Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

NHL All-Star 2023: For ESPN's Audio Team, the Event Is a Sports-Sound Lab

03/02/2023

NHL All-Star 2023: For ESPN's Audio Team, the Event Is a Sports-Sound Lab The game and the Skills Competition offer an opportunity to try out new tricks By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Friday, February 3, 2023 - 10:51 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

While the stick jockeys show their stuff during the Skills Competition tonight, prior to tomorrow's NHL All-Star Game, ESPN's audio team will be showing off some new techniques at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, FL.

ESPN's Dan Bernstein: It's its own kind of X Games, trying to mike up individual elements, like multiple mics in each goal for different kinds of shooting options. It's a test bed for new ideas.

Wireless lavaliere microphones placed in the cones the players navigate for the skating competition will pick up the unique sound that blades make in a tight turn, and shotgun mics on robocams will catch sonic nuances from a distance. Another idea under consideration: for the Accuracy contest, a pair of shotgun microphones in a golf-tee-box-style configuration to capture more of the explosive impact of the shots.

The Skills Competition on Friday affords us the opportunity to try some different things, a kind of Petri dish for different ideas we're trying out, says ESPN Lead A1 for Hockey Dan Buddha Bernstein, working on his second NHL All-Star event. It's a little bit more of a free-for-all compared to the actual game on Saturday. It's its own kind of X Games or even a gymnastics event, trying to mike up individual elements that people might hit, like multiple mics in each goal for different kinds of shooting options. It's a test bed for new ideas.

Hockey Is Noisy The effort takes place in an increasingly noisy environment. Bernstein notes that hockey is one of a number of sports that have been cranking up the broadcast audio, incorporating both the game's nat-sound FX and the environmental sound from music performances, as well as the PA system and other event sources.

During the Skills events, it can become almost like an NBA or WNBA game, where the PA is actively part of the show while the event is going on, he says. Those sources will be dialed back for the game itself, he adds, although they'll still be present at points, such as breaks, and are now part of what makes All-Star Games more event-like than regular-season matches.

The challenge, Bernstein notes, is finding microphones with enough gain to pick up the sounds but won't be overwhelmed by the PA system. We also have to find ways to put the microphone as close as possible to the source.

Many of the sound beds for the Skills events and the game come through the PCC boundary microphones that ring the rink, as they do for regular-season games. He says the robocam-mounted shotguns have been a particular success for those games and will be a major factor in the All-Star Game.

Noise in the Net A hallmark of hockey is the noise in the net, and there'll be plenty of that, given the multiple nets between the Skills events and the game. Bernstein says the team will be experimenting with variations on the three-microphone configuration used for regular-season games. The mics create a left-front, right-front, and synthesized-stereo center that establishes an audible sense of movement within the goal for viewers.

It sounds enormous, as though you were actually in the goal, he says. The live action around the crease is evident. It's skates and pucks, but you're also hearing the goalies directing the action. It's pretty spectacular.

The Skills segments also present an opportunity to place microphones on as many as four hand-held cameras that will be leaning in for shots.

But the big get for hockey audio is the miked-up player. As many as 16 will be wired for sound, thanks to the NHL's event format, in which four All-Star teams, representing the league's four divisions, compete in a single-elimination tournament.

We'd get access to maybe three or four players even in a Stanley Cup game, notes Bernstein, but here we have much more opportunity to mike the players. We've been establishing a sense of trust with the league and the teams to be able get more of that audio. We'll see at game time if we can even use some of that live during the All-Star Game. It's the sound that gets the personality of the players and the energy of the game across best.

Bernstein will be working from the audio compartment of Game Creek 79 producion truck, with submixer Ben Majchrzak mixing from Game Creek Spirit.

A dozen extra wireless microphones will be available during the weekend - tools and toys at hand for when engineering inspiration strikes, Bernstein says. In addition to the growing trust of the league, the audio team has a champion in ESPN VP, Production, Mike McQuade, who has been pushing us to amp up use of our nat-sound and player microphones.

All those additional microphones in South Florida's dense RF environment means that some will have to share frequencies. Lead RF tech Abi Sehga will be on hand to juggle them, turning them on and off as needed to conserve spectrum.

The NHL All-Star Game is all about hockey, of course, but its location this year in South Florida is a reminder that pitchers and catchers will be reporting to MLB training camps within a few weeks. Both Bernstein and Majchrzak mix ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, so the comparison Buddha makes isn't out of place.

We're developing a rhythm for the [hockey-stick] shots and the hits in the net that are kind of like how we set up the sound of the [pitcher's] delivery from microphones around the mound to the catcher's mitt at home plate, he explains. There's that first point of impact followed by the second; they're each distinct but part of the same picture.
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2023/02/03/nhl-all-star-2023-for-espns-aud...
See more stories from svg

More from Sports Video Group

12/05/2025

Perfect Partners: Kicking off World Sevens Football's Goals for Its First Broadcast with Media Partner DAZN

Perfect partners: Kicking off World Sevens Football's goals for its first br...

