Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Copy of NEVER LOOK BACk

18/09/2023

Pete Bailey is a highly experienced location sound recordist, whose significant list of credits includes Hollyoaks, Being Liverpool, The One Show, Captain America, ITV's Good Morning Britain and the Oscar nominated The Voorman Problem.

In this interview, he describes his influences and work in the industry, and also offers some advice for aspiring sound professionals.

Pete Bailey Production Sound Mixer

Web site

Tell us a bit about yourself. My name is Pete Bailey, but on location people always shout, Pete on sound'.

I live in Warrington, between Manchester and Liverpool, and I attended the School Of Sound Recording (SSR) where I learned audio engineering and techniques. I originally wanted to get into music production, but as I was coming to the end of my course I was asked by a local filmmaker if I could record sound on a short film. I felt completely out of my depth, but the same audio principles applied so I said yes and loved every minute of it I never looked back.

I got a loan, bought some kit, and spent my first twelve months doing a mix of post-production and location sound on around 80 productions. I always struggled to network with other soundies , so I spent my time researching techniques and equipment. I then decided to do the BBC location sound course, where all of my self-learning was thankfully confirmed.

Since then, I've worked on a bunch of commercials, dramas, features and documentaries such as, Hollyoaks', Don't Tell The Bride', Lorraine', Daybreak', Being Liverpool', The One Show', Captain America' and CBBC Dramas. I also recorded the sound on the Oscar-nominated Voorman'.

I currently work as a location sound mixer on Good Morning Britain for ITV, and have been doing so for the last 6 years.

Sitting in my friend's room at the age of 14 listening to the loudest bedroom stereo on the planet, I knew that I had to get involved in sound.

How did you get into the industry? Sitting in my friend's room at the age of 14 listening to the loudest bedroom stereo on the planet, I knew that I had to get involved in sound.

I was a bedroom DJ who then became a nightclub promoter and a club DJ, and thought by the age of 21 that it would be a good idea to study sound engineering and start producing my own music. So, I quit night club promoting and DJing for a while to study.

During the time on the course I did at the SSR, I managed to build a basic studio in my house and recorded bands in my spare time for a bit of cash to put towards more kit. During my course, we touched on post-production sound and I was captivated; I couldn't believe there was a job out there, doing sound effects for films. It was an instant decision for me. I found a guy in my college who was already working on an actual film, and asked if I could help him with sound design. I kind of took over the project! Nevertheless, the director loved the work I did and asked me to work on his next film. I was in!

What is a typical day like on assignment? Well I've been working on Good Morning Britain' (a morning news program) for 6 years now, which means getting up very early. Typically, it's a 2am to 3am start. We are on location for 5am, ready for the program to go live at 6am.

News is an ever-changing production. I always have to be prepared for whatever the story is, never knowing if we are going to be outdoors or indoors. It could be floods, extreme weather, sports, politics, court cases or it could be something nicer, like the world's biggest mince pie (true story; and no, I didn't get a bite, although I did ask). So, working on the fly is an everyday event and sometimes a little sketchy.

For example: we were supposed to do a Live OB from Moss Side this morning (you know where this is going) and the second we set the camera up, just 5 feet away, a group of lads ran off with it. Needless to say, we didn't broadcast. I hadn't got my sound kit out of the car; but poor Geoff the cameraman is kicking himself.

I work in a small crew consisting of just me, Geoff the cameraman and Katy, our correspondent. We used to have our own satellite engineer with a sat truck, but now we have our very own that both me and Geoff operate and set-up each morning.

We all meet on location with the satellite truck at 5am and discuss how we're going to shoot that morning. During set-up, I hand out radio comms to the crew so we can hear the directors/producers in London, and we also do a vision and sound test with the technical director there.

Nowadays, being in a different location every day in ever changing conditions, the one thing that takes the most punishment is my Rycote. Wind, rain, or snow, it takes it all and holds its ground.' Pete Bailey

My biggest technical challenge as a location soundie happened early in my career when I worked on a film entirely based on Mount Snowdon in sub-zero temperatures.

