headphones.

Sound isolation earphones work passively, the same way that earplugs do.  The soft pliable sleeves that Shure supplies with its earphones fit snugly into your ears and physically block the outside noise from entering the ear.  Just like earplugs, the fit is very important and that’s why Shure supplies multiple sizes and multiple styles of sleeves with all of their earphones so you can experiment to make sure that your earphones are fitting perfectly into your ear.

Sound isolation actually provides greater noise reduction than noise cancellation circuitry does.  In fact, a couple of years ago researchers at Virginia Tech concluded that Shure earphones performed significantly better than other brands when they were measured head to head.   Sound isolation works across the entire audible spectrum, not just low frequencies and not just slow, droning kinds of noise.  Sound isolation is great for blocking speech, a noisy television, music – it works in all kinds of environments whether you’re sitting on a plane, a train or walking down the street.  And no electronics means that there are no batteries, no added hiss, no digital artifacts – nothing except the music, the movie or the game itself.

Which Shure earphones are sound isolating?

The answer is: all of them.

Listen, listen.

Everybody wonders whether you can really hear the difference between the earbuds that came with your MP3 player, sound-isolating earphone and noise-cancelling headphones.  The answer is ‘Yes!’ Click on the audio links below to see what differences you can detect.

In an airplane

Here’s a sample recording what you might hear in an airplane using the earphones that came with your standard MP3 player:

This is what you’d hear if you were wearing a pair of noise-cancelling headphones

This is what you’d hear if you were wearing a pair of sound-isolating earphones in the same environment.

On the street

Here’s a sample recording what you might hear on the street using the earphones that came with your standard MP3 player:

This is what you’d hear if you were wearing a pair of noise-cancelling headphones

This is what you’d hear if you were wearing a pair of sound-isolating earphones in the same environment.

On a train

Here’s a sample recording what you might hear on a train using the earphones that came with your standard MP3 player:

This is what you’d hear if you were wearing a pair of noise-cancelling headphones

This is what you’d hear if you were wearing a pair of sound-isolating earphones in the same environment.

Assuming that the earphone are fit properly, which admittedly tends to take a little bit of experimentation, we think that sound isolation does a better job of eliminating the background noise in a noisy environment so that all you have to do is pay attention to the music, the movie or whatever you’re listening to on your music player, computer or tablet.

Creating a seal between your ear and ambient noise is part of the magic of sound-isolating earphones.   Shure offers a variety of sleeves with its earphones to assure the listener of a perfect fit.

Experts and audiophiles like blogger Salman Ashraft tend to agree.  Here’s what he had to say in a recent post:  “Sound-isolating headphones simply work better in my opinion. Since sound is never introduced to the ear in the first place (because of the seal), you don’t have to fight sound with sound. It’s akin to solving a problem before it happens. With noise cancelling headphones/earphones, the external noise already gets into your ear and music while it is simultaneously alleviated with opposing frequencies. Sound Isolating gets the vote from me in preserving good audio quality”.

Other considerations

There are two other factors to consider in making a choice: convenience and cost.  It may be a challenge to keep the cords from tangling, but it’s a lot easier to carry a pair of earbuds in your pocket or backpack than it is to tote a big pair of headphones around. Plus they’re inconspicuous and they don’t require batteries.

Since sound-isolating earphones lack the additional electronics needed to cancel noise, they tend to be much less expensive.  All Shure earphones are sound-isolating and are available in a wide range of prices – starting at $99.  Compare that to entry level noise-cancelling headphones three times the price.

Like most decisions audio, making the best choice is just a matter of your personal preferences.  Check out the reviews, borrow a pair of headphones from a friend or associate and decide for yourself.

The guitarist, in order to hear himself better, turns his amplifier up. The singers need more monitor level to compete with the rest of the praise band. The cycle of escalating stage volume begins again – reducing the overall sound quality and worship experience, especially in a high-ceilinged, hard surface environment designed for choirs and acoustic instruments.

An article in Millimeter quoted worship leader Craig Sibley as saying “Stage volumes in churches have gotten out of control. In church, suddenly you have a heavy metal concert going on. People are literally leaving the church because of the volume. The minute you introduce drums, the guitarist turns up his volume so he can hear himself, then the vocalist needs more volume. Next thing you know, it’s volume wars, with unfortunate impacts on worshippers.”

Today’s systems are far more advanced and far less expensive than those appearing on stages and in sanctuaries just a few years ago. But if you lack the luxury of a professional sound crew that includes a FOH engineer and a monitor engineer and more likely, rely on a resourceful staff of sound vets and volunteers, we can guide you through some of the basics and help you identify a system for your church.

