Face it, there simply arent many people who love getting physical with lions! In the case of South African animal behaviorist Kevin Richardson, its a passion! He has slept next to, fed, and lived with lions. Along with lions, he has worked with cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas. Richardson relies on intuition rather than static rules and, in doing so, has gained the trust of these animals. Play tends to get quite physical. Hence, when documenting his activities for an upcoming show on British Sky Broadcastings Sky 1 TV, the electronics used to capture audio have to be robust. Thats precisely why Location Sound Recordist Sebastian Dunn relies on Digital Hybrid Wireless technology from Rio Rancho, NM-based Lectrosonics.
Sebastian Dunn has been working in location sound since 1993. The first milestone in his career occurred when he covered the post-apartheid elections in South Africa for Sky News. In 2013, he was nominated in the Sound Factual category for the illustrious BAFTA Television Craft Awards. The nomination was received for his work on Brazil with Michael Palin, of which he is particularly proud. With credentials like these, Dunn knows what it takes to capture sound. He discussed his use of Lectrosonics equipment.
Ive been using Lectrosonics gear for over 20 years, Dunn reports. I started with the companys M185 transmitters and CR185 receivers, later upgraded to the UM and SM transmitters, UCR411 receivers and, from there, I acquired SMQV super miniature transmitters and SRb dual slot ENG receivers.
The 4-part series has the working title The Origin of Cats, Dunn continued. The production company is Bristol based Offspring Films in the UK and the show will ultimately air on Sky 1 TV in the UK. The show is slated for release mid-2015. My contribution to the show took place in Namibia and South Africa and for this, I used two SMQVs and the SRbboth on block 26. I also used a Lectrosonics SNA600 dipole antenna.
Throughout most of my career, he explained, Ive been travelling and, for the most part, working in technically challenging environments. Having used almost every wireless system on the market, there is none more robust and durable than Lectrosonics. Ive successfully used them in extreme 130 degree heat as well as sub-zero environments. As my locations are always so varied and unpredictable, I cant always check frequency compatibility but, for the most part, have not encountered problems severe enough to rule out the use of wireless mics. The SNA600 antenna is also a valuable part of my kitparticularly when the RF range is questionable. The addition of the LectroRM app for my iPhone has also been extremely useful so that I can make hasty changes on the fly.
Dunn described what the Lectrosonics equipment typically encountered with Kevin Richardson. The fully grown lions can be very rough and physically jump on him and push him around, says Dunn. When I asked to wire Kevin up, he said it was a huge risk. Having worked with many film crews in the past, Kevin said that most transmitters got damaged by his lions. When I mentioned that I only use Lectrosonics transmitters, his eyebrows lifted! Theyll handle the punishment he said. Reluctantly, I clipped my SMQV onto the inside of his belt.
Once the crew was safely on the vehicles, Dunn added, the female lioness Olivia was released and immediately launched herself onto Kevinknocking him right off his feet. For 5 minutes, they playedwith the 300 pound lioness rolling onto him and knocking him about like a ragdoll. The audio was solid throughout the interaction. Then Kevin said that the vehicles were too much of a distraction for the lions. He wanted to go further into the bush to get away from us. We mounted a few GoPro cameras onto him and off he went. I estimate he went a third of a mile away but, with the use of the SNA600 antenna, my signal was rock solid.
Before turning his attention back to business, Dunn offered these comments on his Lectrosonics experience. Living in South Africa, Im pretty far from Lectrosonics. With that said, the companys support services have been very responsive. Ive always been very pleased with the companys service. Ive been a loyal supporter of Lectrosonics for the last 20 years and, due to their products robustness and durability in the field, I will continue to remain one. Ive had a great experience.
For information about Sebastian Dunn, visit him online at www.dunnaudio.com.
www.lectrosonics.com
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Designed for synchronized multi-stream playback, low-latency delivery, and real-time analytics, MATCH introduces a unified viewing experience for sports broadca...
07/04/2026
Berklee Students to Honor George Martin with Performance of Original Scores The orchestra, led by associate professor Xander Rovang, will perform several work...
06/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
06/04/2026
From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...
06/04/2026
Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...
06/04/2026
Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...
06/04/2026
El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...
06/04/2026
The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...
06/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
06/04/2026
The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...
06/04/2026
Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...
06/04/2026
Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...
06/04/2026
Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...
06/04/2026
With this environment we can start that collaboration even earlier because we ca...
06/04/2026
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...
06/04/2026
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...
06/04/2026
Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced
California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...
06/04/2026
Share official & user-created full-rig presets
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Dalet Showcases Dalia Agentic AI and End-to-End Media Workflows at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Dalet, a leading technology and...
06/04/2026
OpenDrives Shows Off Sports Expertise in Sports Business Hub located in NAB Show...
06/04/2026
Proton to Demonstrate 3D Application at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Yet further creative potential unleashed through innovation in ...
06/04/2026
Autoscript Highlights Voice-Driven Prompting and PTZ Solutions at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Experience Autoscript Voice, PTZ prom...
06/04/2026
Mediaproxy Highlights Significant Enhancements to its LogServer suite at NAB Sho...
06/04/2026
Wayne, N.J., April 6th, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the release of PCC 4...
06/04/2026
April 6th, 2026
TRIBECA STUDIOS AND LILLY ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF INAUGURAL VITAL...
06/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Kids Entertainment Lineup With Playground App ...
05/04/2026
Tackles all reported bugs!
SoundBridge have just announced the launch of a new update that introduces a couple of minor changes to their remote collaboratio...
04/04/2026
The University of Arizona's Men's Basketball team has only loss twice th...
04/04/2026
1080p HDR arrives, a new generation of storytelling tools takes center stage, an...
04/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
04/04/2026
Faster, cleaner and more intuitive than ever
The control software for Flock Audio's digitally controlled patchbay systems has just been treated to an up...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
DHD Introduces AI-Based Audio Noise Reduction to XD3 IP Core
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
The accompanying image shows the rear panel of the ...
04/04/2026
Macnica Redefines ST 2110 Flexibility with Two Speeds on One Card
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
New for NAB Show 2026, MEP100 SmartNIC now sup...
04/04/2026
Unified Media Workflows for Story-Centric Production
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
Framelight X unifies field capture, editing and publishing ...
03/04/2026
Michigan's Fab Five will reunite for an alternate presentation of the Mich...
Face it, there simply arent many people who love getting physical with lions! In the case of South African animal behaviorist Kevin Richardson, its a passion! He has slept next to, fed, and lived with lions. Along with lions, he has worked with cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas. Richardson relies on intuition rather than static rules and, in doing so, has gained the trust of these animals. Play tends to get quite physical. Hence, when documenting his activities for an upcoming show on British Sky Broadcastings Sky 1 TV, the electronics used to capture audio have to be robust. Thats precisely why Location Sound Recordist Sebastian Dunn relies on Digital Hybrid Wireless technology from Rio Rancho, NM-based Lectrosonics.
