
USFL Mixers for Fox, NBC Find Their Rhythm on a Profusion of Audio Sources Players, coaches, coordinators, and officials are miked By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Monday, May 16, 2022 - 12:15 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
To some, the USFL is a peek into an alternate future reality for the NFL. If it is, an extra pair of hands or three might be useful.
The audio sources for each game, held at Protective Stadium, the recently christened 45,000-seat home of the University of Alabama in Birmingham, include 32 player microphones per game - 16 per team - plus mics on coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators (captured through their intercom partylines), and a separate channel to listen in on officials' debates about on-field rulings. Another channel on the PLs can be switched to for interviews with coaches during the game.
A1 Joe Carpenter, sound designer for Fox Sports' airing of the initial couple of USFL games, says the league's first weekend pretty much filled up the entire 192-channel digital matrix on the Calrec Artemis console aboard Game Creek's Gridiron truck. We were literally getting crafty about getting so many [sources] into and out of the console.
For starters, two completely distinct and discrete 5.1 mixes go to the two networks; besides to Fox Sports, Carpenter sends a parallel 5.1 feed to NBC Sports' facility in Stamford, CT, for a simulcast. The networks play different music for transitions. In addition, the Fox Sports broadcasts use Chyron Paint telestrator, whose processing latency adds just six frames to the feed. That's not much, but, on a rolling basis, it adds to the audio-heavy workflow's timeline.
Just leaving the truck, says Carpenter, I had to send all of my transmission to the [engineer in charge] on the truck, who sent it back to me as AES signals to get delayed and then go to air so that I had control over the delays.
There's also managing the delays of the helmet-cam effects, he continues. If we're at first and 10, I've got seven delays going live and then another 10 in the background that are delayed to takes - so that we're in synch with various helmet cams, pylon cams, and the rest - then getting all that audio out to [Fox's] Pico [facility] and Stamford. It's a challenge, for sure, but it's one we've done before, and we have that process pretty dialed up. But it's about making sure everybody's on the same page and lining it up nicely. Here, it's all about scale.
Out to the Networks Carpenter mixed the first two games onsite and remains the overall audio supervisor. The broadcast mixes have since been done by A1s Michael Del Tufo for Fox Sports and Mike DiCrescenzo and Rick Bernier for NBC Sports, supported onsite in Birmingham by submixers Greg Briggs and Steve Goldfein.
(Having both A1s named Mike and with the same letter for their last names creates its own workflow-management challenges; Del Tufo became DJ Mike, his handle for another career. And they both have Italian last names, jokes Carpenter. You can imagine what troubleshooting is like between the stadium and Pico and Stamford. )
He describes the overall effect of the mixes as controlled chaos. The sheer volume of audio sources seemed at first to be driving the car, but the submixers and Fox Sports producer Chuck McDonald and director Mitch Riggin got it under control. For instance, they developed a rhythm for following the picture as the action moved among the players, the coaches, and the officials - all of whom were wired for sound. Plus, Carpenter had to make sure that commentator duo Curt Menefee and Joel Klat were clearly audible above the din, explaining action and rules in real time, even as he makes space for Fox Sports' signature sound-effects solo moments.
The big question mark was how much will all these audio sources dictate the flow of the game and the information that's being relayed to the fans? says Carpenter. I think, at the beginning and especially almost all the way through the first quarter of the first game, it was too much information. But, between everyone, we found the pocket for the sound.
Augmented Crowds The USFL on Fox Sports is using augmented crowd sound, provided by Sonofans, whose systems were also used by the network for NFL and other live sports coverage during the worst days of the pandemic, when fans weren't allowed in venues. Carpenter stresses that the system is being used sparingly and strategically, not to provide cover for the low rates of attendance at the games (empty seats are clearly visible in many shots, so the visuals are brutally honest) but to add to the authenticity of the overall game audio.
