DPA Microphones Creates Behind-the-Scenes Audio Magic at Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge 07 May 2014
The Jim Henson Creature ShopTM, founded by leading puppeteer Jim Henson and British illustrator Brian Froud, has been a successful leader in special/visual effects for more than 30 years. Now, the company's famed effects designers are entering a new venture by bringing us Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge, an eight-week reality competition on the SyFy network. The series focuses on 10 creature designers from across the country, who compete in weekly challenges and screen tests with hopes of winning the grand prize, a job at The Jim Henson Creature Shop.
To handle the ever-changing filming needs of the show, the sound crew selected a combination of DPA Microphones' d:screet 4063 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphones for ENG, as well as the d:dicate 4017 and 4018 Microphones for booming, to provide dynamic audio and a low profile.
Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge provides contestants with a unique and innovative creative environment. The show dares participants to design and build movable, articulate creatures that must perform and be camera ready for a Hollywood screen test in front of a panel of expert judges within a few days' time. Given the style of the programming, which requires live shots in the design room, interviews with the contestants and a live' stage setup during the judging, Daniel McCoy, sound supervisor, credits DPA Microphones and his audio crew for creating a solution that fit the complex environment on set.
We had a really solid audio crew that could go back and forth from web interviews, to a stage screen test, explains McCoy. We filmed at the Creature Shop where the contestants develop their creations, which is not on the Jim Henson lot, and on the Jim Henson stage, where there would be a new set every week to coincide with the theme of the week. There was a lot of behind-the-camera magic that happened seamlessly, a lot of versatility and multi-tasking, and all of the DPA mics handled the job beautifully. Even in the shop, where we had a lot of noise, or in some instances during screen tests when the judges wanted to hear the puppeteers perform in real-time, both the d:screet and d:dicate mics were able to give us live sound reinforcement without any feedback.
But the show isn't just a rare event for the contestants. McCoy knew that the opportunity to provide audio for such a legendary company meant that he needed a versatile microphone solution with professional sound quality to match the legacy. To do this, he needed to look no further than his own supply of DPA Microphones.
I was really excited to use the same DPA mics that I've been using on film sets in a reality setting, says McCoy, who has been an avid DPA user for many years. Most reality TV shows don't invest in high-quality mics, so it felt good being able to give cinematic tools to a reality show with a cinematic legacy. DPA mics help me be a better mixer and the d:screet 4063s were especially crucial as they are able to offer a higher resolution to the experience, which gives a more even response and a better dynamic range.
The d:screet 4063 was built to be used in a variety of settings including theater, television and close-mic instrument applications, as it is an easily concealable mic with the high-quality audio for which DPA Microphones are known. The low voltage omnidirectional capsule, which has low sensitivity, picks up sound with no need to be directly pointed at the audio source, perfect for creatures that are built with multiple layers of fabric, animatronics and foam. Additionally, the d:dicate 4017B Shotguns and 4018 Supercardioids, with B and C preamps, provide accuracy, clarity and musicality that is perfect for reality-style production.
The show goes beyond anything I've seen on reality programs and it has really sparked my imagination, adds McCoy. Having grown up with the Henson legacy, it was an honor to be able to give back as their sound supervisor for the show.
Hosted by actress Gigi Edgley, The Creature Shop Challenge airs Tuesday nights at 10/9 central. Judges include Brian Henson, chairman of the Jim Henson Company; Beth Hathaway, fabricate and costume specialist; and Kirk Thatcher, Emmy Award-winning writer and producer. Guest mentors include Peter Brooke, Julie Zobel and John Criswell.
The Jim Henson Company was founded in 1979 by puppetry master, Jim Henson, most notable for creating trademark characters for The Muppets. Now owned by Henson's children, the company continues to bring pre-eminent characters and visual effects to life for television, film, theme parks and advertising clients.
Currently the owner and operator of ToneMesa, Inc., a location and post audio company based in Los Angeles, McCoy started out as an assistant music engineer, working with legendary music producer, T Bone Burnett. His career evolved to film and TV, where he worked with film producer Peter Guber. He has received two Daytime Emmy Awards for Best Live Audio Mix to Tape for his work on the Ellen Degeneres Show and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album for Brian Wilson's first self-titled solo project. In early 2008, McCoy became one of the youngest members of the Cinema Audio Society.
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 ...
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...
03/04/2026
Avid will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (April 18-22, Booth N2226, Las Vegas Convention Center), demonstrating its Content Core platform and new AI-driven workflow c...
03/04/2026
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) has announced the appointment of Nick Barthee as Chief Operating Officer.
The announcement follows MRMC's transition fro...
03/04/2026
Interra Systems has announced that Elite Media Technologies has selected its BATON file-based QC solution for media workflows. Elite Media Technologies speciali...
03/04/2026
Ateme has announced that Moldtelecom has deployed Ateme technologies across its streaming workflow, covering encoding, delivery, operations, and analytics.
Mol...
03/04/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate Framelight X, its content management platform, at NAB Show 2026. The platform connects capture, ingest, editing, and publishing in...
03/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media and Techex have announced a cloud-native Master Control ...
DPA Microphones Creates Behind-the-Scenes Audio Magic at Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge 07 May 2014
