The introduction of Wireless Multi-Channel Audio Systems (WMAS) into the professional audio industry marks a significant technological leap. Promising to optimise the use of radio frequency (RF) spectrum, WMAS aims to revolutionise how audio professionals handle wireless audio solutions.
This innovation, while impressive, introduces a critical question: Will the increased efficiency in spectrum use lead to a reduction in overall demand for spectrum? Or are we on the verge of encountering a scenario where more efficient and easier to deploy technology paradoxically drives up demand? The answer may lie in the Jevons Paradox, an economic phenomenon that could provide insight into the future landscape of spectrum usage for the audio side of Program Making and Special Events (PMSE).
WMAS offers numerous advantages that excite audio engineers and professionals alike. One of its standout features is its bidirectionality, with audio and control data being handled in the very same RF channel. Both in-ear monitoring (IEM) systems and wireless microphones can be combined into this single RF channel, doing away with the usual separation of the two into different TV channels with a wide guard band in between.
Generally speaking, WMAS allows for more audio channels per MHz of bandwidth, and this efficiency doesn’t come at the cost of quality, either. WMAS can deliver higher-quality audio with lower latency, improving the overall experience for both performers and audiences. In addition, one Base Station can handle up to 32 inputs and 32 outputs in just 1 rack unit, which is a major space-saving achievement, reducing a production’s footprint backstage, in transit, and in the warehouse. For creative professionals, the technology’s support for 3D audio recording and playback opens new possibilities for immersive audio experiences.
QUESTIONS RAISED
These technological advancements are indeed groundbreaking, but they also raise questions about their impact on spectrum demand. More efficient use of spectrum is a positive development, but economic theory suggests that it could lead to the opposite effect – more spectrum consumption. This is where the Jevons Paradox comes into play. Named after the British economist William Stanley Jevons, this paradox occurs when increased efficiency in using a resource leads to an increase in its overall consumption, rather than a decrease. So how could this apply to WMAS and spectrum usage?
In the WMAS context, the resource in question is RF spectrum, and the efficiency gain is the ability to support more audio channels per MHz. While this efficiency might seem like it would reduce the need for spectrum, the opposite could occur, and the enhanced capabilities of WMAS could fuel demand for more spectrum.
For example, new technological possibilities often spark creativity, encouraging audio professionals to explore more complex and demanding set-ups, involving more audio links. Also, the higher audio quality and lower latency possible with WMAS may raise expectations, with operators consistently going for top audio quality and lowest latency, thereby fitting fewer audio links into their wideband RF carrier. And last but not least, with wireless setups becoming much simpler, a broader adoption of wireless audio set-ups might be encouraged.
EXCITING & CHALLENGING
For the industry, the implications are both exciting and challenging. Audio professionals stand to benefit immensely from WMAS’s capabilities, but a surge in demand for wireless solutions could strain spectrum resources in the long term.
Sennheiser has accounted for growing demands by supporting frequency ranges below and above 1 GHz with its Spectera solution. With the 470-698 MHz range being the global core band for professional wireless audio production tools, supported bands also include 1350-1400 MHz and 1435-1525 MHz, both still requiring regional and/or global harmonisation by regulators.
Regulators and PMSE users will need to strike a careful balance, ensuring that PMSE has sufficient spectrum resources on one hand, while managing the potentially increased demand brought on by this efficiency paradox on the other.
