Small Changes Make Substantial Differences in NFL Audio Nimble parabs, additional A2s help the sound keep up this season By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Wednesday, October 5, 2022 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The NFL stadium crowds are back everywhere, all the time now, in a sports milieu that demands more sound, louder sound, and more sources than ever. Broadcasters' football A1s understand that the sport may be the most restrictive when it comes to access to sound sources - the league has always retained control of and access to the two player microphones on the field, a cornerstone of the sport's audio on television for a decade - but that has only made their pursuit of the rest of gridiron sound that much more intense and interesting. That has certainly continued this season.
Parabs to the Rescue At Fox Sports, lead A1 Jamie McCombs, like all football mixers, is still dealing with the loss of 20 yards of sideline real estate for his parab operators: a COVID protocol put in place by the league last year limits the movements of up to two operators per side to the area from the end zone to the 25-yard line, instead of to the 35-yard line. To compensate, he notes, submixer Eddie Verstraete has been experimenting with new microphones in the parabolic collectors - currently, a Neumann - attached to the new crossbars that parab manufacturer Klover came up with this year for its Mik 26 model. (The updated unit, currently in a beta-type stage, has stronger handles, and parts are modular to better facilitate field repairs. According to Klover President Paul Terpstra, the modification was first tested by Fox Sports during the USFL season and will be evaluated this NFL season by CBS Sports.)
A1 Jamie McCombs: It's loud, but we're really enjoying the noise.
Losing those extra sideline yards last year was tough, says McCombs. What helps is experimenting with the reach of the parabs themselves, and the NFL's enhanced audio from the microphones on the players, which is still great sound.
As per the collective-bargaining agreement between the league and the NFLPA, microphones can be placed on either a guard or the starting and backup center for each game. Fox Sports is going with six parabs this season: four on the sidelines, two in the end zones.
McCombs also notes the growing amount of Dante signal transport at games. The network is used for all RF sources, including the Shure Axient wireless microphones and the RF mics in the parabs. Most recently, its use has been extended to bringing in the voice of rules analyst Mike Pereira from Fox Sports' Los Angeles studios to any game he's needed on. His intercom and IFB are on a Unity IT-based comms system to production and from there on Dante to distribution.
We've been using Dante for two years now, and [Game Creek Video] Encore just upgraded to accommodate more Dante capability to the console, McCombs explains. We're still using Hydra networking, such as to the announce booth, but less and less of it over time as more and more Dante goes out into the field.
A2s Bring Experience to Parabolic Mics ESPN implemented a subtle but significant audio change this season when it agreed to supply two A2s as parab operators, replacing two of the four utility personnel previously assigned to four parabs per game. Jonathan Freed - one of two A1s, along with Scott Pray, for the broadcaster's flagship Monday Night Football production - says addition of the more experienced and technically capable A2s helps improve the overall audio experience with technicians who are better aware of game nuances and can better leverage the capabilities and potential of the parabs. Utility workers, as their rubric suggests, are usually relied on for such tasks as cable management behind cameras and other semi-technical jobs.
A good, experienced A2 can anticipate action on the field, which helps the production flow, he says, noting that the new A2s are working the sideline parabs, the mics most affected by the loss of sideline space. They know how the equipment works and what it can do. From my perspective, the parab operator is as important to the A1 as the camera operator is to the director. We're very happy that we were able to help make this happen.
Skycam to the Rescue The loss of sideline real estate for parabs has put an even greater premium on the Skycam, with Freed and other A1s increasingly relying on it for audio-gathering. Starting several years ago, Freed worked with the Skycam team on integrating the Schoeps SuperCMIT digital microphone aboard the unit. The mic's integrated DSP detects discrete sound from different directions while also recognizing diffuse field sound from all directions, similar to the effect produced by a shotgun mic. The algorithm is designed to suppress diffuse sound and to focus on discrete sound, giving it the capability of covering as much of the field as the camera itself while rejecting crowd noise.
But, adds Freed, the mic's digital nature means A1s can remotely access parameters - capsule gain, filtering - from the console through the SuperCMIT's digital phantom-power infrastructure. In addition, the audio signal is embedded as an AES-3 format with that of the camera and can be de-embedded and sent discretely over fiber to the A1 console.
He says, It's a fantastic improvement over the RF microphones that we used to pair with the Skycam.
Back to Loud What all NFL A1s are sharing this season is volume, with the stadiums returning to full capacity for every game. At Seattle's open-top Lumen Field, Freed measured the Broncos-Seahawks game in Week 1 at 104 dB. He notes that, to prevent overloads, he has been lowering the input gain slightly on crowd mics. It's not unexpected, and it can be challenging trying to capture all the
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
16/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Immersive Flight for New Cirrus App
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Leader in Personal Aviation taps URSA Cin...
16/07/2026
XenData Announces LTO Archive Appliances with both File and S3 Object Storage In...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...
15/07/2026
Save up to 55% on software until 23 July 2026
Expressive E have just launched their Summer Offer sale, with discounts of up to 55% now applied across their ...
15/07/2026
Real-time stem-separation tool updated
zplane have recently released a new and improved version of their real-time stem-separation plug-in which they say ma...
15/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
15/07/2026
DMC Production's AR 1 and AR 2 units reverse the conventional OB workflow, keeping all production-critical processing at the venue while operators work remo...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
General-purpose robots and autonomous machines are moving from research labs to ...
15/07/2026
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Screeners and press pack now available: Gomorrah: The Or...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and iconic gaming companies, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI ...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
14/07/2026
Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...
14/07/2026
Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...
14/07/2026
New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...
14/07/2026
ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...
14/07/2026
Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...
14/07/2026
Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
As broadcasters con...
Small Changes Make Substantial Differences in NFL Audio Nimble parabs, additional A2s help the sound keep up this season By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
