SNL Pro relies on Shure for The Beating Retreat ceremony
Published: ASIA
INDIA: A number of Shure microphones were recently used for The Beating Retreat ceremony that marks the finale of India’s Republic Day celebrations. Conducted at sunset on the third and final day of the festivities, the event’s technical side was taken care of by Mumbai’s Sound & Light Professionals, who worked together with Shure’s Indian distributor, Sun Infonet.
The Beating Retreat recalls the military tradition of signalling soldiers to leave the battlefield, with the sound of bugles calling a halt to fighting. Present at this year’s ceremony was the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, while the massed bands of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force all performed alongside, for the first time, marching bands from the Central Armed Police Forces and the Delhi Police. A further highlight was a jugalbandi performance – a duet of two classical solo musicians from the bands of the army and navy.
In terms of the technical production, the biggest challenge was reportedly the placement of microphones on the marching band – overcome via 22 channels of Shure UHF-R wireless. The six lead saxophone players were equipped with UR1 body-packs and WB98H/C gooseneck instrument microphones clipped directly onto their instruments. A combination of MX202 overhead cardioid microphones with UR1 body-packs, and SM81 unidirectional condenser microphones with UR3 plug-on transmitters were used to capture other instruments, including trumpets and trombones, clarinets and flutes, and a percussion section. UA874 Active Directional Antennas were deployed to ensure signal reception, while Wireless Workbench 6 software was used to configure and monitor the system.
Elsewhere, the wireless systems were augmented with the use of VP89L long shotgun microphones, deployed at a number of locations along the route to capture the ambient sound of the marching bands. For single-location performances, SM58 and SM57 dynamic mics were used to capture traditional Indian instruments such as the tabla and dholak flute.
‘With such high profile dignitaries in the guest list, we needed to be absolutely certain of the reliability of every piece of equipment, especially the wireless systems, and the Shure microphones gave us that confidence,’ enthused Manish Mavani, owner of Sound & Light Professionals. ‘With Wireless Workbench we were continuously updated about what was going on. Everything worked as planned and everybody present at the ceremony enjoyed the memorable acts put together by the various marching bands.’
Neeraj Chandra, director of Sun Infonet, added, ‘Sun Infonet feels proud to be a part of this historic event and to capture the unforgettable musical performances of the bands. We are happy that everything went to so smoothly and that the audience enjoyed the parade.’