Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521715
Summer 2024 – LOCAL695.COM 37 by James Delhauer The NAB Convention in Las Vegas is an annual event that film and television professionals look forward to every year. It is the hotspot for new technology in our industry. Vendors and developers from across the world come to unveil their newest innovations, while everyone from struggling artists to industry professionals eagerly anticipate the newest tools with which they can apply their crafts. This year's NAB Show put an emphasis on virtual production, cloud integration, and artificial intelligence—with several notable developments in the worlds of production sound and video. This year, I visited the convention with Local 695 Business Representative Scott Bernard and Director of Education & Training Casey Weiss. Our first stop was at Halter Technical, owned by Local 695 member Doc Justice. Halter Technical specializes in affordable audio monitoring solutions, with a variety of products developed to improve the quality and integration of audio devices on set. Their Elite Monitor headset was designed with both audio quality and user comfort in mind, making it an ideal choice when distributing audio monitoring devices to directors, producers, or anyone else who might be consistently listening to performances throughout the day. They are also the company behind Microsone, a Bluetooth-based discrete talent monitoring system that allows directors to communicate with performers at any time without interrupting or being noticeable during a take. These products continue to be seen on more and more productions, with Starz productions Black Mafia Family, Raising Kanan, and High Town being just a few. Exploring Then we were onto the Shure audio booth, where we met with Local 695 member Ryan Pedersen—who acted as a Shure representative for this year's event. Shure has a long-standing reputation for quality in our industry, both as manufacturers of audio devices and as a company that treats their employees and customers with respect. This year, Ryan and his peers were demonstrating products such as the ADX3 Axient Digital Plug-On Transmitter with ShowLink and the SLX-D Wireless Microphone System. The ADX3 provides comprehensive, real-time control of all transmitter parameters from the mix position, allowing mixers to make transmitter adjustments for boom, plant, or interview mics without ever leaving the cart. The SLX-D, on the other hand, is a complete wireless microphone system that delivers 24-bit digital audio over RF and is compatible with a wide variety of Shure microphone systems. When speaking with Ryan, he advised me that this system is perfect for those who are just starting out in sound or for people who need a setup for camera hops, Voice of God, or IFB. "Shure has been a fantastic company to work and collaborate with," Ryan told me. "Their market development team is unique in that they have people in the field that are just a phone call or text away to give one-on-one support or just to answer a quick question. I use Shure equipment because it just works. They spend the time and resources to make sure their product releases are rock solid and an item that you don't have to worry about failing or having issues in the most critical of applications. Being at their booth as a guest and talking with other professionals really shows me that they have trusted products and that they have products that people love. They are always innovating and developing new products and I'm excited to see what the future brings." I also spent some time speaking with the exhibitors from EasyRig. This Swedish company is well known for its ergonomic support rigs for handheld camera operators. Fully rigged camera systems can weigh upward of forty pounds and operating this load for long periods of time or repeatedly over the course of successive takes risks inflicting musculoskeletal