World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) relies on Blackmagic Design's Fairlight DAWs with Xynergi controllers for all of its audio post production needs, including audio post production on the recent Smackdown Holiday Tour. The WWE's VP of Post Production, Chris Argento, and his team have used Fairlight to help deliver tens of thousands of broadcast, online and social media projects across the WWE's numerous properties.
WWE is an integrated media organization that delivers original content 52 weeks a year. WWE programming reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide in 25 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all of WWE's live specials including WrestleMania and SummerSlam, as well as scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 180 countries.
We've been using Fairlight at WWE since 1997. We've never lost a session and we are still able to open projects from 19 years ago in just a few clicks. That's something you just don't see from any other manufacturer, says Argento. This level of reliability is key for us as WWE never has an off season.' The content is all storyline-based, and the story continues 52 weeks a year on all WWE platforms.
Argento and his team handle all audio post for WWE out of six Xynergi-equipped audio suites complete with Fairlight PYXIS video recording and playback and CC-2 audio engines. The content includes long format shows, spots, social media, short format and dramatic packages, 17 pay-per-view specials, such as WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and Survivor Series, promotional packages, corporate videos, sales videos, roll-in material for the two weekly live shows, and more. Because the majority of the content is storyline-based, WWE relies on promo material, dramatic packages and cold opens to catch viewers up and explain the plots.
As we are telling different stories, we are showing histories of conflict between wrestlers or background on a wrestler. We might have to pull something from last week, last month or last year, and Fairlight makes that a seamless process, says Argento. Not only do I know the clips are there, but I can access them in just a few clicks. We also rely on this efficiency because our deadlines are short, and we need to deliver fast.
While Argento and his team may have a few days for a deliverable, the majority of the content is needed as soon as possible. Sometimes we have days before a deadline, or we are mixing a two minute package and feeding it to the truck over satellite five minutes before a show, he notes. The content will usually change too, so even if we complete it days ahead of time, we will make changes just before it airs. We are used to rapid adjustments and constant change, and we depend on Fairlight's reliability and efficiency to support our workflow.
As the shows are taped in various arenas around the country or transmitted live, the video content is ingested into WWE's library. As the producers cut packages and create shows from the raw materials, Argento receives AAF files and flattened MXF-wrapped video files for sound designing, editing music and mixing.
Argento and his team often make use of Fairlight's library file feature, which allows them to import multiple edits from another timeline across multiple tracks and clips in an instant, just by opening the project in the library.
When you sound design 30 seconds of something and that 30 seconds shows up as part of another show, it's not a matter of getting a mix of that 30 seconds, but you get that entire chunk of work in no time at all. Just open the library file, grab the portions you want and import them. You get all edits, all EQ, all level and more across multiple clips, essentially duplicating small portions of other projects, which is a huge time saver, says Argento.
Fairlight's audio base is the greatest thing ever. You can find and spot sound effects in its library faster than you can with any other program, continues Argento. We use a bunch of sampling to make crazy wrestling sounds, for example a person getting thrown through a wall, which we store in the library. As our shows are made, we are collecting bits and pieces of sound and put them right into the audio base so they are searchable and available in the library in all the audio rooms.
I'm able to play the AAF and flattened MXF-wrapped video files off of any server in the building with PYXIS. As changes keep coming in, I can layer the different versions of the video tracks, comparing them to see where things have moved. I can then make accommodations or alterations to match the audio to the newer more polished video. I mix to stems, combine them into the full mix and send back to the server to remarry with the video, says Argento.
The level of synchronicity between the video and audio, having control of the picture and it being so locked to the sound is astounding. In the middle of auditioning a sound effect, I can park on a frame and spot the sound effect to a sync point in the frame on the fly, says Argento.
I can also pull in almost any type of video from any server in the building and play it in real time, continuously updating it while keeping all versions of the video stacked on my timeline, says Argento. I can even pull off rough video edits right on the timeline, cutting audio and video together, and resume my session without worrying that the audio won't match the picture later. I can't overemphasize the importance of video because audio post is a process for video.
With so many international deliverables, Fairlight's ADR mode allows Chris and his team to bring the video files in with audio and make new mixes on the fly. Much of the international work that's not live is done in post. We r
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
03/05/2024
NEW YORK CBS has declared that it will finish the 2023-24 season as Americas Most-Watched Network in primetime for the 16th consecutive season....
03/05/2024
A new survey indicates that U.S. businesses and consumers had an overall positive attitude towards their technology spending plans in the first quarter of 2024,...
03/05/2024
Sony and Apollo Global Management have sent an offer letter to Paramount Global's board of directors making an $26 billion all cash offer for Paramount Glob...
03/05/2024
EMG / Gravity Media has appointed Charlie Cubbon chief operating officer (COO) and Jamie Hindhaugh regional CEO for the U.K., U.S., Australia and the Middle Eas...
03/05/2024
Final 2024 Season Games to Air Saturdays on WRAL at 10:30am in May, Championship on June 1
Taping for the final episodes of the 2024 season of WRAL-TV's Br...
03/05/2024
Estrella MediaCo said it is expanding its connected TV portfolio by launching three new channels with Curiosity that will first appear on Samsung TV Plus....
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) relies on Blackmagic Design's Fairlight DAWs with Xynergi controllers for all of its audio post production needs, including audio post production on the recent Smackdown Holiday Tour. The WWE's VP of Post Production, Chris Argento, and his team have used Fairlight to help deliver tens of thousands of broadcast, online and social media projects across the WWE's numerous properties.
