Shure Wireless Debuts Axient Product Line - SPS

Scan, Plan Command. That is Shure’s new slogan when it comes to their state of the art brand new product The Axient Wireless Suite. This product line developed from world-renowned Shure brings a sigh of relief to all wireless microphone users. This product line is to make the world of wireless easier to operate, control and setup. Nonetheless it is also there to be “as usual” the highest quality system Shure has put out yet.

This system starts off with two different types of transmitters a belt pack and a hand held. The AXT100 Body Pack Transmitter is capable of ultra-linear RF performance with more channels and perfect audio quality. It includes an extended rechargeable battery with dead accurate AF,RF and Power Metering. The pack also comes with a standard IR sync and up to 80MHZ tuning range. The physical design of the pack is made of a lightweight metal casing with moisture resistant to handle the extremes. The antenna is removable and you can lockout the onboard user interface as well. The battery can last up to eight hours and you can also use 3 AA backup charging batteries. With the AXT200 (Handheld mic) you have the same capabilities as the AXT100 however the battery life is up to ten hours and you can enable simultaneous transmissions on two independent frequencies. What makes both the AXT100 and AXT200 unique is the control software called ShowLink Remote Control.

Shure’s Wireless Workbench 6 software is the ultimate software package when it comes to wireless remote control. The user interface and practicality is very easy and the ascetics look great. The Wireless Workbench or WWB6 connects to the Axient Spectrum Manager which is a state of the art coordinator for spectrum and frequency band interactivity with the transmitters and receivers. It provides wideband scanning which is then automatically matched with all transmitters and receivers. It even provide a live list of backup frequencies and will automatically change over to them if interference is detected. In my opinion that is really useful for any show especially one that your running 30+ wireless.

To connect the whole system together including the AXT100/AXT200 receivers, the Spectrum Manager, WWB6, The wireless access point (AXT610) there is a AXT620 Axient Roadrack Ethernet Switch. This product is specifically tailored for Axient systems. The switch includes 9 ports equipped with power over Ethernet and automatic assign of IP addresses. The system is basically plug and play, which is a great tool when time is limited in production setup.

For RF distribution there is the AXT630 Axient Antenna Distribution System. It provides 4 BNC antenna output pairs and two Ethernet ports for control. The system also can enable the recharging stations for the transmitters all integrated in a rack.

My thoughts on this product are unimaginable. I wish I had this system for shows I have worked on in the past. The system is easy to use and provides outstanding capabilities and performance. The Axient products are a really game changer for the wireless audio industry and who better to debut and manufacture it than Shure.

Digitally Steerable Arrays - SPS

Imagine driving the direction of your car with a joystick or a playstation controller verses a physical steering wheel. Now take that same feeling of ultimate control at anytime and apply it to speaker direction. With the Digitally Steerable Arrays allow you to control the acoustic output and the coverage angle of the array. The theory behind arrays is so you have multiple drivers producing the same exact signal in a vertical alignment, which creates deconstructive and constructive interference thus resulting in a very tightly controlled beam angle. However, to control the room reflections from the output of the speakers you have to physically hang and/or place the speakers at a specific location. What if you could not install them there at that specific location? Well DSA technology would allow you to hang the speaker lets say of axis and you can still control the acoustical output and direction of the drivers themselves to put it to the desired listening location.

Digitally Steerable Arrays is a fairly new technology that is marketed and geared toward installation applications such as; house of worship, theatres, amusement parks and other similar applications. However, I really think this could be adopted once the technology is mainstream into the touring and large-scale sound systems to be able to customize the direction and beam angles of the PA for the best possible listening scenario for each specific venue.

So how does this technology work? There is a dedicated power amp including its own DSP for each driver. To control the acoustic output of the column and steering the DSP’s allow adjustments in phase and frequency response independently of the array’s axis. To accomplish steering by including small amounts of delay between each driver which results in the engineer to be able to focus the acoustic output toward the listeners and away from reflective surfaces. The best part is that you don’t have to physically calculate delay times and frequency issues for each driver instead manufactures provide software to manage it all.

