SHURE AXIENT® DIGITAL PSM DELIVERS RELIABLE RF FOR BARRY CAN’T SWIM AT ALL POINTS EAST

Customer Request

When Barry Can’t Swim headlined All Points East in London this summer, audio specialists Patchwork London were tasked with delivering a wireless system capable of supporting both the full band and their orchestra on a major festival stage. With a large channel count, congested spectrum, and the pressure of a high-profile live environment, Patchwork required a solution that could deliver bulletproof reliability, centralised monitoring, and flexible control.

Meeting the Challenge of a Dual Ensemble

The RF requirements were significant and resulted in an audio design consisting of two independent monitor control rigs needed to run simultaneously - one for the main band and another for the orchestra with dozens of channels operating in a crowded RF spectrum. As All Points East is an outdoor central London production landing on an August Bank Holiday weekend, it was clear that the show demanded careful planning and efficient spectrum management. Antenna placement, redundancy, spatial diversity, and monitoring all had to be optimised to ensure uninterrupted performance.

Chris Parker, Senior Project Manager at Patchwork, designed the system and explains: “The creative team behind the show wanted the orchestra to walk on and off 6 times during the show, which meant a full wireless solution was required. We’ve had several artists at Patchwork using Axient Digital PSM System in the field, so we’ve got a good understanding of its capabilities. All well as top tier audio quality, we needed a system that gave us confidence in reliability and flexibility. In digital wideband transmission mode, Axient Digital PSM is capable of packing 40 stereo mixes into one 8MHz band and combine up to 32 channels into 1 Shure AD8C-Port Antenna Combiner. In designing the system, the ADTQ Wireless Quad Transmitters being quads saves on precious racking space, and a tuning range spanning an enormous 166MHz (470-636MHz in range G56) allows us to be very adaptable, in the UK and across the world.”

Shure Axient Digital PSM at the Core

The system design also needed to be future proof, taking into consideration that Barry Can’t Swim were continuing on to other festivals straight after the All Points East show, presenting the need for a rig which was modular and flexible. Parker designed the system to scale down seamlessly, and turned to Shure’s Axient^® Digital PSM Advanced Digital In-Ear Monitoring System, supported by Wireless Workbench (WWB), ShowLink^® software to take on the job. The two rigs consisted of:

Rig A (Band): 16 stereo mixes and eight microphones: Shure AD2 handhelds with KSM9 capsules for guest vocalists, and AD2s with Shure BETA 58’s plus AD651 Push-To-Talk functionality for the stage manager and crew comms.

Rig B (Orchestra): 22 mono mixes, 20 microphones and Shure AD1 bodypacks.

Antenna deployment utilised wideband spatial diversity on the orchestra rig using a raised helical antenna, with a smaller passive Shure PA805 Direactional antenna positioned closer to the stage-left strings and brass sections. Axient Digital PSM enabled multiple antennas to be used simultaneously, with the spatial diversity outputs inverting the phase of the RF transmission, minimising null spots and increasing overall coverage resilience.

Both monitor systems used Shure Omnidirectional UA860 antennas for cue and playback mix coverage.

Software for Complete Control

Wireless Workbench software provided real-time frequency coordination and spectrum analysis, essential for maximising the limited licensed spectrum. ShowLink was used to remotely sync bodypacks, monitor both battery life and volume levels, and if the need were to arise - change frequencies during the show.
Monitor Engineer, Jane Datony, comments: “Having everything visible in one place meant we could act instantly if anything needed attention. In an environment as spectrum-heavy as All Points East, the ability to remotely adjust and monitor devices was a huge advantage.”

Delivering Under Pressure

The system was delivered by a dedicated team including Front of House Engineer Greg Smart, Monitor Engineers Jane Datony (band) and Med Rann (orchestra), RF Technician Ryan Lowe, and Audio Tech Jon Lewis. Together, the crew ensured flawless RF performance across both rigs. RF Tech Ryan Lowe says: “The Axient Digital PSM and Shure’s software tools gave us complete control in what could have been a very challenging environment. The ability to swap between traditional analogue transmission to digital gives us new flexibility in reacting to new environments and setups. Not to mention the brilliant audio quality and improved ADXR pack design.”

From Festival Stage to Tour

Following All Points East, elements of the setup were carried into Barry Can’t Swim’s touring production. The flexibility of Shure’s ecosystem allowed orchestra bodypacks to be reused, antennas swapped, and devices quickly resynced, ensuring continuity across diverse venues without rebuilding the entire system.

Jack Drury, Market Development, Artist and Entertainment Relations at Shure UK who supported rehearsals and deployment, commented: “This project highlighted exactly why Axient Digital PSM is trusted for complex RF applications. The ability to manage a dual-rig system at a festival, then adapt it seamlessly for touring, shows the scalability and reliability of Shure’s solutions. Patchwork’s deployment for Barry Can’t Swim is a great example of engineers pushing the system to its full potential.”