Top-Ranked University Relies on Wide Selection of
Shure Audio Equipment, including the ULX-D® Digital Wireless System, for Nearly
All On-Campus Events
To produce more than 1,100 events over the course of a
year, Jonathan Sage—who leads the Audio and Event Services area of the Media
Technology Services department at Boston College—needs an inventory stocked
with professional audio equipment that is easy to move around campus and is
extremely versatile. Whether preparing for one of the university’s high-profile
speaking engagements—which have featured a wide range of guests including
then-Senator Barack Obama, Boston Mayor, Marty Walsh, actress Amy Poehler and
poet Maya Angelou, among others—or completing an in-classroom audio
installation, Sage has used Shure wireless technology for almost every event
and classroom installation at Boston College.
Beyond facing the challenge of navigating Boston’s
congested RF environment, Sage is required to cost-effectively maintain a gear
inventory that can deliver crystal-clear audio at events of every size. When
the Shure ULX-D® Digital Wireless System was launched, Sage was intrigued by
the combination of the system’s affordable price point and extensive features,
especially given his success using other Shure wireless systems on campus such
as the UHF-R® Wireless Microphone System, ULX® Professional (ULX-P), and SLX®
systems.
With new facilities being built on Boston College’s
nearby Brighton Campus, and an increasing number of highly-attended events
happening every year, Sage decided to purchase four channels of Shure ULX-D,
AXT900 battery charging system, four beltpacks, and four handhelds, to ensure
that his audio equipment inventory was ready to take on complex projects. The
ULX-D system is combined with the ULXD4Q Quad Channel Digital Wireless Receiver
and the ULXD4D Dual Channel Digital Wireless Receiver and installed in
classrooms and other event spaces across campus.
“ULX-D is easily one of the best sounding wireless
systems I’ve ever heard,” he said. “The WL185 Lavalier Mics are amazingly
clear. Even when we put them head-to-head with other, more expensive brands,
the Shure lavs sound the best, by far. The system helps us achieve our goal of
having zero feedback, which is invaluable.”
Sage has also found the ULX-D integration of Dante
Digital Networking a substantial feature for simplifying his day-to-day
operations. By using the system in the campus’ Conte Forum arena, Dante-enabled
classrooms, or with an SCM820, he is able to transmit and receive multiple
channels of audio over a single Ethernet cable. Additionally, through the
integration of Dante, Sage can perform discovery and patching operations from a
Yamaha CL series console. “Whenever I need to record an event’s audio, it’s so
easy to add my SCM820 to the mix,” Sage said. “The networkability is
incredible, and the Dante virtual soundcard just makes life so much easier.”
Providing AV support for the entire Boston College
campus, the Media Technology Services department requires gear that is not only
reliable, but also durable and easy to use. “We’ve been a Shure facility for
many, many years, and with a system like ULX-D, I know we’ll continue to rely
on the Company’s equipment for the vast majority of our on-campus audio needs
for years to come,” Sage concluded.
Shure Wireless is used
during the Inauguration Ceremony of Boston Mayor, Martin Walsh, held at Boston
College’s Conte Forum, Jan. 6, 2014 (photo credit: Lee Pellegrini, courtesy of
Boston College Chronicle)
A sampling of the Shure
gear Audio and Event Services Supervisor, Jonathan Sage, keeps on-hand to
support events held at Boston College (photo credit: Chris Soldt, Boston
College Media Technology Services)
