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June 2014 l 35 broadcastfeature
A BBC commentator mans the LCU, Lawo’s RAVENNA-based commentary unit
SBT, has taken delivery of 133 DELEC subscriber units, four oratis matrix frames and one R4000 router – all from Salzbrenner Stagetec Mediagroup – in anticipation of the live broadcasts of both the World Cup this year and Brazil’s next landmark sports event, the Olympic Games in 2016. A total of 77 DECT-connected belt packs, linked to the DELEC solution, ensure that SBT’s entire intercom technology comes from one source. In addition to the new comms, Aspa Stagetec Brasil has also installed three new Stagetec Crescendo audio mixing consoles and four special Stagetec On Air 24 desks designed to suit SBT’s requirements. The set-up includes an extensive Nexus audio network that can exchange signals with the oratis system through MADI lines. Clear-Com is also destined to play an important role in the summer’s events, with strategic technology specialist Larry Estrin revealing that “Brazil has been pretty much dominated by Clear- Com [intercom-wise] for quite a few years.” By way of example, he points to TV Globo, which has 28 OB vans that are used to cover sports events around the country. Five vehicles built in the last year have been equipped with Clear-Com HelixNet partyline technology, with equipment supply handled by Savana Comunicações, which is the manufacturer’s master distributor for Brazil.
BBC READIES UPMIX WORKFLOW
In an announcement that suggests it will play a central role in the delivery of broadcast audio to UK viewers, TSL
use genuine 5.1 actuality sound and crowd atmosphere, along with panned commentary and studio dialogue. But when broadcasting out of match play time, much of the audio will be stereo or dual mono content. For this audio material, BBC Sport will route through a signal path to an X-1 in upmix mode, with the upmixed audio then contributing directly to the 5.1 mix bus.
3D AUDIO REVOLUTION? Delivering superlative surround sound has done much to enhance the World Cup experience for TV viewers worldwide. But Gobbel reveals that if ongoing tests (including at the World Cup) are deemed to be successful, then we could soon witness another signifi cant evolution. “We are very enthusiastic about the prospect of 3D audio,” he reveals. “Once you include a second layer of speakers, it’s amazing the difference you hear when you switch back to fl at 5.1; it sounds almost mono by comparison! So we are continuing our tests during this tournament, making use
of a very special microphone from Schoeps.” NDAs prevent Gobbel from divulging too many specifi cs, but he does admit that “it is a very ambitious project. Even so, I think it could be a revolution in audio.”
There’s reason enough, then, to suspect that whilst this year’s World Cup will surely be a highly satisfying experience sonically, the 2018 event could set a new standard in immersive audio for sports.
www.clearcom.com uk.focusrite.com www.hbs.tv
www.imt-broadcast.com www.lawo.com www.riedel.net
Products has revealed that BBC Sport
will employ two SoundField X-1 Combined Upmix/ Downmix Processors during its production of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The two devices will supplement a further six that are permanently installed at the broadcaster’s MediaCity UK base for other regional and international major events and tournaments throughout the sporting year.
Dave Lee, lead sound supervisor for BBC Sport, comments: “The various audio elements that contribute to a sports programme – from studio location dialogue and location dialogue, commentary, voiceovers, phone calls, music, sound effects and actuality sound to crowd atmosphere – will come into us from a wide variety of mono, stereo and 5.1 sources. With such diversity of contribution quality and width, the sound supervisor is tasked with mixing a show that immerses 5.1 viewers in the surround sound atmosphere of the event whilst maintaining clear, consistent imaging of dialogue and music.” Explaining the role of the SoundField X-1, Lee adds that the device anchors “dialogue and reality audio to the front, whilst offering near- instantaneous upmix/downmix processing. This is essential during a live, action-packed broadcast, such as the World Cup, as it helps to ensure that the sound will never fall out of sync with the associated vision.” Long periods of transmission during the World Cup will
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