Running through April 2013, the exhibit displays 78 guitars that’ll make any red-blooded gearhead weak in the knees. (And that’s not even Nielsen’s whole collection! That’s just the highlights. Yowzahs.) Dave Grohl, Brian May, Todd Rundgren, and Conan O’Brien contributed pieces from their personal guitar collections as well. Visitors also can view videos and thousands of pieces from Nielsen’s amazing rock memorabilia collection accumulated during his decades-long career.

What does this have to do with Shure? Cheap Trick has been a Shure artist endorser for many years. We are HUGE fans and crazy-proud to share a home state with them. Shure fans who visit the exhibit will notice our headphones in the video area and—get this—in the area that features vintage audio of Nielsen composing on the fly, digitally converted from the original cassettes.

Check out this video for a taste of what awaits you at the exhibit:

Plus, in spring 2013, Nielsen will hit the stage of the beautifully restored Coronado Performing Arts Center in downtown Rockford, along with Cheap Trick bandmates and many special guests. Visit rickspickslive.com for details as they unfold.

Our own Michael Pettersen visited the exhibit and graced us with some great pics. Plus, check out the vintage shot (courtesy of Mike Graham, Graham Images) of Nielsen wielding no less than three guitars. Enjoy!

Recently, I arrived early for a party.  The host was working in the kitchen 20 feet from where I stood.  “Have a seat and I will tell you what’s been going on,” she said.  I settled into a nearby comfy chair and we chatted.  The house was quiet and it was no problem to converse even though the talker/transmitter (the host) was located 20 feet from the listener/receiver (me).

Later that evening, the house was filled with guests when the host decided to continue the earlier conversation.  But to hear each other we had to be one foot apart…the talker/transmitter had to be much closer to the listener/receiver.   What changed?

The answer:  the ambient (background) noise level had increased due to the many conversations in the room.  For me, the host’s voice was the signal that I wanted to hear.  All other sounds were noise, because these were signals that did not interest me.  Yet when I arrived at the party and the noise level was quite low, I could be 20 feet away and still have a conversation.

This is a practical demonstration of Signal-to-Noise Ratio.  The signal is the voice of the host; the noise is everything else.  The noise is uncorrelated (random) acoustical debris.  If the level of the noise is greater than the level of the signal, I cannot understand what is being said.  Everyone has experienced a poor Signal-to-Noise Ratio at a party, or a rock concert, or sporting event.  Noise creates an acoustical fog that makes it difficult, or impossible, to understand what is being said.

Here is a related question: Why might a Shure wireless mic system work properly over a distance of 400 feet in the Utah desert, while the same exact Shure wireless system will work properly for only 50 feet in New York City?  As the wireless mic system did not change, what did?

The answer: the ambient (background) RF (Radio Frequency) noise level increased due to the many sources of RF transmission in New York City.  Examples are numerous TV station transmitters, two-way radio signals, broadcast radio signals, Wi-Fi, data networks, plus the ubiquitous smartphone, owned by every New Yorker and consistently in use.  These signals are uncorrelated waves of electro-magnetic debris.  Even though most of these RF noise sources do not operate on the same frequency as the Shure wireless system, these sources raise the level of the RF garbage.  This makes it more difficult for the Shure transmitter (talker) to be heard by the Shure receiver (listener).  Just like what happened at the party, the receiver has a tough time sorting out the desired transmitter signal from the undesired noise.

In an environment with a high level of RF noise, the receiver (or the receiver antennas) must be located closer to the transmitter.  This improves the RF Signal-to-Noise Ratio.  The receiver then can pick up the desired transmitter because the signal is now stronger than the noise.

A wireless receiver can be made more selective (improved ability to sort out the signal from the noise) by adding “front-end RF filters.”  Located after the antennas, these filters reduce the level of RF noise sent into the receiver.  Effective and efficient filters are expensive thus they are primarily found on higher priced wireless systems.