12/05/2025

Canon's Paul McAniff Shows the Latest in PTZ Auto-Tracking Tech

Canon's Paul McAniff Shows the Latest in PTZ Auto-Tracking Tech The company showcased select solutions at the 2025 SVG Esports Production Summit in Seattle ...

12/05/2025

Fox Corporation Announces New Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Service: FOX One

Fox Corporation Announces New Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Service: FOX One The platform will offer all of FOX's sports, news, and entertainment programming...

12/05/2025

Live from Eurovision: The Greatest Show on Earth Returns With a Focus on Enhancing the Viewer Experience

Live from Eurovision: The greatest show on Earth returns with a focus on enhanci...

09/05/2025

MLB Sunday Leadoff' 2025: MLB Local Media Pulls the Production, Operational Strings in Second Season on Roku

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

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 Live Esports Productions

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 Coverage Yet

With Real Madrid-FC Barcelona, ESPN Preps for Most Ambitious LaLiga Match Covera...

08/05/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Vizrt's Nicholas Jameson on AI in Workflows, Pushing Boundaries With XR/AR

SVG Sit-Down: Vizrt's Nicholas Jameson on AI in Workflows, Pushing Boundarie...

08/05/2025

Creating Alternative Brand Experiences: Live Sports in the Age of Fortnite, Meta Horizon, and Beyond

Creating Alternative Brand Experiences: Live Sports in the Age of Fortnite, Meta...

08/05/2025

PGA TOUR's David Piccolo: Advanced Graphics and Virtual Production Tools are Elevating Live Golf Coverage

PGA TOUR's David Piccolo: Advanced Graphics and Virtual Production Tools are...

08/05/2025

Tech Focus: Advancing Immersion in Sports Broadcasting with AR and Virtual Production

Tech Focus: Advancing Immersion in Sports Broadcasting with AR and Virtual Produ...

07/05/2025

Tech Focus: Venue Sound, Part 1 - Chasing the Fan Experience

Tech Focus: Venue Sound, Part 1 - Chasing the Fan Experience Balancing audio quality and noise is a constant struggle By Dan Daley, Audio Editor Wednesday, M...

07/05/2025

Tech Focus: Venue Sound, Part 2 - For Multi-Use Spaces, the Gear Makes the Difference

Tech Focus: Venue Sound, Part 2 - For Multi-Use Spaces, the Gear Makes the Diffe...

07/05/2025

Snow Sports Offer Opportunity for Edgy and Aggressive' Audio

Snow Sports Offer Opportunity for Edgy and Aggressive' Audio Natural Selection Tour, Shawn White's The Snow Leagues emphasize athlete sound By Dan Da...

06/05/2025

SVG India Summit Draws 140 for a Day of Learning, Networking

SVG India Summit Draws 140 for a Day of Learning, Networking Global perspectives coupled with India perspectives made for informative discussions By SVG Staff ...

06/05/2025

The CW Benefits From NASCAR's New XR and Volumetric Studio at North Carolina Production Facility

The CW Benefits From NASCAR's New XR and Volumetric Studio at North Carolina...

06/05/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Blackmagic Design's Dan May on the Company's Wide Range of Products and Customers

SVG Sit-Down: Blackmagic Design's Dan May on the Company's Wide Range of...

06/05/2025

The FAST Factor: What's Happening in Sports' Latest Streaming Party

The FAST Factor: What's Happening in Sports' Latest Streaming Party Leaders from the NBA, NBC Sports, and Amagi discuss the latest trends in free ad-sup...

05/05/2025

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Kiloview's Judy Zuo on Ensuring Reliable AV Over IP Services

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Kiloview's Judy Zuo on Ensuring Reliable AV Over ...

05/05/2025

In NAB 2025 Afterglow, Grass Valley Touts New Imagers, Production Switchers, AI Capabilities

In NAB 2025 Afterglow, Grass Valley Touts New Imagers, Production Switchers, AI ...

05/05/2025

Inside ATP Media's Remote Revolution in Tennis Broadcasting

Inside ATP Media's remote revolution in tennis broadcasting By George Bevir Friday, May 2, 2025 - 13:50 Print This Story From a single London hub, ATP...

02/05/2025

Ratings Roundup: 2025 NFL Draft Viewership Slots Event at Second Most-Watched Ever

Ratings Roundup: 2025 NFL Draft Viewership Slots Event at Second Most-Watched Ev...

02/05/2025

SVG Esports Production Summit Examines Impact of Remote, Cloud-Based Workflows on the Live Gaming Environment

SVG Esports Production Summit Examines Impact of Remote, Cloud-Based Workflows o...

02/05/2025

Alternative Broadcasts With the Bucs: SportsNet Pittsburgh Provides Unobstructed Views' for Pirates Fans

Alternative Broadcasts With the Bucs: SportsNet Pittsburgh Provides Unobstructe...