What challenges do you face? My biggest technical challenge as a location soundie happened early in my career when I worked on a film entirely based on Mount Snowdon in sub-zero temperatures. Not only was it bitterly cold, but we had such strong winds that the shoot was almost cancelled. You can imagine the battle I had with the wind on my mics

I was using a second-hand Rycote windshield system that was given to me by a previous production. I'd had it for years, and it was already beaten up pretty badly when I got it. The previous owner had obviously held it too close to some lighting as most of the hair was singed.

To combat the wind, I used a Rycote Softie on my mic and then put that inside my beaten-up Rycote system. I lost some of the higher frequencies, but I had almost zero wind noise. I later got an e-mail from post-production sound (which never happens!), praising me on capturing such good
LINK: https://rycote.com/newsroom/interview-with-production-sound-mixer-pete...
See more stories from rycote

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

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

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

MLB's Jason Hedgcock on Using the Cloud To Produce World Baseball Classic Games for Netflix Japan

Live production in the cloud is a growing trend across the industry, and Major L...

04/08/2026

Major League Soccer Names Larry Berg as Next Commissioner; Will Take Helm in 2027

LAFC co-managing owner will succeed Don Garber on Jan. 1, 2027, as league prepar...

04/08/2026

Foresight: Driving Growth Through Broadcast Flexibility - A Calrec + PGA TOUR Case Study

In 2022, when the PGA TOUR was breaking ground on its new, state-of-the-art broa...

04/08/2026

Dealer Cam Debuts as Omaha Productions Takes World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table Live on ESPN

Provided by POVORA, the new camera angle offers a dealer's-eye view of the c...

04/08/2026

USL To Trial FIFA's Football Video Support System During 2026 USL Cup

Spiideo will provide the camera setup, with NEP handling broadcast integration and off-site video operations...

04/08/2026

Game On Live Studio Deploys Blackmagic Design Workflow Across 15 Fields at Tropical 7s

Production team streamed more than 750 youth rugby matches using ATEM switchers,...

04/08/2026

NDI, KTC Partner To Develop Network-Native Commercial Displays

Agreement gives KTC early access to NDI's Advanced SDK for integration across commercial displays, digital signage, and interactive panels...

04/08/2026

IBC2026: IBC Innovation Awards Finalists Highlight Advances in AI, Cloud, Open Standards, and Accessibility

Twelve projects across four categories recognize collaborative work in productio...

04/08/2026

Ekstraklasa, Live Park Select Hawk-Eye for Tracking, Offside, and Broadcast Technology

Multi-year agreement will introduce SkeleTRACK, semi-automated offside, automate...

04/08/2026

Radio France Deploys Redundant Lawo AoIP Workflow for 2026 Concert de Paris

Three mc 56 consoles, dual A__UHD Core engines, RAVENNA networking, and HOME management supported live sound, monitoring, and international broadcast production...

04/08/2026

IBC2026: Haivision to Debut Makito ONE, Falkon X4 in Europe

New contribution products support ultra-low-latency video transport across fixed, remote, and mobile production environments...

04/08/2026

IBC2026: Chyron to Highlight AI, Cloud, HTML Graphics, and Sports-Analysis Tools

Company will showcase updates across PRIME, Chyron LIVE, Paint, virtual production, newsroom workflows, and venue control...

04/08/2026

TAB Show 2026: MultiDyne to Showcase Fiber-Transport and IP Infrastructure Tools

Exhibit will feature SilverBack, VersaBrix, VersaFrame, VF-9100, and FiberSaver-10G platforms...

04/08/2026

IBC2026: TAG Video Systems Adds MXL Support, Containerized Deployment, Expanded QC Tools

Platform updates target cloud-based production, high-density ST 2110 monitoring,...

04/08/2026

Gravity Media, Live Media Group Partner To Expand U.S. Mobile Production Facility Operations

LMG will take control of Gravity Media's U.S. mobile-unit fleet as the compa...

04/08/2026

HeadRush update Prime, Core & Flex Core firmware

Amp-modelling rigs get major upgrade HeadRush have recently released a major firmware update that brings some powerful new features to their Prime, Core and...

04/08/2026

Am I Audio launch I Am Choir

Generate a choir from a single voice track Following years of development, Am I Audio have just officially launched their debut plug-in. Created in collabor...

04/08/2026

Universal Audio's EMT 140 & 250 plug-ins go native

Official EMT-endorsed reverbs now available to all Two more of Universal Audio's renowned UAD plug-ins have just gained new native versions that can be ...

