Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The Sounds of the NHL in the Bubble

31/08/2020

Thank you to Chuck Ibey, A1 & Sound Guarantor from Dome Productions in Canada for sharing this insightful blog on what it's like to work in the NHL Bubble.

Chuck, who has been sharing mixing duties on a Calrec Artemis audio console since 24th July 2020, has written this very current and relevant back to work account that provides a window into the world of audio inside the NHL Bubble.

NHL is Back

With the NHL returning to North America, we had a very unique sound situation to deal with. Obviously we'd be returning with no crowd in the arena, and new guidelines in place to restrict the spread of COVID-19. The NHL has done an amazing job of sheltering it's players, staff, officials, broadcast crews, and service industry workers inside a secure bubble. We're all tested daily for COVID-19, plus undergo a screening questionnaire and temperature check before entering the venue and hotels. We're committed to staying inside the NHL bubble until the end of the Playoff series, which could go until early October. It's an adjustment, being confined to a small area including your hotel and the hockey rink, but we're all excited to be back doing what we love.

The Crew & Setup

Our audio crew is from across Canada and includes Patrick Castonguay and myself sharing the broadcast mix duties in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Benito Altobelli is with us as relief and backup A1 in the (hopefully) unlikely case of someone getting sick. Jeff Kozak is in charge of the Synthetic Crowd mix, and we have 2 of the best A2s in North America, Mike Cleasby and Steve Hilder.

This event is very much like how a world feed would be done for an event like the Olympics. We have 2 broadcast trucks from Dome Productions handling the production of the game, with national and regional broadcasters taking our packaged audio/video feed of the games and adding their own commentators, graphics, and other content down the line. Inside our truck, we deal with the sounds of the game only and do not have to worry about announcers like a traditional broadcast. The other thing we don't have to deal with is a crowd. Obviously, because of the current pandemic, the arena is empty. An arena that can typically hold over 18,000 cheering fans.

The Crowd

The NHL's solution to this was to produce a synthetic crowd layer that can react to the game in real-time. Using a library of recorded crowd beds and sounds from EA Sports, Jeff Kozak is playing the crowd in real-time during the game with an Ableton Live setup and midi trigger. Someone's on a break-away scoring chance, you'll hear the anticipation of the crowd as he skates toward the goal. The home team scores a comeback goal, you'll hear the building go crazy with team-specific goal horns and fans cheering. Once we had everything dialed in with the mix, you could close your eyes and it sounded like any other playoff hockey game.

Acoustic Issues & Solutions

We quickly found that having an empty arena provided a lot of acoustic issues. We are mixing these games in 5.1 surround sound and placed a number of ambient microphones throughout the arena to capture the live sound of the building. The PA is still playing inside the arena, and we wanted to ensure we captured the live ambience of that and the players. Unfortunately because of the empty seats, we heard a lot of echo and slap delay as the sound hit all of our microphones at different times. It's something that wasn't noticeable during typical hockey games. Our solution was to time-align all of our microphones and the feed we take of the PA. Dialing in delay from 1 or 2 frames all the way up to 17 frames or so, we managed to get the whole building to sound in sync. Another unusual aspect of the mix was the inclusion of the PA feed into the mix full-time. In a typical hockey game, we'll mix in the PA feed during anthems and referee calls, but never during the game itself. It's just too much sound, and the PA is typically cranked to 11 inside the building, so it's all we ever hear in our microphones. During this event however, the PA is being played much quieter, and we felt a lot of energy and presence missing in the mix. That formed the NHL's decision to include some of the PA feed directly into our broadcast mix.

Calrec Artemis

The Calrec Artemis console we are using quickly showed it's usefulness during this event. We have somewhere around 65 channels of transmission audio, spread over 24 different transmission paths, going all over North America to many different national and regional broadcasters. We have our primary 5.1 mix, plus a number of other 5.1 or stereo mixes and stems available for broadcasters to choose from. Having such a large need for flexible and adaptable routing was exactly what the Calrec was made for. The ability to create such a high number of outputs and different mixes was a must-have for this, and we needed to work with multiple layers. Having 3 different A1's mixing these games, with a very short turn-around in between games meant there was no time for re-configuring or reloading of the console. With the use of cloned faders, paired faders, and multiple layers, we're able to each have our own operating layer organized the way we like it. We have our own presets saved for compression/EQ/automixing, and can quickly load those as the next A1 sits down to mix his/her game. Sound is a very expressive and subjective medium, and we didn't want to shoehorn any of us into working a certain way.
LINK: https://calrec.com/news/sounds-of-the-nhl-in-the-bubble/...
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...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

16/09/2026

Grass Valley to be Awarded 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy for Web-Based Frame-Accurate Remote Monitoring

Grass Valley has been recognized with a 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award...

