Entry registration for Shure Incorporated’s ninth annual Fantastic Scholastic Recording Competition is now open for eligible university and college students throughout the United States until October 26. Judged by a panel of seasoned musicians and industry authorities, musical compositions will be recorded by student teams using the same high-quality Shure gear trusted by professional musicians and engineers.
Conducting a random drawing on or about October 29, Shure will narrow down the pool of registrants to 10 competing schools. Each team advancing to the next round will receive a standardized microphone locker from Shure that must be used to complete a recording project as part of the competition. Contents of the locker will include two KSM313, two KSM32, two KSM44A, one KSM42, two KSM141, four SM57, two SM27, one Beta 52A, one Beta 57A, one Beta 91A, three Beta 98AMP, two Beta 181/S each with an additional Omni capsule—one SM7B, one VP88, and one A27M. New to this year’s competition, the competing schools will also receive six pairs of SRH440 headphones to use during and following the competition period.
Selected teams from each school are required to track and mix an original piece of music, which will then be evaluated by a panel of industry professionals based on the recording’s overall fidelity, clarity, sonic balance, and creativity in selection and placement of the microphones. The winning school will be awarded the entire Shure microphone locker, valued at more than $10,000. In addition, students from one of the top three recognized teams will receive prizes ranging from a KSM42 microphone, valued at $999; to SRH840 headphones, valued at $250. Previous judges have included some of the industry’s top audio visionaries such as Ken Caillat, Mike Clink, Sylvia Massey, Frank Filipetti, Elliot Scheiner, and Leslie Ann Jones, among others.
“This year’s submissions are highly anticipated—as the bar for talent consistently exceeds our expectations year after year,” said Terri Hartman, Director of Marketing Communications for Shure’s Americas Business Unit. “Now in its ninth run, this program will once again build a stage to help foster the next generation of breakout talent. At Shure, we are eager to fulfill our role by cultivating the musical passions and creativity of students aspiring to pursue professional recording careers.”
The contestants chosen in the random drawing will be posted on Shure’s Website on or around November 5, and dedicated microphone lockers will be sent in the following days. The winner of the Fantastic Scholastic Recording Competition as well as the runner-up and honorable mention distinctions will be announced on or about April 29, 2013.