You can also change the throw distance without compromising intelligibility (the whole reason why the array was created) this is great when you have different uses for the speaker system and need to change listening locations while under restrictions of physical movement.

In my opinion this DSA technology will be really great to the industry even if it does not go mainstream. It is a unique idea to handle intelligibility, throw distance, positions, room reflections and acoustic output. The technology will hopefully be picked up by some major brands and implemented into new product lines. I can bet that in the coming years we will see the technology of DSA’s come into play in some or all types of environments.

DiGiCo SD10 Digital Console Review

I am a huge fan of the DiGiCo digital consoles and after reading about the new SD10 Live Digital Console I was once again sold. The physical design of the console is sleek and subtle compared to the showboat the SD7. The appearance to me is simplistic with cutting edge technology. For a quick overview of the features this digital console has 96 channels of input configured in mono or stereo with the capability of 12 flex channels making the total 108. There are 37 physical faders in the surface and the SD10 can buss up to 48 auxes or groups. There are also two solo busses and a 12 VCA control groups. There is 33 Internal FX with DiGiCo’s Stealth Digital Processing and the option to add the Waves bundle with low latency processing. You also have built in local inputs and outputs to go along with optical inputs. You can link up to 5 SD10’s together along optical that share all the inputs from the stage racks. Also you can link two consoles together of a CAT 5 crossover cable to provide 72 channels of control. Over optics you can connect up to 14 D-Racks provided 448 channels. The SD10 is completely compatible with the SD7.

To go deeper into the inputs you can have a total of 108 (including the flex channels) with all the professionally standard options including: Input routing & alternate input, analogue gain of -20 to +60dB, phase normal / reverse, Digital Trim, Delay, a LPF & HPF, 4 Band Parametric or Dynamic EQ (up to 10 flex channels), Compressor, Gate, Mutes, Solo Bussing options, Channel Safe settings. Along with those standard options you can have your EQ/Dyn order as well.

After seeing all these settings, watching the launch video and reading about the console I was sold. However, then I read more. This console actually can act as two. DiGiCo actually added the Broadcast application to the SD10 which provides you with all the capabilities of a DiGiCo broadcast platform making this console versatile for live applications and live for broadcast. However, they didn’t stop there! The console of course comes with full snapshot automation capabilities, redundant outputs on connections and two engines to power the console. User defined macro keys can be configured by the engineer to his or her liking.

The 15” TFT (fully touch screen) in the middle of the console provided more than adequate display of all functions with full precise control, which seems a lot better than other console screens. The options for this console are unlimited and are very flexible for most or all applications.

To be honest I really did not know much about this console and I am glad I was able to do some research on the new product and its functionality and flexibility along with the some of the best design out there. It is a very sleek design and I would not mind at all to be able and get on this piece of gear and see what it can do in person because just from reading the information on the website and other sources it was a tease for me.

8/28/11

I finished my first showpro class LCD this week and it was a great start to the "real" classes. LCD reinforced and open my mind when it comes to lighting in general, design and technical aspects. It broadened my perspective when looking at not only show lighting but lighting in all aspects in life and what kind of mood it creates. I had a great time and cannot wait to continue these awesome classes.

Piano Light - 8/27/11

The piano has a light on it and my brother was playing the piano. There are french doors behind the piano and the sun was setting in the background. The light though was lighting the keys of the piano and the dark wood. It cast a shadow against his face and while he was playing the piano the whole entire setting and mood was beautiful. I should have taken a picture.

3D Projectors - 8/26/11

I went to see a movie in 3D which I already hate 3D. The movie theater was a chain so it wasn't a crappy one but the image was completely off. The image looked blurry and it was hard to look at it. They were using 2 projectors to make the image 3D and what happened was the second projector was off with the first one and the image was further apart from the other. Finally they fixed the projector and the image was alright. I still don't like 3D and will never.

