Indy 500: Veteran Audio Crew Prepares To Turn Up the Volume Crowd sound might compete with engine noise as seats fill again By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Friday, May 28, 2021 - 10:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Thirty-three drivers, 200 laps, 500 miles. The annual event that is the Indianapolis 500 got under way with a series of practice and qualifying laps last weekend, offering not only drivers and pit crews but also NBC Sports' audio staff the opportunity to polish their skills for The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Among the audio crew this year are A1 Fred Aldous, mixing from the IMSP HD-5 production truck on a Calrec Alpha console; Rob Sweeney, handling the submix of track effects, in-car audio, and general crowd ambience from IMSP B-1 using a Calrec Sigma desk; Jeff Feltz, mixing the live driver-radio submix on a pair of Calrec Brio consoles aboard the C-1 truck, aided by Tim Spero, handling the near-live edits of those transmissions; Mike Pope, serving as audio guarantee; and Bryan Korot, handling pre-race audio on a Calrec Sigma aboard IMSP HD-3. Steve Urick and Eric Anderson are among the A2s for the event.
Aboard IMSP HD-5 mobile unit, Mike Pope (left) is serving as audio guarantee and supervising the audio infrastructure, and Fred Aldous is A1 for NBC Sports' broadcast of the Indianapolis 500.
In addition, six RF reporters (four in the pits, two for color-call talent) will provide analysis on teams and pit activities. Because SPL levels can reach more than 120 dB in these areas, pit talent wear enclosed headsets offering acoustic protection. They'll carry Sennheiser e835 hand mics - featuring high-output gain, minimal handling noise, and a tight cardioid pattern for off-axis noise rejection - into BSI RF transmitters.
The race-level set compels A1 Aldous to keep an ear specially cocked at it. One of the biggest challenges I face, he says, is the ability to hear the announcers from the pit box on Pit Row. It is an open-air set right on the track.
Located at the Pit Row exit, the NBC pit box runs on a Dante network with Studio Technologies' Dante-enabled announcer boxes and an RTS ODIN digital intercom, which uses Dante AoIP for media transport. RTS Roameo wireless beltpacks free up the A2 and stage manager.
Although Aldous is a veteran when it comes to motorsports, this is only his second Indy 500. Much of his time in the chair for the practice and qualifying runs was spent finding the nuances of the track.
When they come down the straightaway, it's like an alley, he explains, with the glass-fronted suites on the inside and the stands on the outside of the track. The SPL through there is incredible. Another area that takes a sharp ear, he adds, is the pit box, where sonic reflections make the announcers' intelligibility a challenge.
Feels Like Old Times Crowds are back this year after being banned during last year's pandemic, and they'll be competing with the sound of the racecars, which can reach 140 dB. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is allowing 135,000 fans to attend the 2021 running of the race, which is generally considered the largest single-day sports event in the world each year, normally logging more than 300,000 in attendance.
This year's event will feel - and sound - a lot like old times. NBC Sports has deployed eight Calrec Hydra field boxes around the track, along with six Dante 5205 two-channel transport boxes, all on fiber. The track's microphones, which make up part of the estimated 100 or so mics for the production, combine various Sennheiser mono shotguns, Shure VP88 stereo condensers, and Audio-Technica stereo shotguns. A few roar mics come back via dry pair, given the size of the infield, says Feltz.
To keep the foundational sound together, Sweeney relies on what has become a signature trick for motorsports: an Ernie Ball guitar volume pedal that lets him swell the general ambience and roar of the track as needed when the cars are between turns, where most of the microphones are positioned. (The origin of the technique is widely attributed to late A1 Ron Scalise.)
No one is happier to be back to a more normal Indy 500 than the audio crew, says Feltz, who is working his 19th Indy 500 race. He started attending the race when he was 8 years old, making this the 38th he has seen as either a spectator or an audio technician.
I'm sure you heard the cars better [last year, without crowds], but there's an emptiness to it, he says. It's gonna be exciting to get the fans back in here. You just want something real, and there's nothing more real than real crowd noise.
Technique and Flow Feltz notes that microphone technique and signal flow around the track are little changed from previous years, although it has become progressively more networked over time.
As [the cars] come up close to the wall, we'll have a 16-channel Hydra box that links up to Rob's submix console, and we'll take two channels and put the approach' and the go' microphones out 8-12 ft. in front of the robo [cams]. You don't want to put them right at the head necessarily - the cars are approaching at 220, 230 miles an hour; you want to get them out a bit ahead of the camera. That's typical in NASCAR as well. There are some cameras, robos, or other microphones that we can't go out in front of, so we'll put a longer stereo microphone on it, like an A-T shotgun.
Driver chatter, which is in stereo within the overall 5.1 surround show mix, has become a staple of this race, and Feltz will tweak the EQ to keep it as intelligible as possible within its implicitly narrow RF band. Mixing it, he says, can often feel as though he were in the driver's seat.
During the intense, four-hour-plus race, he juggles 34 Motorola radios, including Race Control. It'
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
03/05/2024
NEW YORK CBS has declared that it will finish the 2023-24 season as Americas Most-Watched Network in primetime for the 16th consecutive season....
03/05/2024
A new survey indicates that U.S. businesses and consumers had an overall positive attitude towards their technology spending plans in the first quarter of 2024,...
03/05/2024
Sony and Apollo Global Management have sent an offer letter to Paramount Global's board of directors making an $26 billion all cash offer for Paramount Glob...
03/05/2024
EMG / Gravity Media has appointed Charlie Cubbon chief operating officer (COO) and Jamie Hindhaugh regional CEO for the U.K., U.S., Australia and the Middle Eas...
03/05/2024
Final 2024 Season Games to Air Saturdays on WRAL at 10:30am in May, Championship on June 1
Taping for the final episodes of the 2024 season of WRAL-TV's Br...
03/05/2024
Estrella MediaCo said it is expanding its connected TV portfolio by launching three new channels with Curiosity that will first appear on Samsung TV Plus....
Indy 500: Veteran Audio Crew Prepares To Turn Up the Volume Crowd sound might compete with engine noise as seats fill again By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