02/05/2025

How Momentum Broadcast Teamed Up With Carr-Hughes Productions to Land the Grand Slam Track Production Contract

New possibilities: Creating a new production company with a difference at Moment...

01/05/2025

Telling the Story: Extensive Technical Setup Delivers Comprehensive Special Olympics Coverage

Telling the story: Extensive technical set-up delivers comprehensive Special Oly...

01/05/2025

Just Around the Bend: Olympic Broadcasting Services Readies for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Just Around the Bend: Olympic Broadcasting Services Readies for the Milano-Corti...

01/05/2025

Wireless Microphone Spectrum Alliance Gets Going With Lobbying To Ensure RF Access

Wireless Microphone Spectrum Alliance Gets Going With Lobbying To Ensure RF Acce...

30/04/2025

With Back-to-Back PBR, UFC, and WWE Events in KC, TKO Takeover' Proves To Be a Heavyweight Production

With Back-to-Back PBR, UFC, and WWE Events in KC, TKO Takeover' Proves To B...

29/04/2025

Behind the Scenes With Grand Slam Track: Momentum Broadcast and Carr Hughes Productions Team Up

Fascinating characters: Behind the Grand Slam Track partnership of Momentum Broa...

29/04/2025

Behind the Scenes With Grand Slam Track: Groundbreaking AR for Live Athletics Headlines Inaugural Season

Big package: Groundbreaking AR for live athletics comes to Grand Slam Track By ...

29/04/2025

Behind the Scenes With Grand Slam Track: New League Heads Stateside After Jamaica Debut

High benchmark: Inside the inaugural Grand Slam Track production from Jamaica B...

29/04/2025

Engagement in the Live Stream: The New Age of Delivering the Game

Engagement in the Live Stream: The New Age of Delivering the Game A conversation of streaming leaders dissects the feature sets that are winning in live sports ...

29/04/2025

Conveying Emotion: BBC Sport on Bringing the 45th London Marathon to Viewers

Conveying emotion: BBC Sport on bringing the 45th London Marathon to viewers By Heather McLean Monday, April 28, 2025 - 14:35 Print This Story BBC Sport l...

28/04/2025

Joe Cohen Inducted into Cable Hall of Fame

Joe Cohen Inducted into Cable Hall of Fame By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director Monday, April 28, 2025 - 5:19 pm Print This Story | Subscribe Story H...

28/04/2025

LiveU Inks Deal to Acquire Actus Digital, Boost Video Monitoring and Analytics Capabilities

LiveU Inks Deal to Acquire Actus Digital, Boost Video Monitoring and Analytics C...

28/04/2025

Small Van, Big Story: Changing the Game in Sports Broadcasting with Obvious C

Small Van, Big Story: Changing the Game in Sports Broadcasting with Obvious C By SVG Staff Monday, April 28, 2025 - 10:51 am Print This Story | Subscribe ...

28/04/2025

SVG Sit-Down: ESPN's Chris Calcinari on New Flagship Mobile Unit, Cloud and REMI Production, Early Prep for Super Bowl LXI

SVG Sit-Down: ESPN's Chris Calcinari on New Flagship Mobile Unit, Cloud and ...

28/04/2025

A Swiss Soccer Summer: Previewing UEFA Women's Euros 2025 with BBC Sport and Sunset+Vine

A Swiss Soccer Summer: Previewing UEFA Women's Euros 2025 with BBC Sport and...

25/04/2025

Super Bowl Streaming Success: A Conversation with Tubi's Chief Product & Technology Officer Mike Bidgoli

Super Bowl Streaming Success: A Conversation with Tubi's Chief Product & Tec...

25/04/2025

Tariff Turmoil: Trump's Trade Policy Sparks Uncertainty at NAB and Increases Focus on Software Adoption

Tariff Turmoil: Trump's Trade Policy Sparks Uncertainty at NAB and Increases...

24/04/2025

Live From NFL Draft 2025: NFL Media Splits Sprawling Production Between Green Bay and L.A.

Live From NFL Draft 2025: NFL Media Splits Sprawling Production Between Green Ba...

24/04/2025

Live From NFL Draft 2025: Van Wagner Turns Titletown Into Center of Fan Entertainment Outside Lambeau Field

Live From NFL Draft 2025: Van Wagner Turns Titletown Into Center of Fan Entertai...

24/04/2025

Live From the NFL Draft: NFL Media Splits Massive Production Between Green Bay and L.A.

Live From the NFL Draft: NFL Media Splits Massive Production Between Green Bay a...

24/04/2025

Comcast Fills SpinCo Sports Executive Ranks With Matt Hong as President, Jeff Behnke as SVP of Production

Comcast Fills SpinCo Sports Executive Ranks With Matt Hong as President, Jeff Be...