Who will benefit from a personal monitor?

Personal monitors are not just for vocalists. Drummers with personal monitors tend to play quieter. When the loudest instrument onstage gets quieter, everything else can follow suit.  Some churches take this a step further by using electronic drums that create little, if any, acoustic noise.

Bass, keyboard, and electric guitar can also be taken directly into the mixer if the players are using personal monitors, eliminating the need for onstage amplifiers. The end result is a cleaner, more controlled congregation mix.

Many other uses are possible for personal monitors. Choir directors use them for cues, or to hear the pastor more clearly.

The isolation provided by personal monitors can be of great benefit to organists, especially when they are located at the opposite end of the sanctuary from the choir.  Timing can be problematic due to the often-lengthy delay times caused by this separation. If the choir microphones are fed into a personal monitor system worn by the organist, the time delay is eliminated, and the organist is able to keep in sync with the choir.

For pastors who want a monitor, in-ears are also a viable option. Lavalier and gooseneck microphones are especially prone to feedback issues with a floor monitor due to their increased sensitivity and greater distance from the sound source. A personal monitor eliminated those concerns.

Is wireless necessary or will a hardwired system serve your needs?

Personal monitor systems come in two basic varieties – wireless or hardwired.

A hardwired system requires the performer be tethered to a cable, which is not necessarily a negative. Drummers and keyboard players, who remain stationary, or even back-up singers, can take advantage of the lower cost and greater simplicity of a hardwired personal monitor system.

Advantage: Hardwired systems also work worldwide without the hassle of finding clear frequencies or dealing with frequency coordination  with wireless microphone or intercom systems. And if several performers require the same mix, hardwired systems can be daisy-chained together without experiencing significant signal loss, if the input impedance is sufficiently high to allow multiple systems to be connected to a single output with Y-cables.

Wireless equipment requires special consideration and attention to detail.  But the advantages many times outweigh the increased cost and complexity.

Advantage: One of the main benefits of personal monitors is a consistent mix no matter where you stand; going wireless allows you to exploit this advantage to its fullest extent. And when several performers require the same mix, hooking them up is even easier. You can use as many wireless receivers as you need to monitor the same mix with no adverse effects. Plus, there aren’t any cables to trip on!

How many mixes do you need?

The answer to this question depends on how many people are in your band, and their ability to agree upon what they want to hear in the monitors.

One Mix for All In a perfect world, everyone wants to listen to the same mix, so the answer to this question is: one mix. Of course this defeats the primary benefit of “personal” monitors (each performer hearing himself).

Vocals and Instruments An inexpensive configuration uses two mixes; one consisting of vocals, the other of instruments. Using a system that features dual-mono operation, the performers individually choose how much of each mix they wish to hear (see Figure 1). This is a cost-effective way to get into personal monitors, but it still requires a fairly good degree of cooperation among band members.

Drummer Separate Another scenario gives the drummer a separate mix (Figure 2 below). This option works well for two reasons: Drummers, in general, want to hear considerably more drums in the monitors than other band members, and drums can be heard acoustically, especially in bands that perform on small stages. Drums may not even be necessary in the other mixes.

The “More Me” Syndrome We’re assuming that the vocalists are able to agree on a mix of the vocal microphones. While forcing singers to share the same mix encourages a good vocal “blend”, this theory often falls apart in practice.

Separating out the lead vocalist to an individual mix will address this issue. Here’s how to accomplish it in three mixes:

Place some of the backup vocal mics in the “instruments” mix, and adjust the “vocal” mix to satisfy the lead singer, even if that means adding some instruments to the “vocal” mix. This provides:

•  An individual mix for the lead singer

•  A mix for the guitarist and keyboardist that includes their vocals, and

•  A drum mix (The bass player can drop in here, too)

How many mixes are available from your front of house console?

Monitor mixes are typically created using auxiliary (AUX) sends from a mixer, either the front-of-house console or a dedicated monitor console.

A typical small-format console will have at least four auxiliary sends. Whether or not all these are all available for monitors is another matter. AUX sends are also used for effects.  Available sends are the final determinate for the number of possible monitor mixes.

If your answer to our first question (How Many Mixes?) is greater than the answer to this question (How Many Mixes Are Available from the Front of House Console?), you have two options:

Stereo or mono?

