UK - The recently opened Just for One Day musical commemorates how music united the world 40 years ago in a unique event to raise awareness and funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. Behind every vocal and the electrifying music that brings the spirit of Live Aid back to life is Shure Axient Digital Wireless technology.
Now playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, the musical features hit songs by artists including Bob Dylan, David Bowie, the Who, U2, Elton John and more. Gareth Owen, sound designer for Just for One Day relied on 84 channels of Axient Digital Wireless System and PSM 1000 In Ear monitoring system, among other Shure equipment.
“The sheer volume of RF equipment on most musical theatre shows means we just need a system that works. We can’t deal with unreliable RF for a musical like this one, and Shure delivers time and time again when it comes to reliability,” said Gareth Owen.
To meet the ambitious needs of the musical with a cast of 26 artists singing over 30 songs, the technical team turned to Shure, selecting chrome ADX2 handheld wireless microphones transmitters, KSM11 capsules, ADX1M Micro Bodypack transmitters and ADX3 Axient Digital Plug-on Transmitter with ShowLink.
“The cast, besides loving the audio quality, are particularly taken by the robust nature of the handhelds. We haven’t had a single failure. Not bad for 24 handhelds in use eight shows a week,” Owen added.
Shure software Wavetool and Wireless Workbench (WWB) play a crucial role too, providing a centralised solution for remote listening, while simultaneously monitoring RF and battery levels. This helped to identify and resolve any audio issues to ensure exceptional performances for artists and audience alike.
Gareth Owen praised Shure’s software: “Using the remote management of Shure devices to change settings and make updates is an incredibly useful workflow in our system. We can update gain, frequency, and other settings remotely from Wireless Workbench, which is a massive time saver.”
“Gareth and I have built a strong relationship over decades of collaboration. Supporting him on many of his exceptional projects has given us a deeper understanding of the unique technical needs of theatre productions,” said Tuomo Tolonen, senior director, strategic market development at Shure. “It's relationships like these that allow us to deliver the right technology to help create truly memorable experiences.”
Directed by Luke Sheppard and written by John O’Farrell, the new show donates 10% to The Band Aid Charitable Trust, with £1m already raised.