Related link on this subject:

http://www.shure.com/uploads/publication/upload/396/us_pro_antenna_setup_ea.pdf

The phone call began with, “I need a wireless transmitter that is water-proof.  The venue is a U.S. Navy firing range and the wireless mic is used in all types of weather.  What do you recommend?”

We recommended the ULXP wireless system with a ULX2/SM58 transmitter; here is the rationale.

A wireless handheld cannot be made completely water-proof.  Air must reach the mic element and that means there must be an opening of some sort.  However, a ULX2 handheld transmitter can be made water- resistant by using two Shure accessories.

Accessory 1: A58WS Foam Windscreen.  The foam cells are so small that rain droplets cannot easily enter the cells. Because of water’s surface tension, each rain drop prefers to remain as a whole structure and not divide into microscopic drops that could enter the foam cells.  In addition, the meandering labyrinth of the open cells creates an arduous path for any water droplet trying to reach the mic element.   Water-proof…no; water-resistant…yes.

Accessory 2: WA555 Grip/Switch Cover.  The flexible plastic sleeve slides over the transmitter handle concealing the Power switch, Mode switch, Set switch, and LCD display.  This sleeve inhibits water from entering the switches and display. Water-proof…no; water-resistant…yes.

Finally, there is the SM58 mic element.  Dynamic mic elements, like the SM58, are immune to temperature extremes and humidity extremes.  The same cannot be said for condenser mic elements.

Related links on this subject:

http://shure.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4435/

http://shure.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2515/

http://shure.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4414/

A microphone responds to the movement of air, and it does not care what caused the air to move.  This means that a mic cannot distinguish between air movement originating from a talker, and air movement originating from local weather.  Wind noise is a persistent problem with microphones but there are multiple ways to minimize unwanted noise.

Method 1: Attenuation of Low Frequencies using Electronics

Wind noise has a large amount of low frequency (bass) content, often described as “rumble.”  Cutting out the extreme bass from a microphone signal is an effective method to reduce audible wind noise.  For example, the Shure SM81 has a three position low frequency cut (roll-off) switch.  One setting is a steep roll-off, the second is a gentle roll-off, and the third is no roll-off.  This switch effectively reduces low frequency wind noise.  Or the Shure A15HP accessory can be added to any microphone output to roll-off low frequencies.

Method 2: Layers of Metal, Cloth, or Plastic Mesh

Troublesome wind noise has a higher air speed than speech.  A screen of very fine mesh or gauze will dissipate the energy of the wind air movement, and have minimal effect on speech.  Essentially, the mesh takes a large gust of wind, and divides into numerous smaller gusts of wind, thus reducing the power of the gust.  It is imperative that the mesh does not vibrate or rattle as this will cause unwanted mechanical noise.  Layers of mesh, with different porosity, will increase effectiveness. The Shure SM57 has a fine metal mesh in the center of its rotating black grill. This mesh helps to minimize wind noise, including talker “P”-popping which is a type of wind noise.  The Shure PS-6 “Popper Stopper” has nylon-like cloth mesh suspended in the middle of a rigid circle of plastic.  Placed in front of a studio vocal mic such as the Shure KSM44A, the PS-6 slows down a blast of air from the singer’s mouth before the blast reaches the microphone.

Method 3: Open Cell Foam

A specific type of “foam rubber” provides a function similar to the aforementioned mesh.  Open-cell foam is required for a microphone windscreen.  Open-cell means there is a meandering path for the air to move from the outer surface of the foam to the inner surface.  [Close-cell foam, such as used for product packaging, cannot be used as air cannot pass through it.] The inside of the SM58 metal ball grill has a layer of open-cell foam.  Open-cell foam is also used for an external windscreen like the Shure A58WS.  The external windscreen shape must be aerodynamic (no sharp corners) to eliminate turbulence noise as wind moves over the windscreen.  The Shure A81WS is a very effective windscreen as it has three different layers of open-cell foam, each with a different porosity.  Each layer works to slow down the wind noise and dissipate the energy.

