Canadian Idol Finds Shure UHF-R: A Real Treasure!

Étienne St-Jacques technical quarterback behind all those performances on Canadian Idol, one of CTV's summer blockbuster shows. He is the project manager at Solotech, a Montreal-based company supplying lighting, sound and video equipment on the market since 1977. He makes sure that dozens of microphones will be in working order during all those taped rehearsals, run-thrus and live shows. There is no doubt in anybody's mind that singers, announcers, directors and technicians have to be able to communicate and perform in the most comfortable way possible in what is a very complex technical environment. Even more complex due to the large number of microphones being used and the fact that they all need to be wireless.

Étienne states "confronted with such a challenge, you start with the obvious. The thing is, most performers associate the word microphone with the name Shure. There are quite a number of singers out there that are basically expecting nothing less than an SM58 microphone when they arrive here. This suits me fine because Shure has a great tradition for quality and reliability while being able to stay one step ahead of the pack."

He adds "in this case for example, I did not hesitate to use the UHF-R wireless systems. Of course transmission was impeccable as to be expected, but even more important, I could multiply by 10 the number of available mics I could use on any given frequency band! With a show like Canadian Idol, where 40 mics is just a start, this feature alone is a godsend."

Étienne St-Jacques also mentions that the system really steps into another level when using the Wireless Workbench software. "To start with, it's real easy to download from Shure's website and then, it's user-friendly and very easy to learn. This piece of software really delivers. I can view my whole network at a glance. I can see everything from battery status to frequency harmonics. And it works for all mics, even those not manufactured by Shure. A real treasure!" He also says that when things get a bit hairy, documentation found on Shure's website is of great help "it tells a lot about the philosophy behind the UHF-R, something that my recruits need to know."

He also values, Canadian Shure distributor, SF Marketing's technical support. "I really needed a gold-plated microphone stand. I know that the guys at SF even called Germany to try and help me out. You don't get service like this everyday and it's something I really appreciate."

Once his Shure UHF-R system was set and ready to go, Étienne knew he can let his Toronto team take charge. Meanwhile, he is packing his suitcases for yet another challenge, this time in Egypt.

Shure is distributed in Canada by SF Marketing Inc.