Shure’s PSM 900s are already becoming essential reference tools for the most discerning engineers and artists. Some of the biggest shows on television are insisting on Shure PSM 900s to deliver the next level of sound quality and features – which is why PSM 900s are being used on Strictly, Wogan, Jonathan Ross… and Later with Jools Holland.
Later with Jools Holland regularly features seven or eight world class acts that perform seamlessly in front of a live studio audience. The calibre of musicians and the longevity of the show – it’s aired every year since 1992 – makes it one of the most respected music programmes, regularly pulling in over half a million viewers.
Since the show’s inception almost two decades ago, one company has been entrusted with delivering the sound – the legendary John Henry’s in London.
General Manager Robert Harding has been with John Henry’s for 30 years, and in that time has become the go-to man for anything sound related in the entertainment market.
“Sometimes a product will come out and it’ll take a year before you get clients requesting it, other times they’ll be an anticipatory buzz around certain items. A good example of this is Shure’s latest in-ear system, the PSM 900 – engineers are already requesting them, even though they’ve only been available for less than six months now.
Word’s already getting around and now we’re really beginning to see them spec’d on gear lists for all events, big or small.”
“Each week on Later… we tried them on one of the bands – including Hot Chip, Macy Gray, Alicia Keys. Put simply they work well and they sound good – and that’s why we’ve bought some.”
“We also have to look to the future. As far as some of the other in-ears we use from other manufacturers go, we’re not going to be able to use them soon because they’re not Channel 38 compliant – they just won’t work after the ‘Big Bang’ in 2012 when they switch off the analogue broadcast and go completely digital.”
Aden Gregory, who co-manages John Henry’s audio department, has been closer to PSM 900s out in the field…
“I’ve been working on Strictly Come Dancing, Later with Jools Holland, Jonathan Ross, most of the Maida Vale sessions for the BBC… and yes, we’ve been using the PSM 900s. They’re much better than anything else we’ve used. The totally quiet background is what most people like about them.”
“We like the compact size of the belt packs, and they seem really stable. I think a lot of engineers also like that you can go through all of the individual mixes on your monitor belt pack rather than listening through a desk. No one else is doing that. It makes things a lot quicker when you’re setting up because you can walk on stage and listen to every frequency and know that it’s stable without having to change belt packs to see if each of them is okay.”
“But the sound quality is the main thing, and that’s what every engineer who’s used them thought – they sound brilliant. And they sound very musical, they don’t sound processed. Most in-ears sound like cheap radio and these sound like expensive FM. Much better dynamic range than you’d expect and they’re ultra-stable.”
“And the artists have also said that they sound great. Other than that people just want things to work, and these things are solid. You just know Shure gear is going to work day in day out.”
“So now we’re going to start spec’ing the PSM 900s as a matter of course,” continues Robert. “Why? We like them. They have some features on them that none of the other systems have got and they sound better.”
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