United’s OB14 mobile truck was used to cover two major events recently: the abdication of Queen Beatrix and coronation of King Willem-Alexander, and a UEFA Europa League match. The truck is equipped with a Lawo mc²66 digital broadcast console and DALLIS I/O systems.
Most recently, the OB truck was used at 2013 UEFA Europa League in Amsterdam’s ArenA to cover the Chelsea-Benfica encounter on 15 May. United provided the live audio feed to the event’s TV Compound to accompany the 35-camera production that was provided to 15 visiting sports broadcasters in 5.1 surround.
An essential part of the audio operation were Lawo’s audio-follow-video (AfV) function and VSM (Virtual Studio Manager) control software from L-S-B Broadcast, which is integrated into the OB14 console and enables the direct assignment of AfV events to the camera tallies.
United’s Mischa Kortleve mixed the action from the field, while he watched the video line cut and controlled how much surround atmosphere and AfV sounds were added to the mix, making sure that the sound matched the ‘feel’ of the picture.
A month earlier on 30 April, the abdication of Queen Beatrix and coronation of King Willem-Alexander was marked by a grand ceremony, broadcast live by Dutch national broadcaster NOS, as well as being relayed to many other countries. Handled by Dutch full service specialist United, the broadcast required 160 cameras with Jeroen ‘Huub’ Lelieveld serving as sound supervisor for the official ceremonies.
Central to the audio operation was United’s OB14, one of four Lawo mc²66 vehicles operated by the company. With 12 layers of 56 faders on the console and comprehensive audio control from its MKII Router, the truck is regularly used for 192-channel multitrack recording.
“The fantastic thing about this event was that, for both NOS and us, the most important thing was the quality of the broadcast,” Lelieveld said. ”So I was able to prepare thoroughly, with several visits on-site beforehand, when I tested out different microphones and microphone set-ups.”
“Our Lawos are used for every kind of job you can imagine,” said Lelieveld. “They are our central audio routers, controlled by VSM software, and we use them on complicated sports events, big live events, shows and music.”
