The MEN Manchester Evening News Arena recently played host to a dazzling array of stars for the Top of the Pops Awards 2002. Thousands of fans and industry personalities alike were treated to performances from pop princess Kylie, Will & Gareth, Ms Dynamite, Craig David and Moby to name but a few. Hand Held Audio were asked by audio contractors Britannia Row to supply all of the wireless equipment and arrange licensing for the event.

HHA supplied a 10-way Shure UHF hand held system and an 8-way Shure PSM-700 in-ear monitoring system for stage use that was hot-swapped between the various performers, plus an additional PSM-600 in-ear shout system with three Shure UHF headset mics for the crew for the purposes of line checking. There were a further four hand held Shure UHF systems for the presenters and another 3-way hand held system for press interviews. Finally, HHA was also asked to supply a 7-way Shure battery-powered system with a UP4 mobile receiver for interviews in the rat run on behalf of a German TV station, catching the stars on their way from the stage to the dressing room.

According to HHA's Mick Shepherd, "Monitoring such a variety of transmitting sources, particularly scattered around the arena as they were, was never going to be an easy task, so, as we often do for events of this nature, we asked Freddo (John Fredericks of Technical Earth) to look after things on site for us." Freddo's task was to ensure that all of the radio equipment supplied by HHA was running in spec, and to respond strategically to any faults or potentially interfering transmissions during the broadcast. "With over 10,000 fans in the arena and a further 5 million tuning in to watch, it was important that we get this right," said Freddo. "I used an IFR 2945 Test Set in conjunction with additional audio processing equipment to monitor transmitter outputs and to ensure the spectrum was clean."

"Initial concerns regarding an unknown transmitting source turned out to be from one of the broadcast trucks, planning to run a long-range IEM system at high power, transmitting right in the middle of the rat-run," continued Freddo. "This would have all but swamped any ENG crews trying to operate in the press area. However, after some judicious negotiation, a little generosity from the PA crew resulted in the transmitter being turned off in return for the use of one of the main HHA-supplied IEM systems feeding the stage. Other than that, it was a trouble-free night. HHA make a point of maintaining their equipment to the highest possible standards, and they always deliver what they say they will deliver on time and with the minimum of fuss. It's a pleasure to work with such solidly reliable suppliers."

Sir Cliff Richard has just embarked on the Australian leg of his world "Wanted" tour, which has so far taken in the UK and Europe and is now set for a series of dates throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Far East. Dealing directly with the Cliff Richard organisation, Hand Held Audio has been supplying radio mics and in-ear monitor systems since the beginning of the tour.

The equipment that Hand Held has despatched down under includes five Shure UHF hand held systems featuring Beta 58A capsules and six Shure PSM 600 in-ear systems with a pair of antenna combiners. HHA has also supplied a Sony antenna distribution amplifier for the hand held systems. As far as ear monitors are concerned, the evergreen star commissioned a pair of new custom Micro Monitor 2's from HHA in preparation for the tour, whilst the backing vocalists are using custom acrylic monitors with Sony 848 drivers.

Having added a number of dates to the Far Eastern leg by popular demand including Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo and Bankok, Sir Cliff is expected back some time in the middle of March.

Triple Espresso, a comedy revue that has been packing theatres across the US for the last six years, has just opened at the Arts Theatre in London's West End. In fact, the show has been so successful (grossing $7.5 million in San Diego alone) that a troupe of actors has been formed so that the show may run concurrently in venues both across the US and now Europe. However, London audiences have been treated to performances from the original trio who created Triple Espresso in 1996. Mikam North are responsible for the audio requirements, and they turned to wireless experts Hand Held Audio for all things radio.

HHA's Mick Shepherd pointed out that as the entire show consists of just the three guys on stage, the radio requirements were not especially onerous in terms of amount of equipment, but the key requirements were discretion and quality. "To that end we supplied two Shure U4D dual UHF receivers and four Shure U1 beltpack transmitters with a Shure antenna distribution system using Sony Active aerials. The antenna distribution system essentially takes the signal from the two remote Sony Active antennas and distributes RF signal to the receivers rather than each receiver having to have its own aerial, which cuts down on real estate at the FoH position. We also supplied six Sennheiser MKE2 omnidirectional lavalier mics, which are recognised as the industry standard for theatre use. The guys use these for vocal reinforcement on stage, and having seen the show I can say that it sounds pretty good. Crystal clear and natural-sounding without being over-amplified. If you didn't know they were using microphones, it would be very hard to tell, particularly as they'd managed to hide any evidence of lavaliers or beltpacks about their persons. The whole performance which included everything from music to magic to physical comedy, was very well done."

Hogmanay under control

2002 marked the tenth anniversary of Edinburgh's world famous Hogmanay celebrations which, quite literally, see the New Year in with a bang. Fireworks, live music, dancing and a host of outdoor sports are just part of the four-day program of events which culminates in one of the biggest street parties in the world on New Year's Eve. This year an estimated 250,000 people joined in the revelry. EFX Audio was on hand to provide audio for the event, which included live music performances broadcast on giant screens up and down Prince's Street and throughout the city. EFX turned to wireless experts Hand Held Audio to provide the necessary radio links to deliver cohesive coverage throughout the city.

Hand Held Audio provided a number of custom-built mains-driven high power link systems which are designed to distribute signal over long distances without having to run cable. The transmitters are situated in a central control tower and enable signal to be delivered to specific parts of the city. The system forms an integral part of the security system used by the police for crowd control and safety announcements during the event. According to HHA's Mick Shepherd, it is a fundamental part of how the Hogmanay celebrations are run. "This system allows the police to talk to selected areas of the crowd and to zone in very precisely on any potential trouble spots. We know they value it tremendously, not least because they have on many occasions lent their not inconsiderable weight to the licensing process which is often something of a minefield in Edinburgh! I think it's true to say that without this system of communication, the event would not be allowed to run anything like as freely across the city as it does now. It would simply be too dangerous. As it is, the police are confident in having a discreet yet powerful form of crowd control that can be deployed very accurately for a variety of purposes."

The transmitters, which have been designed exclusively for Hand Held Audio, are based on the Samson Synth 5 UHF system with an integral 1W amplifier. The Samson was selected in particular for its dbx noise reduction features. "It's really important for an amplified system not to generate any hiss. However, the Samson is able to sit there quite happily in quiescent mode with no hiss at all, so it's perfectly suited to our purposes."