Lighting - 8/25/11

Heat lighting still amazes me and being from NJ there wasn't much heat lighting at all. However, the amount colors in the sky from the lightning are truly crazy. The purples, pinks, and blues that were from the lightning are unique and I haven't seen anything like that.

Light in Mediums - 8/24/11

I was swimming in the pool today and I was underwater it was great watching the light being refracted through the water. The light was being diffused into the bottom of the pool by and the rays you could somewhat see how they were being refracted.

Sleeping Moon Lighting -8/23/11

I was finishing up my LCD project and I found this really neat coffee shop on Aloma called Sleeping Moon. It is a really unique coffee shop. There is great artwork and very "chill" music being played. What tops it off is the lighting and the control of the sunlight. The windows are diffusion so you cannot see through and there are curtains that block some of the sunlight. Then there is these hanging light bulbs that give it a European rustic look. The ceiling lights are very dim and the whole entire atmosphere is a really calming place that makes you feel comfortable enough to either have a serious conversation, work on a project or just relax and have some coffee. Anyways its a really cool place and the lighting is one of the key aspects that makes it unique.

Today was Awesome! - 8/22/11

Today we had our first lab in live 1 and it was awesome to finally be in there. We really focused on the lighting rig itself with bringing in the truss and then bringing it out with proper call outs and safety practices. Even though there wasn't much lighting I did notice something kinda cool. When the rig was being brought it the work light that was blocked by the truss and the fixtures on it became more and more visible when being brought brought in. This made the l top of the truss become lit more than the bottom and gave it a "massive like" feeling. Regardless it was really cool.

Bored - 8/21/11

I am very bored at the moment and am trying to think of what I can write about. The only thing I can think of is nothing except for describing my environment around me at the moment. To my front the laptop with its backlight display is bright along with the blue glow of the television. Along with that is the light behing me which is making my front shadow dark. It is a dim light in the room which brings out shadows in the dark leather furniture and other decor. The mood is calming and relaxing.

8/20/11 - Family Gathering

Some extended family is here visiting and we all had a very nice dinner. My father went to set the lighting in the house and I thought it was funny he was setting different intensities of light throughout the house to set the mood. It was really interesting for someone with no lighting experience to do it. However, it wasn't very good so I went and changed some of it.

LAB - 8/19/11

In lab today we saw how white balancing to different color temperatures can change the way the camera "looks" at colors and represents them when displayed onscreen. It is amazing how when not balanced properly either due to the LD or the camera op it can completely misrepresent what is live. I wonder if this could also be a biological thing with other animals and they see colors differently than us humans.

8/18/11

I really have nothing to report as a huge light event that happened today however, There is a really cool light that my brother has in his bedroom which he bought. The light is just a blue nightlight but it is LED and its pretty cool and adds to that cool mood to the room.

Stage Collapse - 8/17/11

We have all seen the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair. RIP to those who passed away. However, I have to say that when watching the video of the collapse if you see the sky and the light surrounding the event it is very very telling. The clouds are are completely black but sunlight is shinning in the distance which outlines them. The whole mood of the scene is just freaky, eerie and very sinister. It is a terrible thing that happened and the way the light from the sun and the mood of the sky it made it even worse.

Mood Lighting - 8/16/11

In a car that I was in it had interior mood lighting. The colors actually changed based on the speed of the car and the type of music you had playing at the time. When you were going slow the car was a cool color with deep purples and blues the moment you start to go fast by acceleration the car changes colors to orange, yellow and red. All the lights are throughout the interior of the car in the trim, around the floorboards, in the dashboard. It was really cool and it responded to the actions of the driver. The music also had the option of changing the colors based on the type of song and to even go with the tempo however, I find that distracting.

Crazy Shadows on the Road 8/15/11

I was riding my motorcycle home from lab tonight and while I was on the highway I noticed that every time I passed a street light my shadow would appear ahead of me as I was going away from the light. It was really cool and I am going to try and post a video of it hopefully sometime this week. Anyways it was kinda creepy with the color of the light being this orange glow and then my shadow right ahead of me (As I am going highway speeds).

