Once upon a time, the idea of a simple to use/hook up, fairly loud and relatively compact sound system was just a dream of many musicians and touring ensembles. Not that one could not be assembled — for example, a rig with an Altec 1567A tube mixer separate power amp and a couple speakers could be created, but it would be heavy and relatively expensive.  

Unveiled in 1968, and designed for vocal reinforcement applications, the Shure Vocal Master P.A. was considered the “first complete portable sound system.” The line featured a combination of solid-state, six input, 100-watt powered Vocal Master mixers (with individual treble/bass controls and onboard spring reverb) matched to two 63x16x9-inch (HxWxD) floor-standing VA-300 column speakers. Of course, Shure microphones were optional, as was an external 100-watt Power Master power amplifier. This could take an output feed from the Vocal Master mixer and route it to additional column speakers — either to provide more volume for larger gigs, or simply to increase the horizontal dispersion for wider coverage.

The VA-300 enclosures each contained six speakers in all, with top- and bottom-mounted 10-inch woofers flanking four 8-inch cone drivers. The columns were offered in 16- and 32-ohm versions, so a single amp or mixer module could drive up to six speakers.

The reaction to the affordable Shure Vocal Master systems was an immediate hit. These found themselves in any number of applications, from touring bands to church and institutional installs to every conceivable type of portable public address need — school commencements, political rallies and more — in fact, anywhere a versatile rig could fit into a car trunk or station wagon.

Eventually, the need for systems that could stand up to the screaming stages of 60’s and 70’s rock took their toll, and the Vocal Master systems were retired from the Shure line. Yet even today, I am not entirely surprised to encounter a couple wall-mounted VA-300 columns in some venue somewhere.