Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

UFC 306: Noche at Sphere - Immersive Sound System Promises New World of Audio

07/10/2024

UFC 306: Noche at Sphere - Immersive Sound System Promises New World of Audio Massive system has an aural granularity in which even spoken syllables are processed individually By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Monday, October 7, 2024 - 1:04 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

The synergy of sports and entertainment is well on its way to becoming a singularity. With lavaliere microphones regularly worn by MLB outfielders, it might not be a stretch to see a left fielder strap on a Fender Stratocaster.

Less absurd, though, is how Sphere, the year-old futuristic event venue in Las Vegas, seems poised to become a sports stadium. Noche UFC (UFC 306 PPV) at Sphere - Suga Sean O'Malley vs. Merab The Machine Dvalishvili - held there on Sept. 14 and broadcast on ESPN sets the stage for that. The first sports event from the Madison Square Garden-owned, 18,600-seat spherical building off the Las Vegas Strip went out over multiple distribution channels: ESPN+ PPV (English and Spanish), with prelims available on ESPN+, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, and SiriusXM Fight Nation 156.

How the UFC event came to be there reflects the ongoing integration of sports and entertainment. After attending a show during U2's 2023-24 residency at the venue, UFC President/CEO Dana White decided that he wanted to host an event there. That resulted in the mixed-martial-arts company's biggest production to date.

UFC 306: Noche was the first sports event at Las Vegas's Sphere.

The event's production credits also suggest that burgeoning synergy. Silent House Group, brought in to produce the in-venue show, was fresh off Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour. Audio Supervisor Michael Abbott, who has a four-decades-long association with the sound for the Grammy Awards telecast, was hired by Silent House to manage the 64-channel-audio playback of a series of purpose-produced 90-second video segments created to define the narrative around the marquee bout.

Complex Signal Path This audio was fed via MADI into Sphere's Holoplot sound system and to a pair of Lawo Powercores and into the Lawo router. The Lawo console used for front-of-house sound bused the audio tracks into the arrays of Sphere's Holoplot sound system, itself a technical beast. The world's largest concert-grade audio system, it consists of approximately 1,600 permanently installed and 300 movable Holoplot X1 matrix-array loudspeaker modules and comprises a total of 167,000 individually amplified speaker drivers. The system's 3D audio-beamforming and wavefield-synthesis technology delivers immersive sound and effects that can be highly localized throughout an entire audience area.

Not surprisingly for this first-of-its-type production, Abbott found that the audio strategy had to be built from the ground up. The project had multiple deliverables, he recalls. There was the broadcast that needed a stereo mix of the film content for the broadcast, a stereo downmix of that content, and an M&E [music & effects] stem without dialog for the international feed; and they added three languages - French, Spanish, and Portuguese - onto voiceovers of the [videos]. Then there was the added content for the world[-feed] transitions out of the interstitial films back into live, both for the broadcast and for the space, with a sound-design bed that would play out to transition into the fight sequence.

The Code In fact, the venue and the broadcast shared audio elements while producing completely separate shows (DJs in the house, sports announcers on-air) with shared music and effects (from both open mics and prerecords) across them, and audio mix had to follow direction from both the live and broadcast productions.

The way to manage that, says Abbott, who also supervised the audio for the NHL Draft held at Sphere in late June, was with SMPTE timecode. The emphasis on timecode-driven content, both audio and video, is growing and growing. It's the best way to manage a lot of content live.

The next element to be addressed was how the films' director, Glenn Weiss, and Fight Director Anthony Giordano managed the transitions out of the film/world-feed clips into the fighter-combo packages played out in the media plane. The videos of the fighter-combo packages had four EVS playout video channels sequenced into PiP Audio boxes on Sphere's 160,000-sq.-ft. LED media plane surrounding the audience. Both the audio and the multiple video clips had to be synchronized for these sequences.

The core audio for the fighter-combo packages from the EVS replay deck comprised eight key channels. Channels 1 and 2 would be the stereo for broadcast, 3 and 4 the international M&E tracks, 5 and 6 the M&E tracks for the live sound in the bowl, 7 the main dialog track, and 8 reserved for timecode.

Every triggered event was assigned a specific timecode address for the EVS fighter-combo package playout. Some actions shared an address; for instance, one triggered the music for two walk-ons as well as all the lighting cues and PixMob LED bracelets, like the ones Silent House deployed for Taylor Swift concerts.

The Venue as a Member of the Team Though kind of an arena on steroids, Sphere itself is its own technology proposition. What would also be the UFC's first show on ESPN broadcast in 1080p relied on UFC's typical truck, NEP NCP7 A and B units, the night before the fight as well as NEP EN3 A and B and Denali Summit A and B for production of the fight itself.

Abbott says that, over the past year, much of the time he has worked in the venue on various projects has been spent understanding just how different Sphere is as a production venue. For instance, achieving a high level of speech intelligibility - critical for noisy sports events - is no simple task when the number of transducers reaches national-debt level.

