Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Craft Profile: Alex Martinez, Univision

16/08/2019

Q: Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.

A: I'm the audio operator for Univision Noticias, the news wing of Univision Network, where I've had the privilege of working for roughly seven years. I mostly cover our live network news shows. This includes Primer Impacto, Noticiero Univision, Noticiero Univision en UniM s and Noticiero Univision Edicion Nocturna. I also work on the bigger special news events, such as U.S. State of the Union speeches, U.S. and Latin American election coverage and Papal visits around the globe, among many others.

Q: How did you get into the broadcast audio business? What made you realize this was the career path you wanted to take?

A: I got into broadcast because of my love of audio, our fast-paced schedules and the content we cover. I love working under pressure. Whether a breaking news event across the world or a presidential election here in the states, my team always seems to really shine in these scenarios; and I'm happy to be a part of that. I also gravitated to broadcast because I wanted to mix for a larger audience. The growth potential at the network level to go from live concerts to in-studio and live broadcast is huge, you can't get much larger than a network seen by so many in the U.S. and simulcast to so many other countries around the world.

But my foray into audio dates back to high school, when I was working for a friend of mine who was a DJ at a local radio station. Back then, I made $50 a night, mostly lugging record crates in and out of appearances, and got to hang with them during the events. That was my first experience seeing the power that audio has over listeners' emotions and their way of thinking. I was hooked. I wanted to learn how the recipe was put together. Soon after, I began an apprenticeship with a local club owner who, for the next decade, taught me signal flow, how to mix and even why circuitry behaves the way it does. Mixing live bands solidified my love for audio mixing and the technical prowess needed to do it properly. It was halfway through this apprenticeship that I decided to formally go for a second college degree, this time focused on audio.

Q: What lead you to Univision?

A: It was serendipitous, really. I was working for Avid's Pro Tools Certification School as a student advisor, and Univision called one day because they wanted to look into certifying their audio operators. However, they needed the instructor to be bilingual. The call came to me as I was the only on-site advisor who was bilingual. They invited me to their studios for a tour, and I fell in love with the fast pace and high energy on set. They just so happened to have been looking for a new audio operator, and I jumped at the opportunity.

Q: How have you seen audio technologies, and the way sound is captured, mixed and delivered, evolve over your career? How has this changed programming or the way you work?

A: When I started in audio, we were still using tape- and reel-to-reel, so I think it's safe to say that audio technology has evolved tremendously. The progression from recording in analog to recording on digital and non-linear editing has been the biggest change I've seen. Everything is instantly available to mix and edit. We're able to turn a recorded segment, edit it and send it to master within seconds. This has allowed us to now be able to update any relevant news within minutes and have it ready for the next airing on the next time zone.

On the delivery side, the current broadcast standard may no longer be accurate. The biggest change I've found is that now we're mixing more for on-demand audiences who are tuning in on different platforms. I foresee our format changing in the next few years and adapting to this as a norm. Similar to the way in which music migrated from CD-quality to MP3 formats, so, too, will broadcast evolve in the same manner. Audio engineers will have to overcome the challenge of its viewers tuning in from home theater setups in 5.1 and mono firing speakers from a smart phone streaming live from a social media site. Automating certain tasks will also become more frequent.

Q: What do you see as the biggest change to the way programs will be mixed in the next five years?

A: The biggest change is the immediacy of everything, and the quality it's sent in. The amount of signal loss and compression that occurs when something is streamed is going to be a huge factor in the upcoming years. Everything newsworthy will be based off social media and how quickly we can come on-air to inform our audiences. I just hope we don't lose the artform of mixing in the evolution to social media and automation. When you automate certain audio protocols, you lose that touch that makes our shows so engulfing and emotional. I can lead our audiences through the emotional highs and lows and transitions of our stories on-air and have them feel as though they watched one cohesive show - not just a bunch of random stories smashed together. This is only achieved with actual mixing within proper dynamic range.

Q: What is the workflow that you follow?

A: For most shows, I sit with the director and go through the rundown he created with the rest of production. Based on the show's needs, I'll then go meet with our floor manager and tell him which mics and combos I need, and what the show will require for each individual segment. Everything is dictated based off how much movement we have: how many guests, translation requirements, etc. Then I work with the technical production manager to discuss the live satellite feeds. At that point, we patch the live feeds into one of our Calrec consoles and clean them up as needed so that they are broadcast-quality and level. Lastly, we establish communication with our internal studio and any necessary external sources and fold-back mixe
LINK: https://calrec.com/news/craft-profile-alex-martinez-univision/...
See more stories from calrec

Europe Stories

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

10/01/2026

Golden Week Nominees Night Celebrates a Podcasting Milestone

This year, podcasts are making their Golden Globes debut with a new category honoring the medium's leading shows and creators. To mark the occasion, Spotify...

