In Broadcast - October/November 2011 - 56

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011

InSOUND
Microphones in Action Cont.
Sennheiser’s MKH8060 short gun mic

by many sports broadcasters, including Sky. While the mic on something like the Sennheiser HMD25 is high quality, the noise rejection is not as good as that of the Coles 4104. The headphone/ boom set is also popular because more commentators are now appearing in vision. The smaller mini-booms, without the headphone element, are now used by on-screen presenters for many sports, including Sky’s rugby union coverage. Because lip mics and headphone/ boom mic combinations are designed to block out as much of the crowd as possible, effects microphones have to be used to capture the atmosphere and roar of the crowd, which is then mixed in underneath the commentary. At one time single spot effects mics placed around the stadium were used, with the completed mix panned left and right across the stereo picture to give a sense of width. Since 2006 5.1 surround sound has been a key component of the high definition TV coverage of sport.

Surround Sound
Sky was a pioneer of this and its sound supervisors developed a technique based on the SoundField microphone to create the main surround sound elements. SoundField produces four hardware-based 5.1 mic systems the DSR-1, DSF-2, SPS422B and MKV - and the software controlled SPS200. In the final mix the front left-centre-right and rear left-right signals from the surround mic are augmented with kick effects on the ball from mics round the ground to give specific details like kicks on the ball.

SoundField DSF-1s were used during the 2006 World Cup in Germany but for last year’s tournament in South Africa host broadcaster HBS debuted the Schoeps ORTF surround array, which was designed to give 360 degree coverage of outdoor events. This was used in conjunction with the also recently released SuperCMIT DSP-controlled shotgun mics, which were cameramounted so they would capture the precise action shown on screen. Their directional nature also meant they were less susceptible to background noise and so went some way to lessen the impact of the ever-present vuvuzelas. The SuperCMIT was used alongside Sennheiser MKH416 shotgun mics, which are a workhorse in this kind of broadcasting. Even though they’ve been around a long time they are still effective and markedly cheaper than more technological sophisticated models. The latest addition to the MKH range are the 8060, a short gun mic that can be mounted on a camera, and the 8070 longer rifle unit, which is designed for long distance work. Among the manufacturers producing shotgun mics is Audio-Technica, which has the BP4071, BP4071L and BP4073 models. These are used for general broadcasting and wildlife documentaries as well as sport. While new microphones offer more modern technologies and approaches, established models such as the Sennheiser 416 and AKG 414 carry on because engineers are familiar with them and know they will do the job. Fashion is one thing but personal preference counts for a lot with mics.

Sennheiser’s MHK8070 rifle mic

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In Broadcast - October/November 2011

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