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

Most recent headlines

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 ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

08/10/2026

Life Safety, Part 2: From Noise to Nice: The Evolution of Speech Intelligibility in Stadium Sound

Modern venues have come a long way since the tinny, echoing audio of the mid 20t...

08/10/2026

ESPN's First Super Bowl Adds Disney+ to U.S. Distribution Mix

ESPN's first Super Bowl production will stream in English and Spanish on Disney+, while the ESPN App carries the full slate of game, ManningCast, studio, an...

08/10/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Addison McGhee, Auburn University

From high-school videoboards to War Eagle Productions, the Opelika native is learning how to lead shows and capture big moments The future of live sports produ...

08/10/2026

Prime Video to Become Exclusive Global Home of Emmy Awards Beginning in 2027

The Television Academy and Prime Video have announced a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards beginning with the 20...

08/10/2026

Techex to Demonstrate Hybrid Satellite and IP Delivery Platform at NAB Show New York

Techex will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 623, Javits Center, October...

08/10/2026

X Games Appoints Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer

X Games has announced the appointment of Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer. Rogers previously served as COO of World Supercross and spent nearly a decade ...

08/10/2026

Fonn Group Appoints Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director, DACH

Fonn Group has appointed Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spielmann joins from EVS, where he held sales and business de...

08/10/2026

Perfect Game Introduces New Studio Show on the Road With Launch of PG Central

The flagship program will originate from major PG events with a four-camera production, live distribution across PGTV, social platforms Perfect Game is bringin...

08/10/2026

Uplynk White Paper: The IP Convergence Framework for Distribution

Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. More often, it happens at the point of collision: when worlds that have run on separate tracks begin to converge. That is...

08/10/2026

Gravity Media Op-Ed: Gravity Media's Next Act - From Service Provider to Strategic Content Partner

For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familia...

08/10/2026

Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley Publish Satellite-to-IP Distribution Framework

Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley have published The IP Converg...

08/10/2026

NFL Announces Ninth Annual Big Data Bowl Powered by AWS

The NFL has announced the return of the Big Data Bowl, the league's analytics competition, now in its ninth year and again powered by AWS. Registration is o...

08/10/2026

Eutelsat Renews Partnership with Tldiffusion dAlgrie on EUTELSAT 7 West A

Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with T l diffusion d'Alg rie (TDA), Algeria's national broadcasting network operator, for continued distribution of...

08/10/2026

Disney+ to Stream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027

Disney will livestream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, alongside the game's broadcast on ESPN and ABC. All Disney subscribers in the United States wi...

08/10/2026

RHStv to Stream Clemson vs. Coastal Carolina Baseball at Myrtle Beach Fall Showdown

RHStv and Red House Streaming have announced an expansion of their partnership w...

08/10/2026

Gray Media to Simulcast 15 Timberwolves Games Free Over-the-Air in Minnesota and Wisconsin

Gray Media has announced a distribution agreement with TEGNA and DAZN to simulca...

08/10/2026

SMPTE Media Technology Summit Returns to Pasadena Nov. 16-19; Get 10% Off With SVG Promo Code

SVG readers can save 10% on registration and receive a complimentary Solutions H...

08/10/2026

PROTON Camera Innovations Named Recipient of 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy for FPV Drone Systems

PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology a...

08/10/2026

Silver Lining: Sharing Tales From the Trenches of Cloud-Based Production with NBC Sports, MLB, NHL, and Warner Bros. Discovery

Industry leaders discuss real-world cloud workflows for live game production, pl...

08/10/2026

Dolby Atmos Coming to Formula 1 on Apple TV Beginning with 2026 U.S. Grand Prix

The next-gen audio technology joins Dolby Vision as part of Apple TV's immersive F1 experience...

08/10/2026

Free Leonard Peltier Proves That the Fight for Justice Is Just Beginning

David France, Jesse Short Bull, Mato Wayuhi, N. Bird Runningwater, Jodi Archambau, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Amber Morning Star Byars, Holly Macarro, Nick Tils...

08/10/2026

Sound Particles update Energy Panner 2 & Brightness Panner 2

Dynamic panning plug-ins get an upgrade Sound Particles have just announced major updates for two of their popular dynamic panning plug-ins. Energy Panner 2...

08/10/2026

The DMNO ON from UDO Audio

New expandable instrument boasts full DMNO engine UDO Audio have just announced the upcoming release of a new, expandable synth that packs the power of the ...

08/10/2026

ADAM Audio introduce the Sub8 PRO & Sub10 PRO

Two new subwoofers added to monitoring line-up ADAM Audio's monitoring range has just been expanded with two new DSP-equipped subwoofers, the Sub8 PRO a...

08/10/2026

Clear-Com Powers Critical Communications at Rock in Rio 2026

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

08/10/2026

NAB New York 2026 Preview

Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show New York We're looking forward to meeting up with you all at NAB New York on 21st-22nd October. Cal...

08/10/2026

ESPN Unveils First Studio W Refresh

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Pay-TV Operators Ask FCC to Pause TV Station Ownership Cap Rules

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Calrec Brings New Consoles, Software to NAB Show New York

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Mediagenix Bows AI Content-Aware Scheduling

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Ikegami to Unveil UHK-X700VN Camera at NAB Show New York

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Ed McGivern Joins USSI Global as Chief Revenue Officer

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Globecast Brings Media Orchestration and C-Band Transitio...

Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its next generation of media orchestration services at NAB S...

08/10/2026

Clear-Com Powers Critical Communications at Rock in Rio 2...

Clear-Com played a critical role in the production communications infrastructure for Rock in Rio 2026, one of the world's largest and most recognized music...

08/10/2026

Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Creative Executives

Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Crea...

08/10/2026

NAB Show New York Returns to Javits

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

FCC to Vote on Restrictions for Device Testing, Spectrum for D2D and Drones

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

World First' as DTM Deploys Riedel Private 5G for On-Track Coverage

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

LiveU Cranks Up Connectivity Across Tour de France

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Ikegami to Introduce New UHK-X700VN Camera at NAB New Yor...

Ikegami announces a major expansion to its range of broadcast-quality live production cameras. Scheduled for introduction on Ikegami booth 708 at NAB New York, ...

08/10/2026

Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show...

Calrec will be located at Booth 444. Freedom to choose The media landscape is evolving quickly, and the broadcasters best placed for what comes next will be...

08/10/2026

LiveU LU900Q with LIQ Brings Unprecedented Connectivity t...

LiveU has announced that CRD Audiovisuel relied on LiveUs LU900Q intelligent production unit, with built-in native LiveU IQ (LIQ ) connectivity, to deliver live...

08/10/2026

Disney+ to Stream Super Bowl LXI Live

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix to Be Carried in Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision on Apple TV

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Marshall to Bring Newest PTZ and POV Cameras to NAB Show New York

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Marshall Electronics to Showcase Award-winning Camera Sol...

Marshall Electronics, a globally recognized provider of high-performance video solutions for broadcast, streaming, AV and professional production, will exhibit ...

08/10/2026

UKTV acquires first two series of new Maigret for U and U&DRAMA in deal with Banijay Rights

14-hour package also includes A Remarkable Place to Die season 2 as well as libr...