Under Fox's Home Run production model, Del Tufo mixes the crowd sounds from Pico, along with actual crowd sounds captured at the stadium from six pairs of crowd mics deployed in the stadium. Carpenter says the sense of normalcy is achieved but there is still plenty of room in the mix for the cornucopia of nat sound picked up by the many microphones on the field.
You're hearing stuff you've never heard before on a game, says Carpenter. We're trying to offer something new and exciting and see what people like.
A Test of Immersive Audio NBC Sports isn't using the augmented crowd sound for its broadcasts. However, the Peacock network is using the USFL as a test bed in other ways, deriving 5.1.4 mixes from the stems Carpenter sends to Stamford, although that format is not going to air.
We are mixing in an immersive 5.1.4 format for a number of reasons but primarily to continue to push the creative side of immersive audio for the listener, explains Karl Malone, director, sound design, NBC Sports and Olympics. NBC firmly believes in offering the most dynamic picture and audio quality to the viewer
North America Stories
11/05/2025
Berklee Honors Andr 3000 and Sara Bareilles at 2025 Commencement This years honorary doctorate recipients were recognized for their profound influence as art...
10/05/2025
NEW YORK During the IAB NewFronts 2025, Samsung Ads announced the debut of STN, the Samsung Television Network, a FAST channel with live content that will be av...
10/05/2025
SEATTLE T-Mobile has announced that it set a new uplink speed record of 550 Mbps in sub-6 GHz spectrum using cutting-edge 5G Advanced tech....
10/05/2025
WASHINGTON Twenty-two U.S. Senators have sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr urging him to modernize ownership caps that are...
10/05/2025
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2025 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
09/05/2025
LOS GATOS, Calif. Netflix has announced that starting May 19 it will begin rolling out a major upgrade to its user interface and the TV experience it offers str...
09/05/2025
The Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger told analysts the direct-to-consumer ESPN app often referred to as ESPN Flagship will be available to the linear channel'...
09/05/2025
Berklee Online Signs Transfer Articulation with Conservatorio Nacional de M sica The new agreement allows CNM students in the Dominican Republic to transfer i...
09/05/2025
Wooden Camera, a leading innovator in camera accessories, is proud to announce the launch of a new line of products for the Blackmagic URSA Cine Cameras. These ...
09/05/2025
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions is expanding its popular Series 5000 platform with three new 12G-SDI cards. The new cards provide ...
09/05/2025
Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, has completed a project to migrate ON TV, the major independent broadcaste...
09/05/2025
NUGEN Audio launches its new speech intelligibility plug-in, DialogCheck. A mono, stereo and multichannel dialog clarity meter, the software provides an objecti...
09/05/2025
Disguise the technology platform and solutions provider that powered MDL Beast Soundstorm 2024, Dubai Expo's Al Wasl Dome and visual displays at the Burj ...
09/05/2025
CVP has announced it will demonstrate its cutting-edge broadcast, live production and studio solutions at MPTS 2025. Taking place at Olympia London from 14th - ...
09/05/2025
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, and White Peaks Solutions, the prominent e...
09/05/2025
SportsEngine Play, the first-of-its-kind streaming service for youth sports, has agreed to a multi-year extension with AI-automated sports content leader, Pixel...
09/05/2025
Friend MTS, a leading global provider of content protection services, today announced that TOD, the premier sports and entertainment OTT subscription service fo...
09/05/2025
ZEISS announces that it is in development on a new virtual lens technology that will allow visual effects and compositing artists to apply an authentic lens loo...
09/05/2025
At the 2025 Media Production & Technology Show (MPTS), Cerberus Tech will showcase the latest major enhancement to its Livelink IP video delivery platform the...
09/05/2025
Capitol Broadcasting Company welcomed Warren Thomas as the new Vice President an...
09/05/2025
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Studio Technologies said the Harvard University athletics department has integrated Dante-enabled equipment from the vendor into its broadcast ...