That's why we ended
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/10/07/ufc-306-noche-at-sphere-immersi...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

19/11/2025

Sphere Sound Kicks Up Its Heels at Radio City Music Hall

Sphere Sound Kicks Up Its Heels at Radio City Music HallUltra-immersive system from the singular Las Vegas venue is also ready for sportsBy Dan Daley, Audio Edi...

19/11/2025

The Future of Stadium and Arena Video Control Rooms: Tech Leaders Talk 4K, IP, and More

The Future of Stadium and Arena Video Control Rooms: Tech Leaders Talk 4K, IP, a...

19/11/2025

One Year at Intuit Dome: Walking Through the Stunning Arena's Advanced Video Production Layout with the LA Clippers

One Year at Intuit Dome: Walking Through the Stunning Arena's Advanced Video...

19/11/2025

SVG Sit-Down: IMG's Francois Westcombe Goes Inside IMG's Annual Digital Trends Report

SVG Sit-Down: IMG's Francois Westcombe Goes Inside IMG's Annual Digital ...

19/11/2025

Inside Brighton & Hove Albion's Fan-First Media Machine

Inside Brighton & Hove Albion's fan-first media machine By George Bevir Tuesday, November 18, 2025 - 10:10 Print This Story Brighton & Hove Albion'...

19/11/2025

Rock Chalk Rebuild, Part 1: Kansas Athletics Brings New Production Power to Rebuilt David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium

Rock Chalk Rebuild, Part 1: Kansas Athletics Brings New Production Power to Rebu...

19/11/2025

Rock Chalk Rebuild, Part 2: A Pro's Guide to Kansas Athletics' New Video-Production Infrastructure

Rock Chalk Rebuild, Part 2: A Pro's Guide to Kansas Athletics' New Video...

19/11/2025

MLB Media Rights Shakeup: NBC Inks Three-Year Deal for Sunday Night Baseball, Peacock Exclusive Game, and More

MLB Media Rights Shakeup: NBC Inks Three-Year Deal for Sunday Night Baseball, Pe...

19/11/2025

Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) Takes a Tender View on Queer Relationships

Rohan Parashuram Kanawade attends the premiere of Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Egyptian Theatre on January 26, 2025, in Pa...

19/11/2025

Sundance Institute-Supported Seeds, Apocalypse in the Tropics, Selena y Los Dinos, and More Earn IDA Documentary Awards Nominations

Awards season is heating up, and the International Documentary Association just ...

19/11/2025

L3Harris Breaks Ground on Arkansas Advanced Propulsion Facilities

Aerojet Rocketdyne President Ken Bedingfield and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders were joined by state and local officials to celebrate the groundbreaking o...

19/11/2025

L3Harris and PentenAmio Team to Advance Sovereign Cryptographic Capability and Innovation in the UK, Australia and Canada

L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...

19/11/2025

Multi-year partnership for Calrec and Phoenix Broadcast Solutions

Calrec gives Phoenix Broadcast Solutions its full support in strategic multi-year enterprise partnership New Singapore OB company invests in Calrec technology f...

19/11/2025

The Gauge: Poland | October 2025

October brings a larger audience in front of TV screens. The cooler autumn weather and the continuation of new programming schedules brought increases in both t...

19/11/2025

Nexstar Urges FCC to Waive Ownership Rules, Quickly Approve Tegna Acquisition

IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group and Tegna filed applications on Nov. 18 with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking its consent to transfer broad...

19/11/2025

Vitec Buys Datapath, Expanding Product Portfolio, Engineering, Support

Vitec has acquired Datapath, a developer of real-time video processing for large-scale video walls, AVoIP content distribution and KVM control in mission-critic...

19/11/2025

Telestream Unveils ARGUS V2.3 With Live Look Stream Validation

NEVADA CITY, Calif. Telestream has introduced ARGUS Version 2.3, which introduces Live Look, a feature that lets operators inspect live and on-demand streams vi...

19/11/2025

Charter Taps AWS for Generative AI Solutions

STAMFORD, Conn. and NEW YORK Charter Communications, Inc. has announced a major deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that establishes AWS as one of Charters stra...

19/11/2025

Atomos Adds New Camera Control Features to Ninja TX

TOKYO Atomos has announced a major firmware update that brings integrated camera control to the Ninja TX GO and Ninja TX its new CFexpress-based monitor-recor...

19/11/2025

Berklee's Signature Series Reimagines the Musical and Visual Artistry of Coldplay

Berklee's Signature Series Reimagines the Musical and Visual Artistry of Col...

19/11/2025

PlayBox Neo Wraps NAB Show New York 2025 with Big Energy...

PlayBox Neo departed the NAB Show New York 2025 on a high note. The company's all-new PlayBox Neo Suite made a splash on the show floor, drawing strong inte...

19/11/2025

AAVBR Boosts Event Production Efficiency With Pliant Tech...

AAVBR (American Audio Visual Baton Rouge), a leading full-service event production company serving Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region, has enhanced its product...

19/11/2025

Calrec gives Phoenix Broadcast Solutions its full support...

In its mission to deliver live event services combining advanced engineering with a creative approach to captivating live sports and entertainment experiences, ...