Method 4: Plastic Mesh Basket

Often referred to as a “zeppelin,” this device totally surrounds the microphone with still air and it often used for shotgun mics, like the Shure VP89 series.  An example is the Shure A89LW-KIT.  A mic “zeppelin” is a common sight on a movie production set – suspended on a long boom pole, floating above the heads of the actors.  It does look like the Goodyear Blimp!

Method 5: Artificial Fur

Fur made of very soft artificial fibers, 1 to 4 inches in length, attached to a fabric mesh, will absorb the energy of wind turbulence.  This type of fur covering is typically installed over a “zeppelin” and secured with a zipper, an elastic band, or Velcro.   The individual fur “hairs” must be kept untangled to remain effective; a plastic comb is provided to brush out the fur and eliminate matting…I am not making this up.

I wish to extend my sincere thanks to Chris Woolf, a British expert on microphones.  Some of the material in this Tech Tip is from his superb article “How to reduce wind noise and vibration”, copyright 2002, Rycote Windshields Ltd.

Are there microphones that will only pick up musical instruments and will reject voices?  How about the reverse?  If we consider the basic function of a microphone, we discover that the answer to both questions is “No.”  A microphone senses the movement of air and then converts that air movement into an equivalent electrical signal.  A microphone cannot discriminate between the air movement (sound) created by a musical instrument and the air movement (sound) created by a human voice.  Air movement is air movement…no matter the originating source.

Microphones can be engineered to emphasize selected audio frequencies, or to de-emphasize selected audio frequencies.  For example, many voices have a more pleasing quality when the frequencies in the range of 3,000 Hz (Hertz) to 8,000 Hz are enhanced.  The SM57 and the SM58 emphasize this range of frequencies.   But apply that same emphasis to a piccolo or violin and the results can sound shrill.  This is because the piccolo and violin produce strong acoustical signals in this frequency range.  If the microphone adds emphasis in the same frequency range, the result can be unpleasant to the ear.   No need to add Tabasco to a recipe that uses habanero peppers.

Microphones can be engineered to easily mount on specific instruments, e.g., saxophones or brass instruments.   A mic that mounts to a saxophone may not be comfortable for a singer to hold.  And a microphone that is designed to fit a singer’s hand would be awkward to mount on a viola.  Obviously, the physical size of the microphone plays a major role in this aspect.

To summarize, a microphone that is designated for instruments can certainly be used for vocals, and vice versa.   So, it is the microphone’s response to audio frequencies and the microphone mounting method that primarily determines if the microphone is better suited for instruments or for vocals.

As the Shure microphone product line expanded in the 1930s, Mr. Shure made certain that it was organized, and here is the “secret key”:

100 Series = microphones with carbon elements

200 Series = microphones with ceramic elements

300 Series = microphones with ribbon elements

400 Series = microphones with controlled magnetic/controlled reluctance elements

500 Series = microphones with dynamic elements

600 Series = not used as Electro-Voice had model numbers in the 600’s

700 Series = microphones with crystal elements

800 Series = microphones with condenser elements

Do the above still apply today?  Yes, to a certain extent they do.  Here are examples:

Model 104C has a carbon element.

Model 450 Series II originally had a controlled magnetic element; it was replaced with a dynamic element, but the model number was kept.

Model 545SD-LC has a dynamic element.

What about other current Shure microphone lines?

SM = Studio Microphone, not as in Shure Microphone

BETA = Beta, as in the product line that followed the “alpha” SM line

KSM = Kondenser Studio Microphone, as in “this sounds European”

MX = Microflex, as in small mics with flexible design to handle multiple applications

PG = Performance Gear

SV = Shure Vocal

VP = Video Production

WC = Wireless Countryman

WH = Wired Headset or Wireless Headset

WL = Wireless Lapel or Wireless Lavalier

So now you know the logic behind Shure microphone models numbers!  Thanks to Michael Pettersen, Shure’s Director of Applications Engineering for providing this information.