Most personal monitor systems allow for monitoring in either stereo or mono. At first glance, stereo may seem the obvious choice, since we hear in stereo, and everything else these days features stereo sound.

Stereo requires two channels of audio. What this means for personal monitor users is two sends are required to create a stereo monitor mix – twice as many as it takes to do a mono mix (see Figure 3). Stereo monitoring can quickly devour auxiliary sends.  If your mixer only has four sends, you can only create two stereo mixes.

While not quite as “realistic” as stereo monitoring, mono allows more mixes from a smaller mixing console – and sometimes fewer transmitters. If you only need one mono mix, these mono-only systems can save you money.

Some stereo transmitters can be operated in a “dual-mono” mode, which provides two mono mixes instead of one stereo. This can be a great way to save money. If you only need one mono mix, these mono-only systems can save you money.

How many components will you need?

After you have answered these questions, plug the numbers into the following equations to determine exactly how many of each component you will need.

Good earphones are an essential component

The key to successful personal monitoring lies in the quality of the earphones. All the premium components in the monitoring signal path will be rendered ineffective by a low quality earphone.  There are three types:

Earbuds While inexpensive, the kind that came with your MP3 player have the poorest isolation and are not designed to withstand the rigors of a working musician’s environment.

Custom molded earphones offer exceptional sound quality and isolation, a considerably higher price tag, and are difficult to test before buying since they’re made specifically for one person’s ears by an audiologist.

Universal Earphones combine the superior sound quality and isolation of the custom molded designs with the versatility, “out-of-the-box” readiness and affordable cost of the consumer phones. Interchangeable sleeves of foam or flexible rubber are used to adapt the earphone to the performer’s ear canal.

Personal Monitor mixers are an optional component Personal monitoring gives the performer an unprecedented level of control. But for the performer who desires more than simple volume and pan operation, a personal monitor mixer can be added.

These are especially useful for praise teams that either have a limited number of available auxiliary sends on the console, or lack a monitor engineer to operate the console.  A small monitor mixer allows the vocalists or players to customize their mixes themselves to hear exactly what they desire.

Theoretically, any mixer can double as a personal monitor mixer, but most lack one key feature; the input signals needed to find their way to the main (FOH) mixer. Large sound systems with separate monitor consoles use transformer-isolated splitters to send the signals to two places, but these are prohibitively expensive for most worship teams. Y-cables can be used to split microphone signals, but they can get messy and are somewhat unreliable.

A few manufacturers have introduced mixers with integrated microphone splitters. These can range from basic four channel mixers with volume and pan controls to larger, more fully featured monitor console.

And one more thing … make that two more things

The pain of change is still a factor.  Your praise team may have some difficulty adapting to in-ears after years of performing in front of stage monitors.

Another concern is cost.  A good wireless system – including a transmitter, receiver and earphones – can cost anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars.  One way to get started is to introduce personal monitoring gradually – one member of your praise team at a time.  You’ll eliminate at least one floor monitor, contributing to a quieter stage and give others performers (at rehearsal) a chance to try them out and experience the difference.

Wireless Systems

• Axient Wireless Management Network
  2012 NAMM “Best in Show—This Year’s Hottest Products” Gotta Stock It Award
• PGX Digital Wireless
  2011 TEC Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement, Wireless Technology
  2011 Music & Sound Retailer Music & Sound Award for Best Wireless System
• ULX-D Digital Wireless
  2012 Pro Sound Network Best of Show Awards: NAMM Edition

Personal Monitoring

• PSM 1000 Personal Monitor System
  2011 Music & Sound Retailer Music & Sound Award for Product of the Year
  2012 ProSoundWeb and Live Sound International  Readers’ Choice Award

Wired Microphones

• Beta 181 Ultra-Compact Side-Address Microphone
  2011 TEC Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement, Microphone Technology / Sound Reinforcement
  2011 Music & Sound Retailer Music & Sound Award for Best Wired Microphone
• KSM42 Large Dual-Diaphragm Vocal Microphone
  2012 ProSoundWeb and Live Sound International  Readers’ Choice Award for Best Product, Condenser Microphones
• SM58 Vocal Microphone
  2011 Musical Merchandise Review Dealer’s Choice Awards for Microphone Line of the Year

Earphones

• SE215 Sound Isolating Earphones
  2011 PCMag.com Best of the Year Award

Okay, success celebrated. Back to the grindstone.

Shure earphones are NOT worn in the same style as headphones or standard earbuds. To enjoy the superior sound isolation and audio quality of your earphones, it is very important to get a proper fit!