19/11/2025

Popularity of Online Short-Form Content Moving Beyond Social Media

NEW YORK Short-form vertical video has exploded across platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, but a new survey commissioned by Media.net, a provider of c...

19/11/2025

YES Network, CAMB.AI Strike AI Translation Partnership

NEW YORK YES Network, the regional sports network home of the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets, and CAMB.AI have struck a partnership they said will leverage ...

19/11/2025

FCC Releases New Filing Deadlines

WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has issued detailed guidance on filings that were disrupted by the government shutdown. While many of those fil...

19/11/2025

NFL's Popularity Advances TV Seasonal Viewership Growth

NEW YORK The popularity of NFL games is largely responsible for continued seasonal momentum in TV viewership into October (measured Sept. 29-Oct. 26), according...

19/11/2025

MyFree DirecTV Adds Seven New Channels

DirecTV has announced that its MyFree DirecTV streaming service has added seven new channels. Those include four sports services, NBA FAST, Red Bull TV, DAZN Ri...

19/11/2025

MRMC's Flair Bridge Simplifies Robot Control Across Any Platform

SURREY, U.K. Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) has launched Flair Bridge, a compact device that transforms how operators control the company's motion-contr...

19/11/2025

FCC Sets Deadlines for 2022 Quadrennial Review

WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission, which is continuing to rapidly ramp up its operations after the end of the federal government shutdown, has se...

19/11/2025

Nexstar Urges FCC to Waive Ownership Rules, Quickly Approve of Tegna Acquisition

IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group and Tegna filed applications on Nov. 18 with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking its consent to transfer broad...

19/11/2025

Rohde & Schwarz collaborates with Broadcom to enable testing and validation of next-gen Wi-Fi 8 chipsets

Rohde & Schwarz collaborates with Broadcom to enable testing and validation of n...

19/11/2025

Innato, starring Imanol Arias and Elena Anaya, arrives on Netflix in Spain on December 12

Back to All News Innato, starring Imanol Arias and Elena Anaya, arrives on Netf...

19/11/2025

Guillermo del Toro Sits Down With 'Troll 2' Director Roar Uthaug to Discuss Creatures and Folklore

Back to All News Guillermo del Toro Sits Down With Troll 2 Director Roar Uthaug...

19/11/2025

A Look Behind Luxembourg's Most Ambitious Broadcast

Some projects feel monumental from the moment the first phone call comes in. When BCE, the host broadcaster appointed to coordinate the national coverage, asked...

19/11/2025

Bay Area Host Committee And Dolby Partner To Deliver Immersive Fan Experiences

November 19 2025, 08:00 (PST) BAY AREA HOST COMMITTEE AND DOLBY PARTNER TO DELIVER IMMERSIVE FAN EXPERIENCES During the Week of Football's Biggest Game...

19/11/2025

New RT documentary on the life of former President Michael D. Higgins

Michael D. Higgins: Ireland's Ninth President features RT Archives footage and interviews across seven decades Watch Wednesday 19 November at 9:35pm on RT...

19/11/2025

November 18, 2025

Scripps Research scientists receive $1.1 million to advance AI modeling for HIV vaccine development New AI system helps scientists rapidly pinpoint the most pro...

18/11/2025

AGILE: Securing the Future of Independent Journalism

Independent media across Central America are operating under intensifying financial pressure, yet there is a clear appetite for models that can sustain both ind...

18/11/2025

NBA Debuts New Comms Infrastructure and Systems for Referees

NBA Debuts New Comms Infrastructure and Systems for RefereesTwo-phase rollout is intended to improve game flow, enhance officiating accuracyBy Dan Daley, Audio ...

18/11/2025

Platinum White Paper: How Aggreko Delivers Certainty for Broadcasters on the World Stage

Platinum White Paper: How Aggreko Delivers Certainty For Broadcasters On The Wor...

18/11/2025

Kiswe Extends DTC Products With Kiswe Core Cloud-Based Tool for Distributing Content to Any Platform

Kiswe Extends DTC Products With Kiswe Core Cloud-Based Tool for Distributing Con...

18/11/2025

Spanish Basketball Federation Partners with ScorePlay to Power Digital Transformation

Spanish Basketball Federation partners with ScorePlay to power digital transform...

18/11/2025

HBS Selects BBright Encoders and Decoders to Connect ST 2110 Live Production Workflows to the Cloud via SRT

HBS selects BBright encoders and decoders to connect ST 2110 live production wor...

18/11/2025

Ashes to Ashes: Inside TNT Sports' Hybrid and Maverick' Production Plan for Coverage of Cricket's Oldest Rivalry

Ashes to Ashes: Inside TNT Sports' hybrid and maverick' production plan...

18/11/2025

SVG All-Stars: Mimi Fotopoulos, Director, Talent and Production Operations, Tennis Channel

SVG All-Stars: Mimi Fotopoulos, Director, Talent and Production Operations, Tenn...

18/11/2025

Sports and Entertainment Convergence: Productions Share Tech, Infrastructure

SVG LIVE! Conference Explores the Tech Side of Sports and Entertainment ConvergenceLive sports and music productions increasingly share gear and infrastructureB...