09/01/2026

RT delivers another record year in 2025, bringing Ireland together with national moments

RT Player has 157 million streams, up 10% year-on-year An increase on 2024, RT...

09/01/2026

2FM announces line-up of Rising Artists for 2026

RT 2FM has today announced the highly anticipated list of 2FM Rising Artists for 2026, kicking off 2FM Rising week for the eighth year on The Tracy Clifford Sh...

09/01/2026

RT to Host the 2026 RTS Ireland Awards

RT to Host the 2026 RTS Ireland Awards Thursday, 16 April 2026 | Dublin Royal Convention Centre The RTS Ireland Television Awards 2026 | Gradaim RTS 2026 | R...

08/01/2026

How disinformation is shaping Sudan's conflict: a new report

An evidence-based analysis on disinformation and information manipulation in Sudan's ongoing conflict is published today. (January 8th 2026). Thomson Found...

08/01/2026

One Year In: How Creators Are Growing Their Shows and Connecting With Audiences Through the Spotify Partner Program

In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...

08/01/2026

Spotify Toasts to the Future of Podcasting With Creators at Our New Sycamore Studios

On Wednesday in Los Angeles, Spotify welcomed creators and press to a brunch cel...

08/01/2026

TSA awards Rohde & Schwarz contract for advanced airport screening ahead of Soccer World Cup 2026

TSA awards Rohde & Schwarz contract for advanced airport screening ahead of Socc...

08/01/2026

Sound on Sound Magazine reviews CORE+ technology

The review looks back at DPA's miniature microphone development over the years. It compares the evolving technologies from the original mics through CORE an...

08/01/2026

Comscore Launches Audio Targeting and Measurement Capabilities with The Trade Desk, Helping to Unlock Incremental Reach for Advertisers

Comscore Launches Audio Targeting and Measurement Capabilities with The Trade De...

08/01/2026

Parents of murdered Irish woman Kirsty Ward speak out People need to know his name

Tonight, on RT Prime Time at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player Tonight, Prime T...

08/01/2026

It's The Late Late Show Trad Special

The Late Late Show celebrates the very best of traditional Irish music with its first-ever full special dedicated entirely to the tradition Lisa Canny | Kevin...

08/01/2026

DANCING WITH THE STARS - WHO WILL BE THE VICTIM OF THE EARLIEST EVER SERIES ELIMINATION?

It will be murder on the dancefloor when Dancing with the Stars returns this S...

07/01/2026

A Defining Moment for Podcasts: Spotify Kicks Off Week of Festivities After Contributing More Than $10 Billion to the Industry

Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...

07/01/2026

Introducing Listening Activity and Request to Jam in Messages on Spotify

We know people use Spotify not just to listen, but to share the songs, podcasts, and audiobooks they love with their friends and family. When we launched Messag...

07/01/2026

Go Inside Spotify Sycamore Studios, Our New State-of-the-Art Podcast Studio in Hollywood

This week, all eyes are on the podcast industry as the Golden Globes recognizes ...

07/01/2026

Making It Easier for Video Podcasters to Earn on Spotify

Podcasts are stepping onto a new stage this week as the Golden Globes recognize the medium for the first time. To mark this milestone moment, we're hosting ...

06/01/2026

Spotify Celebrates Podcasting's Big Moment Ahead of First-Ever Golden Globes Category

Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...

06/01/2026

Spotify's New Gov Ball Experience Turns the 2026 Lineup Into a Personalized Data Story for Every Fan

Lorde. A$AP Rocky. JENNIE. Baby Keem. KATSEYE. That's just a taste of who...

06/01/2026

Channel 4 and UKTV Deliver Unmissable Entertainment and More Choice for Viewers

Channel 4 and UKTV are giving viewers even more reasons to stream, with UKTV's U service set to feature thousands of hours of free, unmissable and bingeable...

06/01/2026

An update on our Sky Mobile prices

Tuesday 6 January 2026 An update on our Sky Mobile prices Devesh Raj, Chief Operating Officer, Sky Today, we've announced some changes to the prices of ...

06/01/2026

Comscore Launches Daily Program-Level Reporting with Deduplicated Insights on Shows and Episodes across CTV and Linear TV

Comscore Launches Daily Program-Level Reporting with Deduplicated Insights on Sh...

