Shure Wireless Drives Audio For International Auto Shows

Shure's Axient systems was the wireless engine behind Volkswagen's 2012 trade show presence, powering flawless audio to attract the masses across exhibition floors at the this year's Beijing International Automobile Exhibition and the Paris Motor Show.
Volkswagen contracted Swiss rental company Winkler Multi Media Events to combat spectrum and interference issues posed by the challenging wireless show environments.
The first event in Beijing, which took place April 23 - May 2, tasked the systems design team to create a wireless pipeline that would deliver uncompromised audio performance at Volkswagen's stand - despite 230,000 meters of crowded exhibition area, 8,000 attendees and more than 2,000 exhibitors.
Shure Axient emerged as the clear solution, according to Sebastian Hornung, Head of Audio Engineering of Winkler Multi Media Events, who cited the system's Spectrum Management tools via Wireless Workbench, along with Frequency Diversity and Interference Detection and
Avoidance as being key factors to maximize transmission reliability during these exhibitions.
Hornung explains: "Axient solves the interference problems and allows secure and safe wireless transmission. The system affords our team an unparalleled level of control and flexibility that helps us navigate complicated RF environments with a stable and reliable signal."
In Beijing, Winkler relied on the AXT400 dual channel receiver to produce 11 channels, five of which benefited from Axient's Frequency Diversity function, which allows full-bandwidth audio from a single source on two separate frequencies to produce clean, uninterrupted performances.
The automotive industry is not exempt from the normal demands of a live trade show. "A major challenge in these settings is the increasing time constraints on show setup. Additionally, spokespersons often arrive at the stand within just a couple minutes of the show's start time, removing any opportunity for our team to conduct a sound check with presenters onsite. This is where Axient's Remote Control lends a huge advantage, as gains can be set and frequencies changed remotely in real time. Prior to using Axient, we always had to swap transmitters, which
would interrupt sound check in an already time-limited situation, and now we have the Remote Control function to accommodate on-the-fly adjustments," adds Hornung.
On the heels of a successful show in Beijing, Winkler once again selected Shure Axient to wow automotive crowds at Volkswagen's stand during the recent show in Paris, held September 29 -October 14. There the Axient system configuration included three channels on Frequency
Diversity with beltpacks, along with 12 channels operating in single mode.
"Two major shows were executed without a hitch, and more importantly, we didn't have to worry about spectrum or interference issues. This wasn't always the case in the past and Axient's robust feature set gets the credit for combatting hostile wireless environments, thus eliminating
the headaches typically synonymous with live exhibitions," comments Hornung.
Continuing the momentum, Axient systems will also support Volkswagen's presence at North America's upcoming Detroit Auto Show in January 2013.
www.axient.net