Situating the Cables

Note the difference between the right (R) and left (L) earphones and insert earphone into each ear
Wrap the earphone cord over the top and down the back of the ear — the earphone cord can also be worn hanging straight down (see figs. 1 and 2 below)
Use the adjustment tube to secure the cables either behind your head or in front

Inserting the Earphones

To insert the earphone, pull the ear upward and outward to straighten out the ear canal. If using foams sleeves, gently compress the foam with your fingers and insert the earphone into your ear.

Creating Your Personal Fit

The quality of the frequency response and sound isolation depends on how well the sleeves seal. If the earphone seems to be lacking in bass, check the tightness of the seal between the earphone and your ear, or try one of the other sleeve options. Each earphone comes with a selection of sleeve options. Sleeves options vary by earphone model.

We recommend taking some time to experiment with your fit kit to find the sleeve and style of wear that works best for you.

Flex and soft flex sleeves:

Try the different sizes to determine the best fit for comfort and isolation. (Gray, Black, & Clear.)

Foam sleeves:

Compress the foam sleeve at the end of the earphone by rolling it between your thumb and forefinger before inserting it. Hold the earphone in place for about 10 seconds while the foam expands and creates a tight seal. (Black, Yellow, & Orange–SCL2 only.)

Triple Flange sleeves:

The sleeve tube or flange can be trimmed for customization and greater comfort. (White.)

Connecting To a Listening Device

Shure Sound Isolating Earphones are suited for any listening device that has a 3.5 mm (1/8-inch) stereo jack, including (but not limited to): Apple iPods, portable CD players, MP3 players, MiniDiscs, DAT, DVD, cassette players, notebook computers, in-flight entertainment systems, personal gaming devices and exercise equipment fitted with gym entertainment systems. The 1/4″ to 1/8 adapter included with some models enables you to also connect to sources with 1/4″ jacks. When connecting your earphones, be sure to follow these instructions:

Turn down the volume of your listening device.
Connect the plug from your earphones into the device’s output jack.
Insert earphones into your ears using suggested fit techniques.Slowly raise the volume to a comfortable listening level.

Keeping It Clean

To ensure continuing superior sound from your sound isolating earphones, we recommend that you follow these simple tips:

Avoid getting moisture in the nozzle, as this can adversely affect sound quality
Avoid striking or dropping the unit — extreme shock can damage the earphones
Whenever buildup is observed, clean the nozzles using the supplied wax removal tool (see Figure 2, below)

Wax buildup around each earphone nozzle should always be removed using the Wax Removal Loop as shown.

Figure 2: Wax removal process

Additional Earphone Care and Maintenance

Clean your sleeves regularly with a mild antiseptic or soapy water
Always remove the sleeve from the earphone nozzle before cleaning
Flex, Ultra-soft flex, and Triple-flange sleeves should be cleaned with an antiseptic routinely and when sharing
Foam sleeves should be disposed of and replaced when they get dirty
Wipe down the earphone housing and cable with an antiseptic routinely
Stop using the earphones if they are causing you discomfort

NOTE: Nozzles can collect cerumen (earwax), which can clog the earphone and lower the sound quality. If you experience sound loss, check the nozzles for clogging before sending the product in for service. There is a service charge for removing wax.

CAUTION: Shure earphones are not immersible. Make sure flanges are completely dry before reattaching to earphone nozzles.

Important Safety Information

Never wear earphones while operating a motor vehicle. It may create a hazard and is illegal in many areas
Use caution when wearing earphones while walking, jogging, cycling, etc.
Avoid using earphones at high volume levels — Shure earphones are designed to provide increased listening enjoyment at lower levels

Prolonged exposure to high sound pressure levels may impair hearing. See our information on hearing conservation to learn more.

WARNING: Always turn the volume down before plugging the earphones into a sound source. Excessive exposure to loud sounds can cause hearing damage. Check out our information on hearing conservation.

Wired Microphones

1. Keep windscreens on vocal mics clean and unclogged – clogged windscreens can reduce the performance of a microphone. Double check screens especially after female vocalists that wear lipstick.
2. Double check that all contacts are clean – tarnished pins on an XLR connector can reduce conductivity and impair performance.
3. Use quality microphone cables – cheap cables tend to have bad solder connections and shields that don’t hold up after repeated coiling and can become very noisy.
4. Keep handheld microphones free of tape residue. Often times it is required to use gaffers tape on a microphone for one reason or another. Once the tape is removed some residue may remain and can contribute to the handling noise of the microphone.
5. Do not tape over, cup or cover the windscreen or vents of the microphone. The directional (acoustical) characteristics of the microphone will become compromised and can lead to poor sound quality and/or feedback rejection.
6. Microphone selection and placement can make all of the difference. For example: a microphone designed for vocal applications is likely to have a presence peak and would not be ideal for a bass drum or guitar cabinet.

