Sammi Cheng relies on Shure Axient for comeback tour
Published: ASIA
HONG KONG: Returning to the stage after many years, Sammi Cheng’s Touch Mi World Tour kicked off with 12 consecutive concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum recently. Frankie Hung, the sound engineer in charge of the tour, selected a Shure Axient wireless management network and PSM1000 personal monitor system to deliver stable audio performance throughout.
‘I think the most convenient feature is the ShowLink Access Point wireless remote control function,’ explained Mr Hung, on his primary reasoning for selecting the Axient System. ‘It allows me to adjust microphone parameters without having to physically bring the microphone backstage. We usually calibrate the gain of the microphones during rehearsals, and especially if the performer wears a bodypack transmitter, it’s always an inconvenience to remove it for configuration. ShowLink creates a wireless network link between the transmitter and receiver and allows us to remotely adjust the transmitter parameters in real-time. It’s a great feature.’
Another factor Mr Hung identified as a particular selling point for the system was the use of Shure’s Wireless Workbench 6 (WWB6) software, which enables the team to oversee the entire wireless environment at a venue. ‘It is really convenient being able to scan the environment during the preparation works,’ he explained. ‘We can easily check for available as well as unavailable frequencies, and make sure to avoid the latter in advance. Thanks to Axient’s Automatic Frequency Selection, the probability of interference from conflicting frequencies is virtually zero.’
In addition to the Axient system, the sound team also used more than 20 channels of Shure UHF-R for guest performers, chorus, and string quartets – once again utilising the WWB6 software to manage all channels and calculate the clearest and safest available primary and backup frequencies.
Sometimes, however, it’s the little benefits that can really stack up, he explained: ‘The charging time for the bodypacks is very short, and the durability of the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries is a lot better than that of ordinary AA batteries. Also, it can sometimes be difficult to purchase large quantities of batteries at tour stops in cities we don't know well. The rechargeable batteries are not only hassle-free, but also a great time and cost saver.’
The PSM1000 system deployed for artist monitoring also needed to provide reliable operations in a complex RF environment, as some ambitious choreography has led to elements of the stage being elevated into the air.
‘We haven’t been worried about dropouts at all as we’re using the PSM1000 and its diversity bodypack receivers,’ Mr Hung continued. ‘Each bodypack carries two separate antennas, so even if the wireless signal becomes poor or noisy on one antenna, the second antenna simply takes over the reception. The performers haven’t reported any reception problems, which used to be a frequent occurrence in the past.’
Ms Cheng was also fitted with a headworn microphone during the concerts along with two wireless handheld microphones – one of which features a custom wired Swarovski crystal finish. Both of the handhelds were fitted with KSM9HS condenser capsules that can be configured with either hypercardioid and subcardioid pick-up patterns.
‘For a concert at a location like the Hong Kong Coliseum, where the stage is in the centre of the venue, I normally wouldn’t even consider giving the performer a condenser microphone, due to its sensitivity and the sheer amount of audio feedback that would be generated,’ commented Mr Hung. 'The directional performance of condenser microphones isn’t usually that good so they pick up a lot of environmental noise. I was very surprised by the KSM9HS however. We compared the sound from the PSM1000 system with the source and I must admit that the sound transmitted and received through the wireless monitoring system was basically identical to the source. When you match PSM1000 with the SE846 sound isolating earphones, the quality is so good, it’s like wearing a set of very large studio monitoring headphones.’
Confident with his decision for the first 12 dates, Mr Hung will continue to employ the same setup for the remainder of the tour, which resumes with performances in China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia in the coming months.