Sunday - 8/14/11

Today I did an experiment with my brothers. They always play ps3 in their bedroom. I wanted to see if light would affect their playing. So I played around with making it completely dark (except for the TV light). Then I tried making it as bright as possible by opening up the shades, turning on all the lights including desk lamps and making sure it was focused at him. Then I tried playing around with making the lighting dim and then only keeping the blue light he had in the corner of the room.

What I found as that he played better in the dark or dim lighting including the blue only light. I think the reason behind this was the fact that light didn't change his mood however changed his sight. Meaning that he could see the screen better in the dark verses the washed out screen when all the lights were on.

LEDS! - 8/13/11

So I have LED blinkers on my motorcycle and the front left one went out. I love these blinkers because they're bright as hell which is good so hopefully cars will see me. These blinkers look like cat eyes though with a yellow and orange color when blinking. When you see the blinkers on coming at you in the dark it looks kinda intimidating along with the rest of the bike.

Anyways all I had to do was fix the connection of the wire to the blinker and it lives!

Car Headlights Suck - 8/12/11

I was on my motorcycle today and the car behind me had those HID headlights and they were right in the annoying spot of my mirrors that if I looked into it, it would "blind" me. Anyways they were that color yellow and it was really annoying. It started to get me more and more pissed off and I had to change lanes. I was wondering if that HID yellow color at that intensity could bring out a "pissed off reaction" by another person like mine.

NO LIGHT!?!? - 8/11/10

Today I spent almost all of my day in my bedroom with the shades closed and the lights off studying and sleeping. It was a "chill" day but I didnt have much to do and wanted to catch up on sleep. There was much light and I actually put up more curtains to block the light so it was almost completely dark which was nice for a change.

JEEP! - 8/10/11

So I was on break from lab today and was looking at the headlights of my jeep. I noticed that the lamp was very weren't as bright as other headlamps on vehicles I have seen. Also the reflectors are huge compared to other cars and trucks and give it a unique shape almost like a Source 4 Par. I just wanted to make that observation...

Bored For A Moment - 8/9/11

So I was bored today while watching tv and decided to see how many footcandles my tv puts out.

I have a Vizio 32" LCD TV

This is what I found:

Brightness: 500 nits


So I had to find out what a "nit" is and here is my findings:

In lighting, the nit is a unit of visible-light intensity, commonly used to specify the brightness of a cathode ray tube or liquid crystal display computer display. One nit is equivalent to one candela per square meter.

So my 32" Vizio LC TV puts out 500 footcandles.

Light Blown - 8/8/11

So I went to turn on the porch light outside my apartment and as soon as I flipped the switch and the bulb blew. It looked just like a blown bulb would with the filament the glass part of the bulb in a dark powder. I really wish though I could have gotten it on video.

Golfing 8/07/11

So after a really long day of riding home from Clearwater, taking care of some work I decided to play a round of golf with my friend. When we were on the 4th hole I saw the suns reflection hitting off of the lake. It looked pretty awesome and just in general the way the light was hitting the camera and then the whole landscape. I just wanted to share it with you guys!

NEON 8/6/11

This weekend a bunch of us on motorcycles took a trip to Clearwater for the night. We stayed at hotel there and was able to enjoy the beach all day Saturday. That night the whole look of the beach line changed. Lights were used to attract the attention of tourists and people walking along the boardwalk, pier and the main road. Out of all the lights neon was used everywhere. It's obnoxious red, green, yellow,blue or any other color was everywhere. It was effective though in capturing the attention of people. Shops had it blinking and in the shaped of words. Restaurants had it more for a mood setting and look outside the building and small shop booths used them to draw the crowd. I really didn't care for the neon lights at all. They get annoying and too bright sometimes and the amount of lights blinking (keep in mind my state of mind was altered as well that night) was annoying. But it was effective and got its job done. I can stand lights blinking and strobing and doing all sorts of moves however neons kinda piss me off.

