Clear-Com in my opinion has become the Kleenex or Chapstick of the production communication world. Having worked around live music production for most of my life, regardless of the brand, the intercom is usually referred to by someone as Clear-Com. Clear-Com has that right as they were the first to market real-time communication equipment to the live performance industry starting in the late 60's. Now their footprint has grown to industries outside music and theatre, but has also made quite an impact on the church world.
The “com” as we call it at my church is the unsung hero of the behind the scenes world. It keeps the audience thinking everything is running flawlessly regardless of what is going on around them. All the key people are never far from a handset, headset, flashing beacon, or audible speaker, and are able to communicate simultaneously with each other. I haven't done it in a while, but I used to record the service conversations on the “com” as training material for new volunteers. I would call it the Director's Cut of the service (and it was always good for a laugh to hear all the conversations that actually happen throughout the day). But I digress. What I am actually supposed to be telling you about is this…
In September, Clear-Com announced their newest product lineup member at the IBC2015 Conference in Amsterdam. The DX410 joins other members of the DX series by bringing a few cool new features: mainly that it is a completely wireless unit. Operating in the 2.4 GHz range, the DX410 doesn't need a license to operate and can achieve greater line of sight distances which is nice for wireless communication. I was skeptical at first about the 2.4 GHz as WiFi hangs out in that same spectrum (along with about a billion other devices) but the DX410 has a Frequency Hopping System (FHSS) which helps it avoid interfering with your existing WiFi system.
This new system includes three components: Base station, wireless belt pack, and an all-in-one wireless headset.
The base station is the heart of the system and has the ability to accommodate any mixture of up to 15 belt packs or all-in-one headset. It has both 2-pin and 4-pin options for connecting to various other systems. The 4-pin outs send all audio out to a mixer or intercom matrix. The 2-pin makes merging with other Clear-com systems or other brands easy, making it a great wireless addition to an existing wired setup.
While that's all cool on the inside, the real selling point we're told is the HD audio quality. The DX410 is Clear-Com's first 7 kHz wideband audio device. They claim that it's so clear that even soft whispers can be heard clearly --- which would come as a relief for a lot of technical directors who have a hard time convincing volunteers not to yell into the “com” during service. Now, I thought “HD Audio” in general was a marketing term, so I had to look it up. Basically in typical or traditional “narrow band” communications technology the human voice, which in real life extends from 80 Hz to 14 kHz, is limited to a smaller range of 300 Hz – 3.4 kHz. In wideband, or HD Audio, that range is extended from 50 Hz to 7 kHz – offering a more rounded and natural sound.
The headset and belt packs also pack an impressive surprise, and that comes by the way of battery life. Boasting 12 hours of use per charge, that is sure to get most production people through the rigors of a live event.
Pricing information has yet to be released, but wireless “com” is, in my opinion, crucial to today's modern church productions. At a previous church of mine, we had the old style wireless Clear-Com packs that worked great, but required an extra belt to hold up. These new belt packs and headsets are sure to be lighter and better fitting, allowins us behind-the-scenes folks to be much more agile.
Clear-Com is a proven name in the industry, and based on my experience with the brand, if you're in the market for an upgrade or looking to get your first “com” system, I would consider the new Clear-Com DX410 wireless intercom.
