
SVG SportSound Year in Review: COVID Continued To Drive Innovation Sports returned to home venues, but REMI still played a major role By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Wednesday, January 5, 2022 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
2021 was supposed to be the year that wasn't 2020. Instead, it became the year that broadcast-sports audio learned to live with COVID.
No sport better exemplified that than basketball. The previous year's NBA season debuted the use of enhanced ambient crowd sounds by U.S. sports to make games played under pandemic lockdown feel more authentic. The 2021 NBA season aimed to replicate the success of that effort as teams returned to their respective arenas.
Last season was challenging, and this season is going to be even more so, Dave Grundtvig, lead A1 for Turner Sports' NBA coverage, said as the season was about to commence.
A1 Dave Grundtvig: We learned that doing a show from an empty arena was like working on a sound stage.
Among the changes for the 2021 NBA season was full REMI audio production, with mixes done from Turner Sports' Atlanta studios and the use and operation of augmented crowd sounds left to individual teams' discretion.
The NHL, which in 2020 deployed a crowd-sound system developed by EA Sports and other partners, last year used the same Launchpad-based controller as the NBA, with audio sources based on venue- and team-specific recordings. The sound was played through the hockey arenas' existing PA systems. Both leagues also mandated that the virtualized crowd sound be played as part of game-broadcast audio.
The 2021 NCAA March Madness event showed how sports audio could be a hybrid of real and augmented crowd sound. About 6,000 spectators were allowed into Lucas Oil Field House, and actual crowd noise from six ambience microphones was mixed in with Firehouse Productions' crowd-sound system fed into the venue's PA system.
Augmented crowd sound is arguably the most notable audio development of the current century (sorry, AutoTune). Although it came about because of the pandemic, it will likely leave a lasting impression, both because the arrival of the Omicron variant late in 2021 meant that sports venues might once again limit audiences and because COVID-emptied venues allowed an entirely new soundscape to emerge, one that viewers would come to want more of.
We learned in Orlando that doing a show from an empty arena was like working on a sound stage, explained Grundtvig. It's not the same sound as when all of the microphones are open: the key mic, the net mic, the bench and camera mics.
Effects on Other Audio As the pandemic drove REMI-type production techniques, it also affected evolution of the technologies underpinning them. For instance, intercoms moved much deeper into IP environments as broadcast technicians were increasingly compelled to work from locations other than the venue.
REMI got REMI-ed is how Rick Seegull, manager, system consulting, Riedel Communications, expressed it. IP-based and, more recently, app-based intercom solutions moved from interim, temporary solutions to more-established elements of suddenly disrupted broadcast workflows. And that'll be the case for a while to come, he added, so our remote offerings are based on keeping the workflow identical, whether in the control room or at-home/remote.
Said Pliant VP, Global Sales, Gary Rosen, There were fewer productions earlier in the year and more people working remotely with less onsite technical staff, which increased the need for reliable, high-quality, easy-to-use intercom. Before, you might have been able to [talk directly] to a nearby colleague; now, suddenly, you had to stay distanced, even in the same room.
Immersive Sound The accelerated arrival of immersive audio was the year's other significant note. In February, the Audio Engineering Society presented the first-ever AES Immersive Audio Academy, a one-day online event that looked at the diverse applications of immersive-audio production.
Produced by Olympic Broadcasting Services, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games were the first-ever Olympics to use artificial crowd noise.
But the star of the immersive show was the Tokyo Olympics, the first Olympics broadcast in 5.4.1 immersive audio, with four overhead channels adding an upper dimension to the indoor events.
Immersive sound is our biggest challenge, because it's new for 99% of the A1s and broadcast engineers, said Nuno Duarte, senior manager, audio, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), from the International Broadcast Center (IBC) in Tokyo.
The OBS captured the sounds of the Olympics through an immersive 5.1.4 audio configuration whose overhead dimension came with the addition of four hanging ceiling microphones and with two new microphones - using 4.0 and 8.0 transducer configurations - specifically designed for immersive-audio production.
