Shure Axient guarantees absolute reliability for APEC 2014
Published: ASIA
CHINA: Shure wireless microphone solutions were used extensively during the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference in Beijing. Held at the Olympic venue, the Water Cube, with high-profile guests including delegates and heads of state from 21 countries, Advanced Communications Equipment Co Ltd (ACE) opted to deploy the manufacturer’s flagship Axient wireless systems under the brief of ensuring ‘absolute reliability’. Axient systems were used during the banquet as a wireless backup for Chairman Xi Jinping’s speech, for the master of ceremonies’ introductions and to support simultaneous interpretations. A Shure UHF-R system was also used for the banquet band and performances.
Of particular concern were high levels of wireless interference at the venue, however engineers tested the system extensively prior to the event, allowing them to produce a spectrum map that aided in quickly finding clear and usable channels.
‘Due to the importance of the APEC banquet, we carried out four to five frequency sampling sessions,’ said Liu Wei, ACE product manager. ‘This was twice to triple the workload of ordinary events. Axient's Spectrum Manager and Wireless Workbench 6 software provided a faithful and detailed map of the radio frequency spectrum on site, simplifying the task of log analysis and allowing frequencies to be distributed in a scientific manner. The rich graphical interface helped us select the best frequencies and ensure accurate forecasting of the wireless spectrum during the actual event. The equipment's operating frequencies and back-up frequencies were all within our control so we were able to handle a major event like the APEC banquet with confidence and less pressure.’
Axient’s automatic frequency-shifting function also reportedly proved highly useful for the job. During rehearsals, several unexpected signals were detected that the system was able to automatically deal with without disturbing the audio. ‘An assignment involves many tasks including detecting interference, issuing an alert, and switching to a backup frequency,’ added Mr Wei. ‘The attractiveness of Axient is that it can be easily and effectively deployed within a single system network. Any issues are quickly and easily solved, eliminating all kinds of problems.’