09/05/2025
NEW YORK ITN, a provider of a local linear supply side platform, and Magnite, a independent sell-side advertising company, have announced that they working toge...
09/05/2025
LEEDS, U.K. Nugen Audio has launched a new speech intelligibility plug-in, DialogCheck and offered up quotes from technologists working at places like Netflix p...
09/05/2025
AJA I/O Gear: The Heart of Broadcast Solutions' VEGO Mobile Editing Solution
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
When working remotely on broadcas...
09/05/2025
What do they teach in an Advanced Adobe After Effects Course?
Roland Kahlenberg May 8, 2025
0 Comments
There aren't many advanced After Effects co...
09/05/2025
Larry Jordan Sits with Trevor Morgan of OpenDrives at NAB 2025
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
Trevor Morgan, COO of OpenDrives, shares how the co...
09/05/2025
Berklee Popular Music Institute Announces UK Festival Debut and Tour Dates For the first time, BPMI will bring Berklee-affiliated artists and students to the ...
09/05/2025
MLB Sunday Leadoff' 2025: MLB Local Media Pulls the Production, Operational ...
09/05/2025
LTN, Pro Volleyball Federation To Wrap Second Season With Championship Weekend PVF's broadcast coverage has risen 350% from its debut season By Mark J Burn...
09/05/2025
Evertz's Ray Kasprzyk on Meeting the Unique Technological Needs of Massive L...
09/05/2025
With Real Madrid-FC Barcelona, ESPN Preps for Most Ambitious LaLiga Match Covera...
09/05/2025
Back to All News
SO JI-SUB Returns With Cold and Intense Noir Action Series Me...
09/05/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Our First-Ever Nordic Medical Drama Starring...
08/05/2025
A sinister fairy infiltrates a desperate family in Kenneth Dagatan's In My Mother's Skin, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo co...
08/05/2025
For skyward-bound operators, training focuses on the unique aspects of flying ISR missions, including the management of onboard surveillance equipment and the e...
08/05/2025
The cable industry has told the Federal Communications Commission it supports the National Association of Broadcasters' proposal to allow broadcasters to us...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Consumer Technology Association has continued its opposition to mandates requiring that NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 tuners be included in new TV sets, sa...
08/05/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real time visualization, has named Paul Maroni as Vice Pres...
08/05/2025
This year's UK Pavilion in hall 5, once again managed by Tradefair, will provide visitors with the unique opportunity to discuss and be involved in cutting ...
08/05/2025
Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its latest energy-efficient transmitters and 5G Broadcast technologies, designed to support network operators and content provider...
08/05/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group has tapped Bill Nardi as vice president of station operations, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day broadcast operations ...
08/05/2025
SEATTLE LumaTouch is partnering with CNN Academy to improve mobile storytelling techniques and support training across all of CNN Academy's training simulat...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Society of Broadcast Engineers has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission that support a proposal by the National Association ...
08/05/2025
Senior adviser to the United States Agency for Global Media Kari Lake has announced that One America News Network (OAN) will provide newsfeed services for fre...
08/05/2025
EdMon Expands as AI-Driven Post Production Workflows Gains Traction in Sweden an...
08/05/2025
Using Luma Mattes in Adobe Premiere Pro
Graham Quince May 7, 2025
0 Comments
This very quick tutorial shows you how to take an RGB clip and apply its ...
08/05/2025
OpenDrives Unveils Free Your Data' Initiative with New Astraeus Cloud-Nativ...
08/05/2025
Student Spotlight: Grigori Balasanyan The Armenian composer, who was named Boston Conservatory at Berklees 2025 student commencement speaker, talks about his ...
08/05/2025
News Corp Reports Third Quarter Results for Fiscal 2025
Fiscal 2025 Third Quarter Key Financial Highlights
Third quarter revenues were $2.01 billion, a 1% in...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Unveils New Premieres Spanning Film and Music
Slick Rick's Victory with Idris Elba a...