Because of last-minute COVID restrictions imposed by the Japanese government barring spectators from most venues, it was also the first-ever Olympics to use some form of artificial crowd noise. The implementation at the Olympics was minimal, limited to pre-recorded murmur tracks, whose content is derived from archived event sound tracks and played through the venue PA systems and also picked up by the broadcast microphones.
Last year's Summer Games also had a number of other innovations, such as placing contact microphones on the water-polo goalposts to catch the sound of the near misses and capture as much high-impact sound as possible.
Immersive audio wasn't forgotten during pandemic lockdowns either. For instance, the UK's Sky Sports used Dolby Atmos throughout Project Restart, the return of sports to television, broadcasting Premier League and English Football League (EFL) matches.
Training Takes Center Stag
Most recent headlines
04/11/2022
The best gamers know DTS Headphone:X technology ups their play. Now major magazines have caught on, too.
DTS Headphone:X technology creates immersive soundsc...
25/06/2022
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
25/06/2022
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), is pleased to announce the openin...
25/06/2022
Director
Producer
Line producer
Production assistant
Production managements
Production manager
Assistant production manager
Unit manager
Production coor...
25/06/2022
Portland Timbers, Thorns FC Choose SNS for Shared Storage, Media Asset Managemen...
25/06/2022
Tips from Recruiters: How to Present Your Work and Interview Like a Pro
Brie Clayton June 23, 2022
0 Comments
Join Access VFX on the below ZOOM link:
...
25/06/2022
BC Live Productions Relies on AJA Gear to Get it Right the First Time
Brie Clayton June 23, 2022
0 Comments
From star-studded Hollywood film premieres ...
25/06/2022
Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2
Brie Clayton June 23, 2022
0 Comments
A next generation 6K digital film camera mo...
25/06/2022
Random Fixed Color Expression
Andy Ford June 24, 2022
0 Comments
This tutorial expands upon my previous tutorial on creating a random color expression....
25/06/2022
Sonnet Announces PCI Express 3.0 Adapter Card Featuring TwoNVMe SSD Slots, 16-La...
25/06/2022
Professional Tiffen Filters for DJI Mini 3 Pro Drone
Brie Clayton June 24, 2022
0 Comments
Tiffen s 3-Filter Neutral Density Kit for the DJI Mini 3 Pro...
25/06/2022
Discover the Power of Accelerated Computing | NVIDIA EGX Platform for Profession...
25/06/2022
Microscopic World Captured with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K by Protist La...
25/06/2022
WASHINGTON, D.C. The NCTA has told the FCC that it will not oppose Standard General's deal for Tegna if the FCC adopts binding conditions to ensure that th...
25/06/2022
PORT MELBOURNE, Australia Blackmagic Design this week released a new public beta of DaVinci Resolve 18 with Blackmagic Cloud hosting and management support of c...
25/06/2022
SEOUL, South Korea Imaging technologies for mobile phones and devices made a notable advance this week with Samsung Electronics Co. unveiling its new 200MP ISOC...
25/06/2022
NEW YORK Kagan, the media research unit of S&P Global Market Intelligence, has issued a new report finding that the broadcast deal market for first quarter 2022...
25/06/2022
RESTON, Va. Comscore has announced that Horizon Media is testing Comscore's local TV measurement solution as a new form of currency for 2023 planning and bu...
25/06/2022
IRVINE, Calif. Vizio has announced that TikTok TV is now available on its smart TVs....
25/06/2022
Berklee, Love Renaissance, and Audiomack Present Music Business Summer Program The five-day interactive experience is designed to teach aspiring artists, execut...
24/06/2022
20th May 2022
Award-winning broadcaster UKTV has today announced it has invested in online start-up easyGuide, using its multi-million pound investment fund, U...
24/06/2022
Hello, can you hear me? The zoom screen springs to life and the responses quickly follow.
Yes, we can. Good morning . The greetings come from Kenya, Nigeri...