16/09/2026

SVG Cloud & Content Workflows Summit 2026: All Sessions Now Available To Watch on SVG PLAY

Sports-media leaders explore how cloud, AI, and virtualization are transforming ...

16/09/2026

A Summer Catch: How the Women's Pro Baseball League Built a Broadcast Plan From ScratchIn Just Six Months

With a full crew on site in Springfield, deep access to players, and a growing d...

16/09/2026

The History of Concrete Contains More Surprises Than You Can Possibly Imagine

John Wilson attends The History of Concrete premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Yarrow Theatre on January 22, 2026, in Park City, Utah. (Ph...

16/09/2026

Wavea release Flite V2

Powerful soft synth receives free update Wavea have just launched a new and improved version of their feature-packed soft synth, kitting it out with over 20...

16/09/2026

Modartt launch Airteq

Physical modelling experts launch pipe-based instrument Modartt are well known for their impressive Pianoteq and Organteq offerings, and now, they've pu...

16/09/2026

FL Studio & Antares launch AutoTune Go

Popular DAW gains free pitch-correction tool Image-Line have teamed up with Antares to kit their popular DAW software out with a built-in pitch-correction p...

16/09/2026

Microwave Factory and Rohde & Schwarz enable automated SAR measurements with CMX500 support in MATEOS

Microwave Factory and Rohde & Schwarz enable automated SAR measurements with CMX...

16/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz launches new security scanner for large events at Security Expo 2026

Rohde & Schwarz launches new security scanner for large events at Security Expo ...

16/09/2026

Grass Valley Recognized with 2026 Technology and Enginee...

Grass Valley honored alongside industry leaders for the development of web-based, frame-accurate remote monitoring systems for distributed broadcast production ...

16/09/2026

Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Harvard Law School Alumni Event

Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Harvard Law School Alumni Event Brie Clayton September 16, 2026 0 Comments URSA Broadcast G2 and Pocket Cinema Camer...

16/09/2026

Nielsen Marketing Cloud Launches Data-Enrichment Capabilities

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/09/2026

IBC2026 Draws 41,225 Attendees From 170 Countries

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/09/2026

Prime Video Introduces On-Demand News Clips

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/09/2026

Screen Australia funds games projects in every state and territory as Screen Currency 2026 points to sector growth

Screen Australia funds games projects in every state and territory as Screen Cur...

16/09/2026

Why We Are Building More Flexible Production Around AMPP

Original article publish in Broadcast Magazine NL Over the past few years, our relationship with Grass Valley has continued to develop, and our move to AMPP in...

16/09/2026

Red Seat Ventures Announces Exclusive Partnership with Caleb Hammer's Financial Audit

Red Seat Ventures Announces Exclusive Partnership with Caleb Hammer's Financ...

16/09/2026

NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 Delivers Leading Performance in MLPerf Inference v6.1 Debut

System performance, efficient infrastructure scaling and continuous software opt...

16/09/2026

Garda whistleblowers come forward to RT Investigates from inside the Garda Protect Disclosures Office

Garda whistleblowers come forward to RT Investigates from inside the Garda Pr...

16/09/2026

Emerald AI, Google and NVIDIA Launch Alliance to Advance Flexible AI Data Centers

AI factories are the infrastructure of the intelligence era. Scaling them respon...

15/09/2026

IBC 2026: Pixitmedia by DataCore to Showcase Cloud and Connected Production Workflows

At IBC2026, Pixitmedia by DataCore will showcase its latest capabilities designe...

15/09/2026

IBC 2026: Quantum Introduces Autonomous Data Management, Dramatically Reducing Storage Costs While Increasing Efficiency and Availability

Quantum Corp. today announced the release of Quantum Autonomous Data Management ...

15/09/2026

PGA Tour Taps Mike Mahar as Chief Technology Officer to Drive Digital, Data, AI Strategy

Former Wyndham Hotels & Resorts technology executive will focus on fan engagemen...

