Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

d&b audiotechnik and Autograph Sound Join Crowd-Sound Sweepstakes

21/10/2020

d&b audiotechnik and Autograph Sound Join Crowd-Sound Sweepstakes Joint venture's system targets a crowd-challenged future By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Tuesday, October 20, 2020 - 10:30 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Implementation of artificial audience audio - so-called enhanced crowd sound - across major-league sports since COVID-19 shut down most of televised sports in March is transitioning from a novelty to a business sector, evidenced by the number of independent companies moving into the market.

For instance, after the NFL developed its own system for crowd sound for its broadcasts, Fox Sports opted instead to deploy a third-party system from SonoFans, which is also being used for all MLB postseason broadcasts. The entire NBA season's crowd sound was handled by Firehouse Productions, a live-event producer that created an array of sounds from the NBA's own audio library and other sources as well as a content-management/playback system and hired and trained engineers to operate it.

d&b Fanblock crowd-sound system is mixed via QLab or iPad.

The most recent entry into the pool is a joint venture of German sound-system manufacturer d&b audiotechnik and UK-based theatrical AV-rental vendor and systems designer Autograph Sound. The resulting crowd-sound system, dubbed d&b Fanblock, comprises an immersive-type multichannel PA system installed in a sports venue and focused on the field of play. It uses d&b's immersive SoundScape processor and En-Scene software to build a virtual object-based signal-management system that lets artificial crowd sounds physically follow the action on the field, with reactions moving from one line-array hang to another, allowing, for instance, spectator chants to grow from one section before building out to fill the entire stadium.

Content, provided by FanChants, is managed through Autograph's Stadium Sound software, which crowd-audio mixers access via QLab and iPads as the system interfaces. (FanChants serves mainly European sports; d&b Fanblock will rely on teams and leagues it works with in the U.S. to secure local content, according to a spokesperson.)

The system is scalable and can be put in any size stadium or arena. Its first full-scale use is scheduled to be UK football club Queens Park Rangers at London's Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium starting tomorrow.

To Animate Athletes and More Fanblock is intended to energize the field of play, much as the NBA's system, developed by Firehouse Productions, was focused solely on the courts at the Wide World of Sports arena in Orlando. Both systems are also capable of sending a separate feed to broadcast. Fanblock additionally is designed to send a third, mono feed to skyboxes, bars, concessions, and other back-of-house areas in arenas and stadiums.

d&b audiotechnik's Nick Malgieri: In a post-COVID world, does it still bring value? I think there are a lot of situations where it will.

According to Nick Malgieri, advanced systems specialist, d&b audiotechnik, technical needs for crowd sounds dovetailed with technologies that the company had developed for immersive event and concert applications, as well as with the theatrical sound-design expertise of Autograph.

Our specialty is designing and deploying sound systems, not so much creating the content, whereas Autograph had that type of experience base already, he explains. It seemed like a perfect marriage for us to be able to partner the content-artistic side with the technology-platform side, so that we're closer to a turnkey solution.

Malgieri adds that d&b's U.S. office is in talks with several sports teams and leagues about implementing Fanblock. NDAs prevent his naming names, but he says interest thus far is coming from professional and collegiate basketball, soccer, and football. Systems will be designed and components provided through d&b's U.S. distributors, the same outlets that provided touring sound systems prior to the pandemic shutdown.

Not all existing installations have the type of speaker format that we need for this immersive experience, he says. By leaning on our rental-company user base, we can get a local system to them very quickly. And getting the programming and content is quick because most of that's digital delivery.

Custom programming of the QLab/iPad interface is being done by Autograph. The goal is to keep operational complexity to a minimum, says Malgieri, with a GUI that allows control of volume, intensity, and types of crowd reactions. d&b technicians will design the dedicated crowd-sound PA system and program its software according to the geometry of each venue, so that audio objects populate, travel, and process in a manner similar to how a natural crowd would react to events on the field.

In addition, crowd-sound mixers - two are assigned per game - will operate separate home and away crowds, which in European soccer tend to occupy different parts of a stadium's seating. Malgieri says it will not be a problem to adapt that approach to U.S. sports, where home crowds tend to dominate in stadiums and arenas.