24/06/2022
Join us at SMD to collaborate on ways to accelerate our nation's missile warning and defense capabilities. During SMD, L3Harris will connect with missile de...
24/06/2022
WASHINGTON A House subcommittee this week approved President Biden's $40 million increase in funding for public broadcasting for FY2023. The vote from the H...
24/06/2022
WASHINGTON, D.C. The NCTA has told the FCC that it will not oppose Standard General's deal for Tegna if the FCC adopts binding conditions to ensure that th...
24/06/2022
Dr. David Bogen Named Berklee's Provost and Executive Vice President for Aca...
24/06/2022
Station owner Graham Media has joined the opposition to Standard General's acquisition of Tegna, filing a petition against the deal with the Federal Communi...
24/06/2022
The Federal Communications Commission is seeking public and stakeholder input on how TV stations' transition to the ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV standard is going an...
24/06/2022
CBS has shared the fall premiere dates for its programs. There are four new series and 18 returning ones....
24/06/2022
NBCUniversal's Universal Studio Group named Jordan Moblo executive VP, creat...
24/06/2022
Pete Hegseth, Fox & Friends Weekend host, debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times...
24/06/2022
Disney Branded Television said it hired Tehmina Jaffer as executive VP, business affairs....
24/06/2022
New tool enables sports organisations to instantly create, package and convert clips into NFTs which can be used as a revenue source
By Jenny Priestley
Publis...
24/06/2022
Elements created by xR and AR included plants, skies, graphics, animated cityscapes, fireflies and butterflies
By Jenny Priestley
Published: June 24, 2022
...
24/06/2022
ScreenSkills suggests production spend on film and HETV is likely to hit between...
24/06/2022
Avid CEO Jeff Rosica said the company is confident that the improving conditions and handling of the pandemic can help to ensure that IBC 2022 can be successful...
24/06/2022
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. Tiffen has announced its 3-Filter Neutral Density Kit for the DJI Mini 3 Pro. The lightweight filters allow users to manage the camera aperture ...
24/06/2022
PORT MELBOURNE, Australia Blackmagic Design today introduced its next-generation of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 with adjustable touchscreen, a lar...
24/06/2022
WASHINGTON, D.C. Common Cause and UCC Media Justice have filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking the agency to deny the propose...
24/06/2022
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. A new survey from The NPD Group has found that consumers are more worried about the cost of streaming services than they were last fall, w...
24/06/2022
BALTIMORE, M.D. Sinclair launched its long-awaited direct-to-consumer Bally Sports+ streaming service on June 23 with a soft launch in five markets at $19.99 a ...
24/06/2022
Avid President/CEO Jeff Rosica has confirmed that the company will exhibit at the IBC Show at the RAI in Amsterdam, Sept. 10-13. The announcement marks a change...
24/06/2022
Jazz Legend Gary Burton Reflects on Seven Decades in Music and Education The jazz fusion pioneer, LGBTQ advocate, and Berklee superstar is celebrating the 40...
24/06/2022
Americas Got Talent Judges Wowed by Berklee Students Audition Kieran Rhodess vulnerable performance of his song Disengage earned him multiple standing ovation...
24/06/2022
Twitter's board of directors is unanimous in its support for Elon Musks bid to take over the company. Its members have unanimously voted to accept the deal ...
24/06/2022
The FCC is gearing up to find another way to determine a TV stations local market for must-carry and other purposes. The move comes after decades of using Niels...
24/06/2022
Some powerful unions are teaming up to try and block investment firm Standard General's purchase of Tegna, with the financial help of Apollo Global Manageme...
24/06/2022
Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of June 13-19, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio's In...
24/06/2022
The Boston Athletic Association on Wednesday said that starting in 2023 ESPN will become the exclusive national television outlet for the Boston Marathon with W...
24/06/2022
Advanced advertising company OpenAP said it formed a strategic partnership with data cloud company Snowflake to create a clean room facility in which TV netwo...