06/01/2026

Comscore Completes Recapitalization Transaction with Preferred Stockholders Following Approval from Common Stockholders

Comscore Completes Recapitalization Transaction with Preferred Stockholders Foll...

05/01/2026

Celebrate Bad Bunny's DeB TiRAR MS FOToS' Anniversary With Playlist Cover Art Stickers and More

Bad Bunny's DeB TiRAR M S FOToS defined the sound of 2025 for listeners eve...

05/01/2026

RT waltzes into 2026 and entertains the nation as Dancing With The Stars and Room To Improve are huge hit

As the clock struck midnight and 2026 was born, so was an exciting range of new ...

05/01/2026

These Sacred Vows starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'Mara starts Sunday 1st February 2026 on RT

These Sacred Vows starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'...

05/01/2026

Reigning Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins scores highest points in the first episode of new series of Dancing with the Stars

DANDANCING WITH THE STARS RETURNS TO SHAKE UP SUNDAY NIGHTS Reigning Rose of Tr...

02/01/2026

New RT documentary series takes us inside one of Ireland's busiest hospitals

Any Given Day: Cork University Hospital premieres Wednesday 7 January on RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm RT will debut a powerful new six-part documentary se...

02/01/2026

All episodes of Heated Rivalry will be landing on Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 January

Friday 2 January 2026 All episodes of Heated Rivalry will be landing on Sky and...

02/01/2026

Coming Soon to RT this New Year

Sequins, chat shows, live sporting action, ground-breaking docuseries and brand-new Irish drama to kick off 2026 New Year, New Content Coming Soon across RT ...

01/01/2026

Myungsung finds a new voice with two DiGiCo Quantum 852

The Quantum 852 is situated in the 6,500-seat Seoul-based place of worship, a church which is home to a 1,000-person choir and a 50-piece orchestra. There are f...

01/01/2026

DiGiCo Quantum 338s Escape to Europe with OneRepublic

Formed in 2002, OneRepublic have enjoyed huge international success, with over 18 billion streams on Spotify alone. Their current tour, Escape to Europe, contin...

01/01/2026

UMEDA CLUB QUATTRO chooses DiGiCo Quantum 338 as in-house console

We had been using the club's previous console for the last ten years, so we researched manufacturer information very carefully, says venue audio manager Mr...

30/12/2025

Ring in the New Year with Patrick Kielty and a sparkling line-up on The Late Late Show New Year's Eve Show

Your live countdown to 2026 with Inhaler, David Gray, Lyra, Garron Noone, Sharon...

29/12/2025

25 Ways Spotify Leveled Up Your Listening in 2025

From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...

24/12/2025

Shaking up Sunday nights this January Dancing with the Stars unveils the new promo for 2026

RT has unveiled an exclusive first look at the new Dancing with the Stars promo...

23/12/2025

Find Your Perfect Holiday Romance Listen With These Swoon-Worthy Audiobooks

The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...

23/12/2025

VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to Advance Next-Generation Connectivity and Digital Infrastructure

23 Dec 2025 VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...

22/12/2025

A Decade of Giving: Fest & Flauschig' Christmas Circus Celebrates Record Turnout and Generosity

For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...

22/12/2025

Sky extends PGA TOUR partnership until 2029, as Sky Sports remains the unrivalled home for golf fans in the UK and Ireland

Monday 22 December 2025 Sky extends PGA TOUR partnership until 2029, as Sky Spo...

22/12/2025

Christmas with Oliver Callan on RT

Siobh n McSweeney, Rory McIlroy, Elon Musk, Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin, Ivan Yates and Traitor Paudie Moloney lead new characters for Callan Kicks the Year 2...

22/12/2025

Monaghan's McKenna family crowned Ireland's Fittest Family 2025

Winner announced in the picturesque surroundings of Wicklow's Avondale Tower and Treetop Walk Andrew Trimble wins the show in his first series as coach Th...

22/12/2025

RT lyric fm Choirs for Christmas 2025 Winners Announced

The 2025 winners have been announced today, Sunday 21 December, for Ireland's largest choral competition Choirs for Christmas hosted by RT lyric fm. Ove...

21/12/2025

Rory McIlroy caps stellar year by winning the RT Sport Sportsperson of the Year 2025

John Shortt named Young Sportsperson of the Year Kerry are the Team of the Year ...

19/12/2025

With Playout Release 2025.4, ToolsOnAir continues to push professional playout workflows forward on macOS.

With Playout Release 2025.4, ToolsOnAir continues to push professional playout w...