NBA Tipoff 2021: TNT Sports Will Deploy Shure Linear Mic Arrays Precise control, clarity are the goals of the broadcaster's audio effort By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Tuesday, October 19, 2021 - 12:17 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
When TNT Sports begins its NBA season this week, viewers can expect to hear the same great audio they've become accustomed to, but the way that sound is captured will differ significantly from previous methods. In addition to a variety of shotgun, condenser, parabolic, and other types of microphones deployed across and around the court, three or four Shure MX710 linear-array microphone assemblies will be placed in key locations.
A rectangular array is mounted where the vertical support meets the horizontal arm supporting the backboard.
The ultimate goal is to have four of these on or around the court, says TNT Sports Sound Designer Dave Grundtvig. Even with three, we'll be able to capture virtually all of the sound we've always gotten for NBA.
A rectangular array will be mounted on each backboard, just at the 90-degree point where the vertical support meets the horizontal arm supporting the backboard. A third will be placed just in front of the announcers' table, about an inch from the floor. A fourth array will be placed on the opposite side of the court, in front of the scorers' table if the league allows.
The array mics, originally intended for use mainly in corporate-meeting or education applications, are remotely steerable, via a Dante processor. This will allow the broadcast A1 to keep the microphone lobes (the transducer elements' pickup pattern) focused on the play as it moves around the court.
Grundtvig experimented with this type of microphone array during the NBA's Summer League in Las Vegas last August, providing the proof of concept. The array's low profile and high sensitivity make it a good pick for wide fields of play, and the use of several together provides up to 16 additional channels of audio. He had also experimented with it as a source for Dolby Atmos broadcasts, providing overhead audio. He had pitched it to MLB for postseason use; however, the baseball application was declined by the league because, ironically, the array was too sensitive, able to pick up a lot of random sound, including player chatter, on a field that's often not as subject to natural masking noise as other sports environments can be.
TNT tried out the linear microphone array for the NBA's Summer League in August.
Grundtvig, who is also lead A1 for TBS Sports' MLB coverage, will miss the first week of NBA play as he mixes the MLB NLCS series for the network. Mixer Pat Thornton will substitute for him. Both will work with submixer Victor Victoria.
In addition to the new arrays, Grundtvig will also deploy the same Shure dual-diaphragm TwinPlex lavalier mics he usually affixes to the hoops to catch score swooshes and backboard hits. And an under-court array of custom-made piezo transducers will pick up ball bounces, sneaker squeaks, and other vibrational sounds - the array he developed for the NBA bubble in Orlando during the league's pandemic-shortened season.
In addition, the league will deploy an updated version of the Q5X PlayerMic, sewn into the athletes' jersey and controlled by the NBA's own A1, to catch player sound.
We'll hear everything we've heard before, notes Grundtvig, but we'll be able to control it more precisely and hear it more clearly. It's going to be a great season.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
A project aimed at modernizing scheduling operations across Mediaset's channel portfolio
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitab...
09/06/2026
tvONE, an ACT Entertainment brand, debuts its most powerful video processor ever built: the 4RU CALICO PRO (C7-PRO-4200), at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N6813). Engine...
09/06/2026
Composer and Conductor Eric Whitacre to Receive Honorary Doctorate at Berklee Va...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Technology collaboration to validate AMPP and Lawo HOME orchestration integration, showcasing Dynamic Media Facility principles in practice.
Grass Valley and ...
09/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced that Axel Springer SE, international media and technology company, has deployed Playe...
09/06/2026
LiveU, the global leader in live IP-video solutions, today announced a landmark deployment with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) that has brought Video ...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/06/2026
Two Alumni Win Tony Awards Mike Morris and Cedric Leiba Jr. won awards for Best Orchestrations and Best Play, respectively.
June 8, 2026
By
Tori Donahue
...
09/06/2026
These special programmes will highlight RT 's connection with the Irish diaspora
This year, RT is marking 100 years of public broadcasting in Ireland with...
08/06/2026
The two execs discuss the goals and the challenges of building a huge multi-cult...
08/06/2026
This industry legend has been a road warrior since the early '90s and is, today, a lynchpin on College GameDay
The sports-production industry continues to ...
08/06/2026
DAZN has agreed a multi-year rights partnership with Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC), expanding its global combat sports portfolio.
DAZN will broadcast EFC...
08/06/2026
As fans move across broadcast, streaming, social, mobile and creator-led platforms, and they expect every angle, in real time, TVU Networks has released a new e...
08/06/2026
Infront has further strengthened the 2026 Diamond League's international bro...
08/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced the appointment of Sam Craig as Vice President, Global Pre-Sales. Based in the United States, Craig will lead Grass Valley's glob...
08/06/2026
SMPTE has announced its summer 2026 education lineup covering IP networking and SMPTE ST 2110, including two standalone courses, a 13-week boot camp, and a hand...
08/06/2026
Sportradar Group AG has announced a multi-year global agreement with Kalshi, a p...
08/06/2026
FIFA and Gamefam have announced the launch of a FIFA World Cup 2026 event on Roblox, running June 5 through July 31, 2026. The event centers on FIFA Super Socce...
08/06/2026
A collaboration of NHL Productions, Monumental Sports, and Michael Levitt Produc...
08/06/2026
CBS Sports production staffer Bryce Adair has died at the age of 31 after sustaining injuries during a car accident on Wednesday while in Ohio working the the P...
08/06/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and repo...
08/06/2026
WMT Digital today announced the launch of WMT Fan Intelligence, designed to unif...
08/06/2026
The Heat are the seventh NBA team to air their games over-the-air next season...
08/06/2026
Paramount and UFC have announced an expansion of their media rights partnership making Paramount the exclusive home of UFC Numbered Event main cards in Canada ...
08/06/2026
The Qatar Football Association (QFA), in cooperation with Sponix and broadcaster...
08/06/2026
Project B has announced the appointment of Host Broadcast Services (HBS) as Offi...
08/06/2026
The Buckeyes now produce and stream upwards of 200 sports events annually with a...
08/06/2026
At Spotify, our commitment to the LGBTQIA community is year-round. Through GLOW, our global music program, we celebrate and amplify the contributions of queer ...
08/06/2026
Get Hands-on With Keyboard & Synth Brands
GearExpo UK wouldn't be complete without some synth action, and we've got some of the industry's most ...
08/06/2026
50 popular in-ear monitoring system profiles added
The latest update for IK Multimedia's headphone-correction system has just arrived, and introduces ca...
08/06/2026
Manny Marroquin signature cans upgraded with SLAM Technology
The flagship model in Audeze's Manny Marroquin Signature Series has just been treated to an...
08/06/2026
Air domain supremacy redefined - New counter UAS, space solutions and directiona...
08/06/2026
he BBC and BritBox have announced that Edward Bluemel (We Might Regret This, My ...
08/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/06/2026
Dante interfaces, intercom and control systems for modern AV environments
Glensound will showcase a focused range of networked audio and intercom solutions fo...
08/06/2026
Bminty is proud to celebrate the first anniversary of T18, the new free national French DTT channel launched on June 6, 2025. This symbolic milestone also marks...
NBA Tipoff 2021: TNT Sports Will Deploy Shure Linear Mic Arrays Precise control, clarity are the goals of the broadcaster's audio effort By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
