TNT Sports' Dave Grundtvig Finds Sonic Gold in a Second Mic Array at NBA Summer League Like a parabolic, but on steroids' By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 - 2:35 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The NBA's Summer League is basketball's Skunk Works, and this year's series at the UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas produced another new wrinkle for B-ball audio: a commercial audio product repurposed for broadcast-sports applications.
Turner Sports' Dave Grundtvig holding a Shure MXA710 microphone unit
For the Summer League series broadcasts, Turner Sports Senior Audio Supervisor, Remote Operations, Dave Grundtvig placed a pair of Shure MXA901 ceiling-array microphone units on the sides of the basket stanchions facing the court. Developed to capture sound in corporate conference-type rooms, the MXA901 has multiple mic elements grouped into eight steerable lobes arranged in a planar array and picks up sound clearly in a 20- x 20-ft. space in front of it, according to its spec sheet. It's normally installed overhead in a conference environment, but Grundtvig places his vertically, covering the action near the baskets and beyond on a 94- x 50-ft. NBA court.
It's like a parabolic, but on steroids, he quips. A parabolic gives you one [microphone] output; this gives you eight.
Built on Experience A Shure MXA901 microphone unit in place on the front of a basket stanchion
It's a step beyond the similar application that he developed for Shure's MXA710 linear microphone array, used for the 2022 Summer League, and has since deployed for NBA regular-season games and other events on TNT Sports. Grundtvig also used the MXA710 for this year's Summer League, attaching them length-wise to the vertical arm supporting the basket and putting two at mid court, one on each side of the court.
Both MXA units have Shure's IntelliMix digital-signal processing for such applications as acoustic echo cancellation, noise reduction, automatic mixing, automatic gain control (AGC), compression, delay, and equalization on the Automix Output channel. For instance, it can be tuned to listen for certain types of sounds or frequencies and either enhance or reject them.
Audio routing is controlled through a remote device on a Dante or AES67 network, and digital-signal processing is controllable from any computer on the network. Browser-based control software provides steerable coverage, with the ability to aim individual lobes as needed.
The MXA units sharing the IntelliMix software established a network of remotely programmable pickup lobes that - based on the programming of function parameters, such as setting thresholds for gating and steering - would create a mix of effects managed by a combination of DSP and gain sharing. It's an automatic mixing process whereby the total gain of the system remains constant: for example, each individual input channel is attenuated by an amount, in dB, equal to the difference between that channel's level and the sum of all channel levels.
Teaching the Crowd Canceller' A Turner Sports A2 adjusts the positioning of an MXA901 mic unit.
Selective noise reduction is being applied through the IntelliMix software. When a particular combination of frequency and SPL is recognized by a mic lobe tuned for it, the software will attenuate or remove that noise, leaving more space for the desired sounds -Grundtvig calls it the crowd canceller. For instance, he says, cheers or music from the PA system getting into an announcer's microphone can be automatically and instantly reduced, helping keep the announcer's audio more intelligible.
To create the learning environment for the software, he explains, he and his team recorded hours of basketball-effects sounds and did impulse-response recordings in the arena, essentially creating an acoustical map that the microphone lobes could follow and stay focused on the sound of play.
The machine has learned to pass basketball sounds and reject everything else, he says. If I can get a 2- to 3-dB reduction in PA sound in the effects or announcer mics, I can help make them both more pronounced and defined in the overall mix.
Practical Benefits Grundtvig consulted with Shure design engineers on the novel applications of the hardware and software. The units he's using allow him to choose either automated or manual aiming of the microphone lobes. That kind of flexibility has practical benefits.
Two mic arrays are located on one stanchion during NBA Summer League series.
[With venues] selling all these courtside seats, you have fewer places to mount microphones anymore, he points out. This solves that problem. I can pick up sound from most of the court with either one of the planar arrays. With 16 lobes, I can pretty much cover the entire court. It was like a laser beam.
It also addresses a workflow issue for the broadcast A1, whose input-source list is increasingly larger and more complex. The use of automated and programmable systems like these, Grundtvig says, allows smoother transitions between sounds as games progress, as well as creating a broadcast soundscape that's easier for the A1 to shape. It could also, he acknowledges, create less need for live submixers in some circumstances.
One of two MXP710 linear microphone arrays at mid court
The goal is to create space, so that the [A1] isn't constantly focusing on manually mixing so many faders, he says. That gives you the space to refine everything else in the mix.
Grundtvig's developmental work for basketball sound comes amid an inflection point for the sport's broadcast and streaming rights. The NBA had tentatively concluded an 11-year, $75 billion broadcast deal with Disney, NBC, and Amazon. TNT Sports has carried the NBA'
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
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, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
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...
02/03/2026
NBC Sports selected Imaginary Forces to create the main title sequence for the M...