Benefiting Fans in the Stands Although enhanced-crowd-sound systems used this year have been either focused specifically on the field of play, as in the recently concluded NBA season, or intended primarily for broadcast applications, as for the MLB and the NFL - both of which allow generalized murmur tracks to play through the venue PA systems to give the stadium a basic sense of occupied stands - Malgieri says Fanblock is further intended to energize the few fans allowed into venues now, usually a fraction of their capacity.

We think [that], for a period of time, we're going to see restricted-capacity seating, to allow some patrons to come to the game but with social distancing, he says. We need to try to maintain valu
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/10/20/db-audiotechnik-and-autograph-s...
See more stories from svg

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 ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

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...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

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 ...

19/04/2026

Ikegami Announces VFE-P07D Monocular OLED Viewfinder with...

Ikegami announces a further expansion to its range of on-camera viewfinders. Scheduled for introduction on Ikegamis Central Hall booth C3819 at the April 19th -...

19/04/2026

GatesAir Strengthens Global Services Team with New Hires

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

19/04/2026

MASN, Spectrum Ink Multiyear Carriage Agreement

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

19/04/2026

Calrec and Grass Valley Unveil ImPulseV and AMPP Integration

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

19/04/2026

Clear-Com Unveils FreeSpeak Cell

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: MultiDyne begins shipping C16-AM-12G audio monitor for SDI and IP workflows

MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems has begun shipping the C16-AM-12G audio mo...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: FOR-A America announces AI updates for IMPULSE platform and release of MixBoard and HVS-Q12 switchers

FOR-A America is set to detail AI functionality for its software-defined IMPULSE...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: Cobalt Digital and SineSix Media integrate audio description technology for broadcast workflows

Cobalt Digital and SineSix Media have announced a partnership to integrate the v...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: ATSC focuses on 3.0 broadcast standard implementation at NAB Show 2026

The ATSC, the broadcast standards association, is highlighting the status of the ATSC 3.0 internet protocol-based broadcast standard at the 2026 NAB Show. The e...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: Bolin Technology introduces Range PTZR camera, R9-L420N PTZ, and KBD Plus controller

Bolin Technology has introduced a new range of hardware for live production envi...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: KMH Integration showcases AV Casting workflow approach and new technology at NAB 2026

KMH Integration is participating in the 2026 NAB Show, focusing on its AV Casti...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: Appear appoints Mike Burk as vice president of business development

Appear has appointed Mike Burk as vice president of business development for North America. Burk brings over two decades of experience in the broadcast and live...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: Skyline Communications demonstrates DataMiner platform and AI capabilities at NAB Show

Skyline Communications is showcasing its DataMiner platform and the new DataMine...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telos Alliance unveils new broadcast audio hardware and software at NAB Show

Telos Alliance is exhibiting its portfolio of broadcast audio products at the 20...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: TAG Video Systems adds real-time monitoring to AWS Elemental MediaConnect Router

TAG Video Systems has announced an integration with the AWS Elemental MediaConne...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21

Blackmagic Design has announced DaVinci Resolve 21, with a public beta available now for download. The update will be demonstrated at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2502...

18/04/2026

NAB 2026: Calrec and Grass Valley Announce Audio Technology Partnership

Calrec (Booth C6907) and Grass Valley (Booth C2408) have announced a long-term broadcast audio technology partnership at NAB Show 2026, integrating Calrec's...

18/04/2026

Blackmagic Design introduce Fairlight Live

Free software mixer now in public beta Blackmagic Design are best known for their high-end video hardware and DaVinci Resolve editing software, but the latt...

18/04/2026

The Gauge: Poland | March 2026

The first signs of spring in March led to Poles spending significantly less time in front of their screens, leading to a sharp 22-minute drop in average viewing...

18/04/2026

MediaKind Showcases Multiview Deployments at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/04/2026

Clear-Com Unveils FreeSpeak Cell- A Breakthrough Cellular...

Clear-Com announced FreeSpeak Cell , a cellular-based wireless intercom system that uses LTE and 5G infrastructure to support large-scale production communicat...

