Shure Inc., TwinPlex™ Subminiature Headset Microphone
One of the most common questions I hear when consulting with technical ministries involves the choice between analog and digital audio. With each passing year, the answer becomes clearer.
The progression from analog to digital technology has been going on for decades. Just as vinyl records and cassette tapes have given way to CDs and MP3s as the dominant music media, we’ve seen pro audio technologies evolve toward digital in the last decade. We’ve seen it in signal processing. We’ve seen it with mixing consoles. The power of networking has extended digital dominance into the increasingly IP-based world of amplifiers and loudspeaker distribution as well.
For houses of worship, it’s important to identify the appropriate time to adopt these new technologies. Each product area has different specific concerns, such as interoperability, infrastructure requirements, ease of operation, latency, reliability, and cost considerations.
Has digital wireless reached the point where it is the logical choice in your church?
The answer is a firm “probably yes.”
Obviously, we all want the advantages of amazing fidelity, powerful signal processing, and IP-based networking that digital brings. But that has to be balanced against those barriers to adoption.
What about Wireless?
Until fairly recently, one product category that had remained stubbornly analog was wireless microphone systems. But necessity is the mother of invention, and the loss of significant stretches of UHF spectrum to cellular telephones and Internet providers changed all that.
Facing both unprecedented demand for more wireless systems and a major reduction in available frequencies, manufacturers were forced to develop new approaches, including the use of alternative frequencies and transmission methods. As a result, several major wireless manufacturers now feature digital wireless, including their most expensive, flagship models. These systems have seen great success on major tours and in live events like sporting events and award shows.
Digital: We’ve seen it in signal processing. We’ve seen it with mixing consoles. But the one product category that had remained stubbornly analog was wireless microphone systems.
This is a telltale sign that this technology is now ready for the demanding world of contemporary house of worship installations. The big question is: Has digital wireless reached the point where it is the logical choice in your church?
My answer to that question is a firm “probably yes.” Here’s why:
Sound Quality – Regardless of price point, digital wireless provides significantly better audio than any analog RF. Digital systems offer increased dynamic range, do not require companding, and are essentially noise-free. That’s important because you don’t want your microphone to be the weakest link in the audio chain, which is a common issue as we move to digital consoles, amps, snakes, and other components. In short, digital wireless provides the best quality audio at the receiver, and that allows your other equipment – and by extension, the entire sound system – to shine as well.
Regardless of price point, digital wireless provides significantly better audio than any analog RF.
Spectral Efficiency – Because they send only binary code, digital systems do not require the use of frequency modulation, which takes up significant space around the transmission frequency in traditional analog RF (radio frequency) systems. As a result, digital wireless systems can operate reliably with less space between frequencies, allowing more systems to operate simultaneously. So where an analog system might enable between 8 and 12 mics within a single 6 MHz TV channel, a digital system like Shure ULX-D can get as many as 17.
Digital systems are not susceptible to intermodulation, which means they behave much more predictably.
Similarly, RF noise that can make analog systems unlistenable doesn’t really affect digital signals. That means that digital systems can operate much closer to the noise floor, which in turn means effective operation at lower power. Manufacturers have leveraged this attribute by enabling even greater channel density, though it does require a bit of sacrifice in effective transmission range. Put that same ULX-D system into its HD (High Density) mode and 47 simultaneous channels can be achieved in just 6 MHZ of spectrum.
In today’s world of shrinking spectrum and high demand, this efficiency is a huge advantage, and probably the single most impressive practical benefit of digital wireless systems.
But there’s more. Here are a few additional digital benefits:
- Ease of Frequency Coordination – Digital systems are not susceptible to intermodulation, which means they behave much more predictably. As a result, many digital systems perform their own scanning and frequency coordination. In addition, some manufacturers provide free coordination software, such as Shure’s Wireless Workbench, which accepts input from multiple brands.
- Power Efficiency – Digital wireless is simply more efficient, requiring less power and thus extending battery life. Similarly, many of today’s systems offer rechargeable battery systems with intelligent system monitoring resulting in an improved savings workflow. With multiple recharging options technicians never need to worry about running out of fresh batteries. Technicians can leverage Wireless Workbench and Shure+ channels apps to monitor critical details of networked digital mics from anywhere in the facility. Not only do you avoid the waste of alkaline batteries, field reports indicate most users get full ROI in just 14 to 18 months, depending on the number of performances they support.
- Additional Benefits – Digital wireless opens the door to a wide range of ancillary features. Systems like Axient Digital offer full remote control of all transmitter settings, including the ability to change channels if interference is detected. More commonly, the Dante networking protocol enhances audio monitoring, transport, and control, and many digital wireless systems embrace that standard. And while it may not be a big requirement for houses of worship, many digital systems offer AES-256 encryption so that only the intended listeners will hear the resulting audio.
There is only one downside to digital audio as a whole, and that’s latency, or delay.
As you can see, there are a lot of advantages to going digital. The only question is whether there are any similarly compelling disadvantages.
Frankly, there’s only one downside to digital audio as a whole, and that’s latency, or delay. Analog systems essentially operate in real time, basically without any inherent delay. But digital systems are different. Converting acoustic sound waves from analog to digital (and back again) requires a bit of calculation by the system, and that takes a bit of time. Fortunately, today’s computer chips are so fast and so powerful that overall latency is usually just a few milliseconds – not a significant factor in a typical church PA system.
While a less expensive digital wireless system may have fewer features like encryption or high-density operation, its core sound quality will still be pure and pristine.
Finally, one last advantage of digital wireless is that their benefits are portable, meaning that they are inherent in the system. So whether the system you choose operates in the UHF band, VHF band, or gigahertz-level unlicensed frequencies, digital systems deliver the same benefits. Even better, the noise-free, high fidelity sound quality of digital RF is essentially identical at any price point. While a less expensive digital wireless system may have fewer features like encryption or high-density operation, its core sound quality will still be pure and pristine.
So whether it’s a small contemporary band using just a few wireless mics and guitars, or a mega-church requiring dozens of simultaneous systems, digital wireless systems provide significant advantages in terms of sound quality, ease of operation, and spectrum efficiency. Frankly, no analog system can match today’s digital systems.
Welcome to the future.
