Campaign '08  
Shure at the National Conventions

Shure UHF-R® wireless microphones and PSM ® Personal Monitor Systems made their mark on the national political convention scene this year, serving as the products of choice at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

Logistics
Separated by slightly more than 72 hours in their scheduling, the Republican National Convention kicked off at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on September 1 following the close of the Democratic National Convention in Denver on August 28. This presented a formidable logistical challenge for ATK Audiotek, the Valencia, California-based sound company chosen to supply the audio components for both events. Three dedicated systems, requiring nine semi-trucks to move them, were constructed independently at the Xcel Energy Center, Denver's Pepsi Center (the site of actual Democratic convention proceedings), and Invesco Field, where candidate Barack Obama delivered his acceptance speech.

"It is indeed a sizable undertaking with its own unique share of challenges," notes Paul Wittman of ATK Audiotek, commenting on the outsized proportions of the company's tasks at the DNC and RNC. "But broken down into its individual components, there's not a lot here different from the other things we do." And why is that? The "other things" ATK handle include the GRAMMY® Awards, Academy Awards and the Super Bowl. With a sonic blueprint designed by Pat Baltzell of Baltzell Audio Design in Sherman Oaks, California, ATK rolled into Denver with UHF-R® wireless systems for both the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field.

Fast Thinking
Baltzell, who also developed the audio blueprint for the Republican National Convention, took a hands-on approach at both events, serving as chief engineer and the guiding force behind the house mixing consoles.



Working with audio technician Skip Kent, Baltzell faced a challenging moment in St. Paul the night Cindy McCain introduced her husband John to the crowd to deliver his acceptance speech. For undisclosed reasons probably related to security, Cindy McCain was told she would be giving her speech without the use of the main podium and its custom, dual-capsule mic. Scrambling to make sure the show went on, Kent outfitted the candidate's wife with a UR1 wireless bodypack and gave her a wireless handheld KSM9, plus a quick tutorial on how to use it most effectively. As backup, and for moments when the handheld mic may be out of the range of her voice (such as when she'd be standing with her arms around family members following the speech but still talking to the crowd), a Shure WL184 lavalier mic was also pinned to her lapel.

"Anything live and important as this is, you really don't want to use just one mic," Kent says, imparting advice based upon years of hard-earned experience. "With the amount of RF in the air at the Xcel Energy Center, even with the strict frequency coordination we had on-site you can never be too safe. All it takes is one hit from an errant harmonic frequency and troubles arise. With the addition of the WL184, we were ready for anything, plus Pat had a better range of mic options available to him if the situation demanded it."

Sound Advice
Working in an environment where traditional sound checks are non-existent and mic users are unfamiliar with the gear, Pat Baltzell also subscribes to the notion that safeguards such as windscreens and forgiving microphone patterns are necessities, not luxuries.

The Republican and Democratic Conventions both ended on upbeat, balloon-tossing, confetti-raining notes; the candidates smiling brightly with their families. Mission accomplished and well done, Baltzell returned to California to prep for the next mega-event on his schedule, Skip Kent went on to his next gig, and the staff at ATK began inspecting the contents of its returning trucks as Super Bowl 2009 looms closer and closer on their to-do list.


Shure on the Campaign Trail
As this year's presidential campaign entered convention arenas in both Denver and Minneapolis, trying to look back on every rally, whistlestop, handshake, and baby kissed becomes a grassroots blur. Hitting the campaign trail hard again just as we have throughout our history, Shure gear was there with Senators Obama and McCain from Warwick, Rhode Island to San Diego, California and beyond.

Stumping for Obama
In Ohio, Mike Volkerding of Cincinnati-based Frequency City Sound, with the help of Thunderbolt Systems, drew upon more than just hope to bring about the change required to move Senator Obama through three different campaign stops in a single day in February. With the first set for a boardroom conference at Cincinnati's Museum Center at Union Terminal, the following two landed at the Fifth Third Arena across town and the Nutter Center in Dayton.

"It was a real foot race," Volkerding emphasizes, "with only an hour between each event. That put us in a place where we had to have three different systems in place ready to go at each stop, with crews in place. The boardroom speaking engagement used Shure lavs and podium mics, while the arenas required full-blown PA rigs flown in front of crowds numbering approximately 15,000 each."



For the Museum Center event, Volkerding chose Shure Microflex® MX Series podium mics as well as WL51 lavaliers. Venerable Shure U4D wireless systems got the call for the arena stops, with Beta 87A-equipped handheld transmitters finding their way into Obama's hands at both places.

"Program material was essentially vocals and some CDs played before and after each speech at the arenas," Volkerding further relates. "It was our call to select the mic, so I chose the Beta 87A. It's the microphone I always lead with because of its clarity and presence. You can use it in any situation and no one will turn it down. In this application it was punchy, cutting right across the crowd. It sounded great."

On the McCain Trail
Country may come first in a lot of places, but in the urban setting of Dallas, Texas at the Wyndham Anatole, sound was the primary concern for Zach Anthony of IHN Productions, Inc. as he prepared for a McCain fundraiser featuring the band Chicago. For speaking portions of the event, Anthony outfitted Senator McCain with Shure UHF-R® wireless once again packing the punch of a handheld transmitter sporting a Beta 87A capsule.



Faced with the prospect of adding sound reinforcement to an area outside of his primary area of coverage, Anthony, in a resourceful move, additionally utilized Shure PSM® 700 personal in-ear monitor systems to transmit signals to a collection of stand-mounted, self-powered loudspeakers.

"I think the combination of PSM® 700s and self-powered speakers we brought to the party surprised a lot of people," he reports. " The sound was everything anyone had a right to expect. This configuration may not exactly be torn from the pages of the official Shure handbook, but it works reliably, providing excellent sound quality."

Our man chasing down the hopefuls' sound crews for this article was Greg DeTogne.