Shulas 8/5/11

I was at a restaurant Shula's 347 and it was fairly late in the evening on thursday around 9pm. It was dark outside and the interior of the restaurant was dark wood and rich dark colors with cream colored walls. The booths and tables were all with the dark scheme and the bar was right there with the rest of it. It felt like with just the decor and furniture they were setting the mood. Except they weren't.

The lighting in the place was very simple but it worked very effictvly. The lights were small LED's lamps hanging from the ceiling down onto each booth and then recessed into the ceiling some more lights to fill the room. However, these lights werent bright at all and if anything they barely were on at all. But it was just enough. The lighting really brought out the mood in the place by making it seem fancy, calm but cool and modern with a rich look. It was darker to set the mood also for couples going out that night for a more intimate setting.

Red 8/4/11

So we were talking about color in lecture yesterday and it was interesting to me that anything anyone needed to grab the attention of a person is in bright colors like the color red.

The color red is everywhere. Just drive down the street and you see red stoplights, stop signs, brake lights, billboards and signs that are red or have red writing. Red is everywhere. I wonder why?

Red is an attention grabber, in our society red is used as a warning or way to show that something is important. It is easy to see for most people (unless you re color blind) like the EXIT signs in buildings are red. It stands out and is easy to see. Red is everywhere and there is a good reason for it to be.

To Early!

Why is light so bright? That is a stupid question to ask. However, in the morning when you have been up until 4am the night before and want to get some sleep the sun going through the blinds around 10am is horrible! As I am waking up though I thought about how can I solve this issue. It dawned on me to hang thick heavy black sheets over the windows to "block the light." Now I am thinking why and how the sunlight is being blocked by the sheets. The black sheets are absorbing the sunlight completely and allowing it to be captured in the sheets itself instead of passing through to the rest of the room. The only problem was that the sheets would get hot from the sunlight however in the end it did its purpose and let me sleep!

Going for a Ride - 08/02/11

So I was out on my motorcycle today riding down I4 in wonderful traffic hoping to avoid the rain which in the afternoon is tricky. Anyways I am riding with my helmet on of course and the helmets visor is tinted on the inside so it reduces the glare and light coming in from the sun. This is so I can see better. I was thinking today as I ride very slow in traffic of how the process of reducing the glare and reducing the amount of light that came into my field of vision through that tinted visor.



Its similar to sunglasses that are polarized and tinted. I think the process that is reducing the amount of light from my vision inside the helmet is actually two alike things. One is that the helmet is softening the direct light from the sun by dispersing it instead of having a glare. Another thing is that the outside is reflecting some of the light away from the inside by use of a reflective plastic coating on the visor. Granted though I need light so be able to see out of the helmet so It reduces only a certain amount.

Bad Mood 8/01/11

I was taking care of my two younger brothers tonight they are 12 year old twins which of course is a handful. One of them was misbehaving so I sent him to his room as a punishment. About a half hour later I went to go check on him. As I opened the door to his room the ceiling lights were off and it was fairly dark in the room. Except for one little night light that was plugged into the wall next to my brother's bed. This setting has happened before whether it was for me to make sure they were in bed sleeping or checking in on them. However, after trying to take a different perspective at the way I see the actions of light itself I saw beyond just a night light plugged into the wall. The light had a barrier in front of the bulb which diffused the light and made it softer to go about the room. Since the light was on the right of his desk and he was sitting on his bed crouched up only the right half of his body was lit.

This all happened in that split second when I walked in which brought out an emotion in myself of feeling bad for punishing my brother. It also brought out a mood in the room in general and also expressed the feeling of my brother which was the fact that he was in trouble and sad. He was also angry at me for punishing him however felt sorry at the fact that he misbehaved. The lighting of that one little night light supplemented the mood and encouraged and boosted the effects of that mood even more. As all this happened I thought I should share this as a unique experience with light today and how it affects situations and including moods.