02/03/2026
The NFL announces the launch of the NFL Draft Innovation Challenge, a new crowds...
02/03/2026
The World Teleport Association (WTA) has named Skyline Communications' DataMiner SatOps solution as a finalist for the 2026 Teleport Technology of the Year ...
02/03/2026
Ventum Tech announces a strategic partnership with Pixotope, a real-time graphic...
02/03/2026
Victory , a free, ad-supported sports streaming service, announces the launch of...
02/03/2026
Global powerhouse Delta Goodrem to represent Australia at this year's Eurovi...
02/03/2026
SBS brings together prominent voices to discuss rising social division and seek ...
02/03/2026
NITV Unveils Wednesday Night Sport Night
Media releases
A Midweek Hub for Blak Sport
Flagship NRL program Over The Black Dot moves to Wednesdays at 9:30pm
...
02/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have reached another pivotal ...
02/03/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., March 2, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) today announc...
02/03/2026
Harvey Norman tops New Zealand's biggest ad spenders as retail leads and telcos and beverages sure Auckland March 3, 2026 - Nielsen's New Zealand'...
02/03/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, and Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, A...
02/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, has appointed Jody Boatwright as Chief Strategy Of...
02/03/2026
Lightware, an industry leader in signal management, is reinforcing its commitment to simplifying complex AV environments with the continued evolution of its TPN...
02/03/2026
ZEISS Cinema opens its doors to an exclusive screening, filmmakers Q&A and hands-on showcase of the new ZEISS Aatma lens family on Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-9:00 ...
02/03/2026
To expand the creative potential of the compact Astera QuikBeam, DoPchoice introduces the SNAPBAG Round. The new light-shaping accessory transforms the powerfu...
02/03/2026
Douglas Dubler
On a rooftop in New York City, veteran photographer Douglas Dubler watched the sun's angle shift across the urban landscape, his internal cl...
02/03/2026
ZEISS is expanding its Otus ML lens family with the introduction of the new ZEISS Otus ML 1.4/35. This manual-focus lens is designed for photographers who live ...
02/03/2026
Matthews Studio Equipment now offers the new Dinkum Systems White FlexiMount and Phone Mount Kit, a compact, highly adaptable setup for mobile content creation...
02/03/2026
Luxembourg, February 26, 2026 - SES and Africa Mobile Network (AMN) have expande...
02/03/2026
02 03 2026 - Media release Ausfilm and Screen Australia launch joint UK market initiative
Ausfilm and Screen Australia have announced Partner with Australia (...
02/03/2026
Monday 2 March 2026
Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team
L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gr inne Maguire; Laura Claxton; ...
02/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Trailer for 53 Sundays, the New Film by Cesc Gay
Entertainment
02 March 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
28/02/2026
With two features seen in Formula 1 coverage, the broadcaster aims to bring view...
28/02/2026
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addresses a crowd of approximately 1,500 L3Harris employees in Camden, Arkansas, as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour....
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Berklee Presents Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and the Berklee All-Stars Big Band...
28/02/2026
Berklee Announces Two New Summer Programs in Los Angeles The Berklee Music Business Program and Electronic Music Production and Sound Design Workshop bring imme...
28/02/2026
AI-RAN is moving from lab to field, showing that a software-defined approach is ...
28/02/2026
Autonomous networks - intelligent, self-managing telecommunications operations -...
28/02/2026
Back to All News
Final Trailer for BEASTARS Final Season Part 2' Roars Tow...
28/02/2026
New way to intentionally discover molecular glues could expand drug discovery Scripps Research scientists and colleagues show how drugs that eliminate certain d...
27/02/2026
The E.W. Scripps Company names Oliver Gray as Vice President, Network Sports and...
27/02/2026
The Gotham Sports App, the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of MSG Networks and the YES Network, is now available for purchase through Prime Video fo...
27/02/2026
ESPN and the Horizon League announce a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement, continuing a 38-year collaboration that began with the 1988 Midwes...
27/02/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, NETGEAR will highlight its new switch models and major updates to its Engage Controller software. The company's network d...
27/02/2026
Riedel Communications announces that Fondazione Teatro alla Scala has deployed a...
27/02/2026
Lyuno specializes in media localization, including translation, dubbing, subtitling, and voice-over services for a wide array of entertainment content. The comp...
27/02/2026
Chyron Weather 2.3, the latest edition of Chyron's weather visualization suite for broadcasters and meteorologists, recently launched.
The release includes...
27/02/2026
Telestream, which concentrates in media workflow technologies, announces expanded practical AI enhancements across its Vantage, Vantage Cloud, EDC, Stanza, and ...
TNT Sports' Dave Grundtvig Finds Sonic Gold in a Second Mic Array at NBA Summer League Like a parabolic, but on steroids' By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
