Since its debut at the 2017 NAMM show, thousands of leading event spaces, musicians, and touring acts around the world have put their trust in Shure’s Axient Digital wireless system. Axient Digital guarantees clean, balanced audio transmission and monitoring in high-density areas and is the best choice for the most demanding, highest-profile performances. That said, with so many Axient Digital setups, devices, and accessories to choose from, it offers everything you need for whatever use case. We round up Axient Digital’s most popular options for a variety of applications, ensuring you’ll find the perfect collection of tools for your next show. Let’s dive in!
- What Is Axient Digital?
- Bundled Axient Digital Systems
- Axient Digital Microphones & Transmitters
- Axient Digital Monitoring Systems
- Axient Digital Accessories
What Is Axient Digital?
When it comes to pro-level wireless rigs, Axient Digital is Shure’s flagship system. Whether you’re looking for a reliable in-ear monitor system for your touring act’s next stage show or a solid transmission system for your wireless mics, the Axient family’s self-stabilizing operation and digital diversity boast the sonic potency and efficiency that leading musicians and high-profile performers rely on time and time again. Along similar lines, Axient flaunts a far-reaching operating range, transparent sound, and low-latency operation that keeps your audio detailed and accurate no matter your application. What really makes this pro-level system shine, however, is its impressive RF protection, granting undisturbed transmission even in the most congested RF environments such as mid-city stadiums and theaters.
In addition to superb performance, the Axient Digital’s family of products takes versatility to the next level. Case in point, Axient Digital’s proprietary Quadversity technology is capable of assigning four antenna inputs to a single channel, extending coverage and improving resistance against multipath interference and additional RF noise. Likewise, the Shure Axient ecosystem offers a range of available microphone transmitters, receivers, accessories, and more to guarantee a perfect setup option for any use case. Below, we’ve outlined the Axient gear available at Sweetwater along with a description of the application each is best suited for so you can find the next piece of your wireless puzzle.
Bundled Axient Digital Systems
If you know exactly when, where, and how you’ll utilize your Axient Digital equipment, then buying an all-in-one rig can be an easy solution. Thankfully, the Axient-minded authorities have bundled together a variety of Axient Digital gear to make it possible to buy your entire system in a single purchase. Such is the case with Shure’s ADTD and ADTQ Axient Digital PSM wireless systems. Both are valuable monitoring systems in their own right, offering either dual- or quad-transmission operation to suit myriad wireless production and performance scenarios.
Additionally, vocalists and gigging musicians may need the AD4Q 4-channel system. Armed with four handheld AD2/SM58 wireless handheld microphones and the required 4-channel digital wireless receiver, it’s seamless to set up and offers a perfect option for traveling musicians who want to keep their audio clarity consistent throughout their entire tour.
Axient Digital Microphones & Transmitters
Without a doubt, your chosen microphone and/or transmitter is the most important tool within a wireless system. You want a device that provides consistent, dropout-free clarity throughout your show. Thankfully, Shure’s Axient system is home to several handheld transmitter options — many of which incorporate the company’s most popular microphone models, such as the SM58 (Shure AD2/SM58). Models such as the ADX2/K11 and ADX2FD/K8, armed with a Nexadyne capsule for a dual-engine-powered, interference-free signal, are among the most popular with Sweetwater’s stage musicians. That said, additional transmitters such as the ADX2/N8C and AD2/N8C boast just as much clarity and projection alongside ShowLink technology for seamless control on the fly. From high-profile theater applications to stage presentation in concert halls, stadiums, and beyond, Shure’s Axient Digital system has a transmission option for you.
For theater and stage presentations where mobility and invisibility are key, beltpack and headset transmitters provide unobtrusive, low-profile performance to maintain clear projection while keeping visual distractions to a minimum. To boot, many bodypacks — such as the AD1, ADX1, and ADX1M models — come with onboard TA4 and LEMO connectors to accommodate a number of pre-existing lavalier mics and other devices you may already have in your current setup. Headsets may prove to be a better option in presentation applications, however, as their ear-mounted design and variable color schemes can make them easier to blend in with just about any stage environment, as showcased by models such as the TwinPlex TH53C/O-MTQG omnidirectional headset from Shure.
Axient Digital Monitoring Systems
On par with the importance of having a quality transmitter in your rig is maintaining a critical eye on the performance of your audio. To make your Axient system even better, you can equip it with an advanced spectrum module that can do much of the work for you. That’s where tools such as the AD600US Axient Digital spectrum manager come into play. The AD600US is built specifically to work with your Axient Digital wireless system, offering wideband spectrum analysis from 174MHz to 2GHz to scan and define compatible frequencies and backup options. The result? A better eye on the efficiency of your system as a whole, ensuring seamless interoperability among multiple devices while making certain your connected frequencies remain clear and consistent throughout your entire performance.
Every monitoring system comes with its own special tricks. For the Shure Axient Digital system, that’s using RF output combination for streamlined transmission scenarios. If you need to send multiple transmitters into one output via a single transmitter antenna, then an accessory unit such as the Shure AD8C 8-port combiner DC module is a valuable addition to your setup.
Axient Digital Accessories
We get it: accessories are typically an afterthought when shopping gear. That said, depending on your use case, accessories within Shure’s Axient Digital ecosystem may be mission-critical components to consider. As with all wireless systems, your gear needs to be powered and ready to go for your next performance. Shure’s SBRC battery rack charger and SBC-AX SBRC charging module are great places to start for venues that require a large amount of gear. However, we’ll let you in on a secret: this SBRC battery rack charger bundle from Sweetwater offers both units for a single purchase at a great price!
Accessories aren’t always about expanding the longevity of your equipment. In many cases, as with the Shure AD610 Diversity ShowLink access point, adding an accessory to your rig can give you additional control over your system. Compatible with both digital and analog Axient wireless systems, the AD610 assumes complete remote control of up to 24 of your system’s transmitters. That’s immediate authority over gain, frequency changes, muting, and more all from the same place. Likewise, the AD610 can automatically scan the entire 2.4GHz range for the best channel clarity and is capable of moving your entire network to the clearest channel at the first sign of degradation.
Find Your Ideal Axient Setup at Sweetwater!
No matter the complexity of your rig, we hope this guide has helped narrow the search for your next Shure Axient Digital purchase. Every piece of Axient-adjacent equipment that leaves Shure’s doors is guaranteed to perform with the utmost potency and efficiency — feel free to give any piece of gear a try to see what it can do for you and your system. As always, if you have any ques
