Commissioned by Austrian broadcaster ORF to produce the sound for its coverage of the Alpine World Ski Championships, Mainz-based TV Skyline chose a wide variety of Audio-Technica microphone solutions for locations including the Starter’s House, the piste itself and the stadium.
Lavalier, shotgun and boundary microphone models were employed to capture the race atmosphere and put viewers at the heart of the action.
Skyline opted for Audio-Technica’s BP899 subminiature omnidirectional condenser lavaliers and U851R boundary microphones, which were placed in the Starter House to pick up highly detailed sound whilst remaining invisible. Customised wind baskets were used for the U851R to capture the optimum sound without impact sound or wind noise.
In the stadium, the company employed directional shotgun microphones, including the BP4073, BP4071L long and BP4029 stereo models, ensuring the TV audience was immersed in the race atmosphere.
Skyline also used parabolic reflectors fitted with low-profile Audio-Technica ES933 cardioid condenser microphones at the jumps, handheld by sound technicians in order to perfectly capture wind noise in the air and the jump. A specially developed microphone based on the BP899 was also used in competitors’ helmets, similar to the helmet microphones used in the MotoGP motorcycle race series.
Because each of the competitors began their runs at different times, a separate control room was set up for mixing the upper section of the course, which was equipped with mixing solutions from Allen & Heath. A dLive S5000 console with DM0 MixRack was integrated into the audio infrastructure via MADI and Dante using a Dante 128 x 128 interface card and an sMADI interface card.
Four DT168 stage boxes in the upper part of the track picked up the atmosphere microphones and fed them into the Dante network, meaning the upper part of the track was perfectly pre-mixed until the main control room took over and followed the runners to the finish line.
“The effort that we put into miking the piste with microphones from Audio-Technica paid off in the form of excellent sound,” said Robert Kis, managing director TV Skyline GmBH. “Viewers were able to enjoy the Championships via the TV broadcast as if they were in the stadium or on the piste themselves. Audio-Technica was able to meet the enormous material requirements in the shortest possible time and provide comprehensive micing. The clever use of technology by the TV Skyline team, together with Audio-Technica’s innovative solutions, ensured an impressive sound backdrop.”