15/09/2026

Creator Sports Network and FAN.live Launch 3D NFL Watch Party for Creators

Creator Sports Network (CSN) and FAN.live have announced a partnership giving CSN's network of more than 2,000 vetted creators access to live 3D NFL broadca...

15/09/2026

IBC 2026 In Review: Our Complete Collection of Video Interviews with Industry Thought Leaders

SVG and SVG Europewere all over the IBC 2026 show floor out in Amsterdam, bringi...

15/09/2026

Rise Announces 2026 Awards Shortlist

Rise WIB has announced the shortlist for the Rise Awards 2026, returning to Troxy in London on Tuesday, November 17. The awards recognize outstanding women, adv...

15/09/2026

Major League Table Tennis Announces 2026-27 Media Distribution Lineup

Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) has announced its media distribution lineup for the 2026-27 season, beginning September 11. Every match will stream live on the...

15/09/2026

Willow Sports to Air 700 Hours of Free Asian Games Coverage for U.S. and Canadian Viewers

Willow Sports has announced it will serve as the exclusive U.S. and Canadian hom...

15/09/2026

Gravity Media to Broadcast MXGP of Australia Championship Finale

Gravity Media has announced it will provide outside broadcast production and technical services for the MXGP of Australia, the finale of the 2026 FIM World Moto...

15/09/2026

Scott Coker and Peter Y. Levin Launch Ki MMA Global MMA Promotion

Co-founders Scott Coker and Peter Y. Levin have unveiled Ki MMA, a new global mixed martial arts promotion launching in the first quarter of 2027. The announcem...

15/09/2026

Sony Announces FE 400mm F4.5 GM OSS and FE 600mm F6.3 GM OSS Super-Telephoto Lenses

Sony Electronics has announced two new G Master super-telephoto prime lenses for...

15/09/2026

Former NEP Group Exec Saeed Izadi Opens The Matrix, Next-Gen Remote Production Center in Singapore

GlobeCast provides facility for AI-power automated production core...

15/09/2026

Gravity Media Set to Deliver 2026 FIM World Motorcross Championship

Gravity Media, a leading global provider of production and content, and media services and facilities, is empowering Tourism and Events Northern Territory (NT) ...

15/09/2026

Audient unveil flagship Horizon interfaces

New Thunderbolt audio interfaces aimed at pro studios Audient's latest announcement sees the company introduce three new high-end audio interfaces desig...

15/09/2026

Sennheiser launch the Spectera SKM handheld

Completes core wireless system line-up The latest addition to Sennheiser's Spectera range is now shipping, completing the core elements of the company&#...

15/09/2026

Schwabe Digital reveal HiFAL 2

High-frequency dynamics plug-in upgraded Schwabe Digital have just released a major free update for their acclaimed high-frequency dynamics processing plug-...

15/09/2026

LUNA 3.0 & UAD Spark Studio from Universal Audio

DAW update launched alongside all-in-one subscription bundle The latest version of Universal Audio's DAW software has just arrived, and has been release...

15/09/2026

Rupert Neve Designs introduce three plug-ins

Three popular hardware units go virtual Rupert Neve Designs are entering the software market in style, with not one, but three of their sought-after hardwar...

15/09/2026

Argo M Powers Cloudbass' Next Generation OB Fleet

When longstanding OB specialist Cloudbass made the decision to expand its fleet to accommodate remote production facilities for a leading UK sports broadcaster&...

15/09/2026

Study: 3 in 4 U.S. TV Viewers Use Smartphones While Watching TV

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

Agent TiVo Will Help Track Down Your Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

Nielsen Marketing Cloud Launches Data Enrichment Capabilities

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/09/2026

Six Berklee Alumni Win at 2026 Emmy Awards

Six Berklee Alumni Win at 2026 Emmy Awards The recipients were recognized for their contributions to Widow's Bay, Beef, South Park, and Bad Bunny's Su...

15/09/2026

OWC Announces Acquisition of OpenDrives, Expanding Software-Defined Video and Rich Media Storage Management Capabilities

OWC Announces Acquisition of OpenDrives, Expanding Software-Defined Video and Ri...

15/09/2026

Podcast The Vertical Buzz Shot with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro

Podcast The Vertical Buzz Shot with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro Brie Clayton September 14, 2026 0 Comments Production team builds premium p...

15/09/2026

Grass Valley Launches AVORA at IBC2026

Grass Valley Launches AVORA at IBC2026 Brie Clayton September 14, 2026 0 Comments New standalone solution gives production teams everything they need ...