Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - all recorded in a live studio environment where the unexpected is part of the format. Five contestants stand shoulder to shoulder on each family podium. A charismatic host works the stage. And the podium microphones are in every shot.
For Sciarrotta, the challenge isnt just capturing clean audio. Its capturing clean audio while managing bleed between contestants standing inches apart, absorbing the physical punishment of an energetic host and making sure the mics look good on camera. The sound has to be right. So does the picture.
When the shows longtime podium microphones aged out of production and replacement units were no longer available, Sciarrotta faced a high-stakes swap. He needed 12 microphones to cover five positions per family podium and two for the faceoff - mics that could match or beat what the show had relied on for years, hold up under daily physical stress and still look the part on a nationally televised program.
Finding the right mic Sciarrotta ran side-by-side A/B tests, mounting the DPA Microphones 4018 Supercardioid and the shows previous microphones into identical podiums before making any decision. The main reason for our upgrade was that our prior mics were aging and no longer available, he says. Every test we did matched or exceeded what we were using. The DPA sound was equally as good, if not better, and the shock mount was 100 times better than what we had before. Aside from audio quality, theyre part of the look of Family Feud, being seen in every shot, so they had to not only sound great but also look good.
The 4018 Supercardioids tight polar pattern directly addressed the bleed problem. The supercardioid pattern gives me perfect isolation between contestants, Sciarrotta says. I try to minimize voices bleeding into other mics. These microphones are very directional, and that is extremely helpful. When contestants stand back and speak normally, it sounds great across the board. Even when they lean in, with the DPAs, the worst I might get is a plosive, and thats easy to manage.
Built to take a hit The integrated shock mounting in the 4018 Supercardioid proved just as critical as the polar pattern. Host Steve Harvey is known for grabbing and bending the podium mics for comedic effect - a regular part of the show that puts real mechanical stress on the microphones and sends vibration through the podium structure.
Mr. Harvey hits the podium more than anybody, Sciarrotta laughs. Hell grab the mic, bend it back toward him and speak right into it. My reflex as a mixer is to pull it down, but for comedic effect, we push it. With proximity it booms and gets thicker, but these mics handle it beautifully. The shock mounts reduce the impact reaching the signal chain. Those shock mounts absorb so much, and that makes it easier in post-production as well. We dont want to hear much of the podium hits on air.
The signal chain The 12 podium microphones are hardwired into a splitter that feeds a Yamaha CL5 at front of house and a Calrec Apollo for broadcast production. Sciarrotta works with two A2s, a front-of-house mixer and a playback mixer. Celebrity episodes add a Pro Tools recordist to the team.
Support that sealed the deal Audio quality and durability got the 4018 Supercardioid into testing. DPA Microphones responsiveness helped close the decision. DPA was very responsive through the entire process, Sciarrotta says. The team came right to me, and we tested them on the spot. That kind of service is fantastic.
Two seasons in After two full seasons on one of televisions most demanding production schedules, Sciarrottas assessment is straightforward. I havent had any problems at all. Theyre one of my favorite mics that Ive ever used. They sound and look great, and they handle everything we throw at them.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
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...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - a...
07/05/2026
As audience expectations have evolved, Owen has stopped trying to hide microphones or excuse amplification. Instead, he treats sound as a fully immersive part o...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Another year, and more proof that Asia continues to shape some of the world's most exciting new sounds. This year's RADAR artists draw from deep local r...
05/05/2026
The Austin City Limits Music Fest 2026 lineup just dropped, and this year, Spoti...
05/05/2026
New drum machine book campaign incoming
Bjooks have announced that during Superbooth 2026, they will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the product...
05/05/2026
Flagship all-in-one production bundle updated
The latest version of Native Instruments' flagship virtual instrument and plug-in bundle has just been ann...
05/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host RF Testing Innovations Forum 2026, helping design engine...
05/05/2026
The company grew by 7.6% in net revenue and 16.3% in EBITDA, achieving a 33% inc...
05/05/2026
FOX Sports, FOX One and Indeed Launch Nationwide Search for FOX One Chief World...
04/05/2026
just:play pro 2026 and just:live pro 2026 are available to download!
More Details:At NAB 2026, ToolsOnAir showcased just:play pro 2026 and just:live pro 2026, ...
04/05/2026
just:in mac pro 2026 - The Next Level of Professional Recording on macOS
More Details:The headline innovation in just:in mac pro 2026 is the new Auto format si...
04/05/2026
Last week, guests gathered in New York City for On Air, In Style: An Evening with Spotify-a night of conversation, culture, and connection celebrating the inter...
04/05/2026
New music & post-production features added
Avid's latest DAW update delivers an array of helpful features aimed at both music and post-production users,...
03/05/2026
Polysynth now features Mutable Instruments' macro oscillators
Melbourne Instruments have just released a free firmware update that brings the engine beh...
02/05/2026
Versatile re-amping tool announced
Warm Audio are best known for their recreations of sought-after vintage studio gear, but their latest release brings a ne...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. But a playlist that tells you which The Devi...
Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - all recorded in a live studio environment where the unexpected is part of the format. Five contestants stand shoulder to shoulder on each family podium. A charismatic host works the stage. And the podium microphones are in every shot. 