18/04/2026

ATSC Offers Free ATSC 3.0 Guide to 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/04/2026

Telos Alliance Introduces Four New Products at the 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/04/2026

AEQ to Showcase Forum IP Plus and Systel Max at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/04/2026

Nexstar to Appeal Preliminary Injunction Blocking Tegna Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/04/2026

TAG Video Systems Brings Realtime Monitoring to AWS Eleme...

New York, NY, April 17, 2026 -- TAG Video Systems has announced an integration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elemental MediaConnect Router. The integration bri...

18/04/2026

Pro Sound Effects Launches the First and Only Native Soun...

Pro Sound Effects (PSE), the leading provider of professionally recorded sound effects for film, television, advertising, and technology today announced the lau...

18/04/2026

Fincons Group Achieves AWS Media and Entertainment Compet...

Fincons Group, a multinational IT business consulting and system integrator firm, announced today that it has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Enterta...

18/04/2026

Adobe extends leadership in video: unleashing new AI-powered creation in Firefly, reinventing color for editors in Premiere

Adobe extends leadership in video: unleashing new AI-powered creation in Firefly...

17/04/2026

World Fencing League Announces DAZN as Global Streaming Partner Ahead of April 25 Debut

The World Fencing League (WFL) has announced DAZN as its primary global streamin...

17/04/2026

NAB 2026: ARRI Releases ALEXA 35 SUP 6.0 and LPS-1 SUP 1.3 Software Updates

ARRI Releases ALEXA 35 SUP 6.0 and LPS-1 SUP 1.3 Software Updates ARRI has announced software updates for its ALEXA 35 Live camera and Live Production System L...

17/04/2026

NAB 2026: Sennheiser Announces Spectera Studio System Planner for Spectera Wireless Ecosystem

Sennheiser has announced Spectera Studio, an offline system planner for its Spec...

17/04/2026

Deltatre and DFB Announce DFB.TV+ Streaming Service, Launching May 22

Deltatre and the German Football Association (DFB) have announced DFB.TV+, a DFB-owned direct-to-consumer streaming service developed and operated by Deltatre. ...

17/04/2026

IMG announces senior leadership roles for next phase of growth

Global sports marketing agency IMG has announced new senior leadership roles, designed to strengthen how it supports rightsholders and partners in the midst of ...

17/04/2026

NAB 2026: NAGRAVISION and Harmonic Launch Watermarking-as-a-Service for Live Event Streaming

NAGRAVISION and Harmonic have announced a watermarking-as-a-service solution for...

17/04/2026

NAB 2026: NETGEAR and EVS Announce Technology Partnership for AV-over-IP Live Production

NETGEAR and EVS Broadcast Equipment have announced a global technology partnersh...

17/04/2026

NAB 2026: Americas Broadcasters Launch NEXTGEN TV Converter Box Program

America's broadcasters are launching the NEXTGEN TV Converter Box Program, a new initiative designed to provide millions of American viewers with a low-cost...

17/04/2026

NAB 2026: Quantum to Showcase Tape-Anchored Storage Workflows, Responds to Industry Supply Chain and Power Disruption

Quantum Corp. will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1726), presenting what it ca...

17/04/2026

SVG Marks 20th Anniversary with Plan to Set Course for the Future

Leadership and Staff Announce '20/20 Vision' Playbook...

17/04/2026

TNT Sports Acquires U.S. Broadcast Rights to FIA World Endurance Championship

TNT Sports has announced a multi-year agreement for U.S. media rights to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Three events will air on truTV - the 24 Hou...

17/04/2026

Scripps Sports and PBR Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Partnership for Premier Womens Rodeo

Scripps Sports has announced a multi-year broadcast partnership with PBR (Profes...

17/04/2026

NAB 2026: Adder Technology Releases AIM 6 IP KVM Matrix Management Software

Adder Technology, a specialist in connectivity solutions and high performance IP KVM, today announced the latest release of AIM, its IP KVM matrix management so...

17/04/2026

Victory+ and Dallas Cowboys Announce Multi-Year Content Streaming Partnership

Victory , a free sports streaming platform from A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC), has announced a multi-year content distribution partnership with the Dallas Cowb...

17/04/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 11: Philadelphia Phillies Arianna Krizek - Baseball at the Bank

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level have one major thing in common: the intensity and attention to detail ramps up dur...