04/08/2026

SBS helps Australians understand why every Census counts

SBS helps Australians understand why every Census counts Media releases As Australia prepares for the 2026 Census on Tuesday 11 August, SBS is helping ensur...

04/08/2026

Canada invests in the future of HF communications with Rohde & Schwarz solutions

Canada invests in the future of HF communications with Rohde & Schwarz solutions After selection by the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) as the p...

04/08/2026

Blendkit Expands Beyond Blender

Blendkit Expands Beyond Blender Brie Clayton August 4, 2026 0 Comments Popular 3D Asset Library Launches Alpha Plugins for Maya, Godot, and Rhino Blend...

04/08/2026

QC: Artificial Intelligence's Big Hammer Finds Another Nail

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

The AI Dilemma: Can C2PA Keep a Video's Provenance Intact?

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

BPS Gaining Traction in Broadcast and Other Sectors

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

Ikegami to Demonstrate Latest-Generation UNICAM Product R...

Ikegami has chosen the 11-14 September 2026 International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam as the European market launch venue for additions to its UNICAM p...

04/08/2026

Appear unifies hardware and software for live production...

Appear (IBC2026 booth 1.C61) will showcase new X & VX Platform capabilities that extend broadcast-grade performance from venue to cloud Appear ASA (OSE: APR), ...

04/08/2026

Broadcast Management Group Brings Amazon Prime Obsessed F...

LiveU, the global leader in live IP-video solutions, today highlighted the crucial role its EcoSystem played in Broadcast Management Group's (BMG) successfu...

04/08/2026

Scripps Completes Acquisition of WTVQ Lexington

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

U.S., U.K. Consumers Now Spend 11 Hours a Day Using Media

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

Sinclair Announces 2026 Annual Scholarship Winners

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

Tom DeLay: Only Congress Can Change Station Ownership Caps

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

IAB Tech Lab Upgrades Open Framework for Agentic Advertising

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

DirecTV For Business Inks New Agreement to Sell NFL Sunday Ticket

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

IEEE Broadcast Technology Society Honors Charles Einolf

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Dreion

Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Dreion The singer, songwriter, and producer talks about finding his village at Berklee ahead of his Homecoming performance on Sep...

04/08/2026

Sky Sports agrees deal with SANZAAR for international rugby rights 2026 2030

Tuesday 4 August 2026 Sky Sports agrees deal with SANZAAR for international rugby rights 2026 - 2030 The deal means Sky will have exclusive rights to the inau...

04/08/2026

Kill Tony Launches on Supercast, Giving Fans Premium & Ad-Free Access to Comedy's Biggest Live Podcast

Kill Tony Launches on Supercast, Giving Fans Premium & Ad-Free Access to Comedy&...

04/08/2026

BIRTV. Beijing. August 19-22, 2026

More details coming soon....

04/08/2026

AMC Week. Mexico City. September 2-5, 2026

More details coming soon....

04/08/2026

IBC. Amsterdam. September 11-14, 2026

More details coming soon....

04/08/2026

As AI Increases Demands on Memory, Storage Steps Up

Surging AI demands are driving the need for massive datasets and context windows that burst past the confines of system memory. But rising needs aren't me...

04/08/2026

NVIDIA Alpamayo 2 Super, the Frontier Open Model for Robotaxis and Autonomous Vehicles, Now Available for Commercial Use

For robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles (AVs), the hardest problems aren'...

04/08/2026

AI Leaders Propose SAFE Guidelines for Cybersecurity Transparency

Members of the Open Secure AI Alliance - now more than 120 organizations strong - are developing new guidelines to strengthen agentic AI cybersecurity as the an...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

03/08/2026

SVGs TranSPORT Conference Returns to NYC on Oct. 20; Register Today!

SVG's annual TranSPORT conference returns to New York City for a full day of sessions focused on the current state of live-sports-transmission technology. S...

03/08/2026

SVG All-Stars: Stefan Richardson, Director, Global Broadcast, Riot Games

A five-time Emmy winner, this esports vet has built a production career on live storytelling, audience connection, and meeting viewers wherever they are The sp...

03/08/2026

MLBs Jason Hedgcock on Using the Cloud To Produce World Baseball Classic Games for Netflix Japan

Live production in the cloud is a growing trend across the industry and Major Le...