Wireless Microphones

1. Gain set-up is crucial for the proper operation of the wireless transmitter. Handheld transmitters can be overdriven by a vocal presenter if the gain is set too high and under-driven if the gain is set too low. Both situations can lead to poor end results. Always try to adjust for the talent of the day – not all talent are the same; some sing or speak softly requiring more initial gain and others are very loud and require minimal gain. Body-pack transmitters are frequently used with guitars that have a higher output and therefore require less gain (or more pad).
2. Batteries: Use fresh batteries with a full charge for each event. Using rechargeable batteries is a great way to save money and landfills as long as you or someone on your staff is able to effectively manage them. Remove batteries from transmitters after each performance. This will keep you from using half-dead batteries the next time you need them and will also prevent an accidental leak from damaging your transmitter if stored for an extended period of time.
3. Make sure that you have chosen a clean frequency in which to operate your wireless system. You can use the frequency calculator on Shure’s website to help determine which TV channels to avoid. If you still have questions, Shure’s tech support group is glad to help.
4. Antenna placement and set-up is important. Try to keep antennas as close to transmitters with line of sight as is possible. Antennas can also be frequency band specific – don’t try to use an antenna from another system without double-checking the frequencies first. Make sure all connections are solid. For antennas, double-check the center pin on the BNC connectors to make sure it isn’t bent or broken. If you need to remotely locate an antenna, be sure to use the correct cable – not all coax cable is the same. Cable used for television will not perform the same as cable designed for use with antennas. Consult the Shure website or tech support group for assistance in picking the right product for your application should you have any questions.
5. Many times a body pack transmitter can get wet from a performer (sweat). It is important to try and clean off the body pack and dry before storing. Using a hairdryer (set to low or no heat) is a great way to speed up the process. Storing BPs with silica gel desiccant packets also works well.

Monitors/Earphones

1. Make sure that you have a good coupling between earphone and ear canal. The foam sleeves provided with your earphones are designed to expand in the ear canal and seal off the outside world. When a good seal is provided the earphone couples to the ear canal and they act as one providing maximum bass response as well as optimal clarity and isolation from loud stage volumes.
2. When using earphones for monitoring, use both earphones. Performers that pull one earphone out during performance break the isolation and protection in that ear from the stage volume that using both earphones provides. Often the performer will end up turning the volume up to potentially unsafe levels in order to compete with stage volume. Both ears should be isolated throughout the performance and ambience can be added in via one or two condenser mics strategically placed on stage and fed only into the performer’s mix.
3. Earwax is something that nobody wants to talk about, but we all have it and eventually it can clog up your earphones. Keep your equipment clean using the tools provided and you can continue to enjoy your product for years to come. Consult your product manual for proper care instructions.
4. When using Shure earphones, if you prefer to use the yellow foam sleeves, be sure to check them regularly as they can harden over time and can become uncomfortable. Regularly replacing your old sleeves with new ones not only increases the comfort level, but also helps ensure a good coupling between earphone and ear canal. All other Shure sleeve options are washable and reusable, check the user guide for instructions on cleaning them.
5. Check the cable assembly on earphones regularly. Should a cable become frayed or compromised, this can lead to harsh artifacts or no sound at all. Shure SE315, SE425 and SE535 earphones have a replaceable cable assembly.

Headphones

1. Use the carrying pouch that came with your headphones when transporting them, and be sure to detach the cable (in models SRH440/SRH840/SRH750DJ) when you fold and store them. This will provide extra product and cable protection.
2. Replace ear pads that are worn, not as comfortable or provide less sound isolation.
3. If the signal is breaking up or you are hearing distortion, your volume level may be too loud. Prolonged high volume levels that create distortion could damage the headphone drivers. If you experience distortion at a lower volume, check your signal chain to determine the source of the problem.

Bill Ostry joined Shure in 2010 and has been professionally involved in the audio industry for over a decade. He travels the US and Canada as part of the Market Development team providing product education and support to end-users, customers and consultants.

Ever wanted to know the difference between sound isolation and noise cancellation? In this episode, along with guest Chris Lyons, we explore the characteristics of both technologies, complete with real-world audio samples.