Sports Audio Summit 2024: Immersive sound and inclusivity discussions top the bill at bustling London event By Kevin Emmott
Monday, November 25, 2024 - 17:03
Print This Story
The third annual Sports Audio Summit was the biggest one yet, attracting more than 100 sound professionals from around Europe for a day of debate, discussion and insight. Kevin Emmott has the full story of the day.
Sports Audio Summit 2024, sponsored by Audio-Technica, got off the starting blocks with a two-hander from this summer's Olympic Games, with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) senior manager, audio, Nuno Duarte (pictured above and below, left) looking at the Games from the host broadcaster's perspective, and NBC Sports and Olympics, senior director of audio engineering Karl Malone (pictured below, right) representing one of the world's biggest rights holders.
Immersive audio is no longer as challenging as it once was: it's now produced as standard. But with over a hundred audio A1s, 90 audio consoles, 3,680 microphones and a 509 strong crew to manage, producing over 11,000 hours of live audio content was.
We had 128 A1s mixing during the Games, and all of them have to provide a consistent product across every sport, all in 5.1.4, for two weeks straight. And that is difficult, said Duarte. Difficult because we have many different cultures and experiences to manage, and some sports are very difficult to mix. This year the technical audio setup was not the most difficult part.
Meanwhile, Malone noted the event was NBC Olympics' most successful ever, broadcast across more channels, with a significant increase in online viewers.
There were 4.1 million viewers that accessed the Peacock streaming service on NBC, with a 500% increase on social media viewership over the Tokyo Olympics, he said, leading to new initiatives to drive engagement, such as the application of Apple Airpods to generate content in the training enclosures.
Making it personal: The future of audio tech More new initiatives, and specifically next-generation audio (NGA) initiatives, were on the bill in the next session, a joint discussion chaired by consultant Roger Charlesworth. Malone remained on stage and was joined by BBC senior audio R&D engineer David Marston, Salsa Sound co-founder and director (and Associate Professor in Audio Technology at the University of Salford) Dr Ben Shirley, and Dolby Laboratories senior staff architect James Cowdery.
The subject of audio personalisation was high on the agenda, a theme that panellists would return to throughout the afternoon, as the discussion looked at how technologies are coming together to make the possibly of user personalisation a reality.
For us, microphones are not just sound recorders, they are data gatherers. There's so much data out there, and microphones are constantly sampling and capturing that data.
Metadata is the answer, but where we've really struggled in the past was having a single concept for metadata that travelled well across different transports, said Cowdery. I think with Serial-ADM we have a really good platform, with metadata that can flow nicely and a lot of different standards all coming together.
Marston added that while personalisation could put the power into the hands of consumers to deal with a range of challenges, from hearing loss to neurodiversity, it will be important to set limits on what the consumer can modify to maintain the artistic integrity of the content creators: This is where it is important to have metadata in place to set rules and limits on how much can be modified.
First on the throttle: MotoGP excelling in audio After 32 years working with superbikes, Dorna Sports head of global technology for MotoGP Sergi Sendra (pictured, below) was next on stage for a spirited and passionate discussion with SVG Europe editor Heather McLean about sound in the saddle. Sendra has spent the last 10 years standardising the audio coverage of MotoGP across multiple international territories, and the championship now makes use of 200 mics, half of which are located on the bikes themselves.
Sendra identified several key advances and how working directly with partners like Lawo and Audio-Technica, as well as multiple engineers, has helped accelerate the sport's coverage. And he's not finished yet, working on adapting audio technology into helmets to literally get into the heads of the riders. But it's not an easy adaptation.
In Formula One, the driver is sitting in the car with an in-ear with speakers inside a silicon block, and because he's not moving, it's comfortable, he said. When we test it in MotoGP, the rider is moving all the time and feels it because he's pushing 350km per hour.
The helmet is very serious. So we are working with 10 different helmet manufacturers; we are talking to the 22 riders; we are talking to the engineers; and we need to do all of this passively. It will take a long time, but we are trying to succeed within all the parameters we have.
Presentation: Masterclass: Audio Intelligence - Real-world use of AI in live broadcast audio With AI and cloud production both hot topics over the last two Sports Audio Summits, two technology vendors both provided insights into more recent developments, with co-founder and CEO of Salsa Sound Rob Oldfield and SSL director of product management Tom Knowles both providing overviews of recent projects and providing a glimpse into what might come next.
For us, microphones are not just sound recorders, they are data gatherers, said Oldfield. There's so much data out there, and microphones are constantly sampling and capturing that data; that's why we're so passionate about AI. It's all data processing, and can we use that data to do some really cool stuff.
Some of that cool stuff includes Salsa's Mi
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...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
IPC Expands Brazilian Presence with New Channel Partner CCATech
Industry veterans Carlos Abrah o and Bruno Lopes strengthen local support and expand IPCs prese...
20/08/2026
Zixi Enters Mauritius Market Through Strategic Deployment with MTC Jockey Club
Worlds Oldest Horse Racing Club in the Southern Hemisphere Selects Zixis Softwar...
20/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Di...
20/08/2026
Audiences reveal appetite for multicultural Australia on-screen 20 August 2026
Dr Georgie McClean, Dr Rebecca Huntley (L-R)
By Dr Georgie McClean and Dr Rebec...
20/08/2026
How Mavis Studio Is Expanding Live Production Teaching at Sussex
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays a student about to mix be...
20/08/2026
Vertical Unscripted Series Legal Queens Captured with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Reality TV veteran Eric Gardner create...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
Sports Audio Summit 2024: Immersive sound and inclusivity discussions top the bill at bustling London event By Kevin Emmott 
