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Extreme Audio

Details: Parent Category: Production; Category: Audio; Published on Wednesday, 15 February 2012 11:56; Written by Michael Sujek

Working as a production sound mixer in Los Angeles, where it’s consistently sunny, it’s possible to take the weather for granted when recording audio in the field. But what if the job is recording audio for a documentary in the Arctic, like for Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch,” where there’s the incessant pounding of salt water? Or how about recording a reality show during the rainy season in Washington State? Getting clean audio can be difficult in good weather, but harsh conditions can present unique challenges to production sound mixers in the field. Luckily, there are some products that can offer protection for productions in need.

K-array makes Audio History at the Verona Opera Festival

Details: Parent Category: Production; Category: Audio; Published on Monday, 14 February 2011 23:49; Written by Staff

The Verona Opera Festival is not only renowned for its sublime operatic performances, but for its historic venue--the 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre, built in 30 AD. Since the inception of the Verona Opera in 1913, performances at the Festival at the Arena di Verona have been without live sound reinforcement. K-array, along with the production company, Musical Box Rent, was asked to provide the first sound system to ever be utilized in the legendary arena. The change was prompted by a need for better overall sound quality throughout the venue, including its back rows and terraces. This year marks a milestone in the history of open-air opera, where technology has finally met up with the artistic needs of the genre. To increase intelligibility and perception of detail without detracting from the raw nature of operatic performance, a completely transparent sound reinforcement system was required; K-array’s KK50 Kobra loudspeakers were selected to preserve the traditional atmosphere and acoustics of the theatre. Alessandro Tatini, CEO of K-array, recalls meeting with Musical Box Rent owner Giambattista Zerpelloni while working on the sound for a concert given by Elisa, the award-winning Italian-born singer-songwriter. “In short, the singers, musicians, and directors were afraid of losing the naturalness of the sound, due to the sound reinforcement system,” he says. “It was a difficult concept to convey that in reality, our system wouldn’t amplify at all, but would merely enrich the sound to a minimum degree.”

SOUND DEVICES CL-9 CONTROLLER EARNS NOMINATION FOR CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY’S TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Details: Parent Category: Production; Category: Audio; Published on Friday, 11 February 2011 19:24; Written by Staff

Sound Devices’ CL-9 Controller, the latest accessory for Sound Devices best-selling 788T Digital Recorder, has been nominated for a Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Technical Achievement Award in the production category. With the addition of the CL-9, the already powerful 788T becomes a complete mixing/recording system.

“We are honored to once again be nominated for a CAS Award.” says Sound Devices Managing Director Jon Tatooles. “Through innovative accessories and our constant firmware updates, Sound Devices is able to offer new and existing 7-Series recorder customers great features and functionality. The CL-9 is the perfect complement to the 788T as it enables the recorder to become a complete mixer/recorder product for critical sound-for-picture and music productions.”

MK 4 – Large-diaphragm studio microphone from Sennheiser

Details: Parent Category: Production; Category: Audio; Published on Monday, 24 January 2011 19:33; Written by Staff

At the NAMM Show in Anaheim, audio specialist Sennheiser is presenting the new MK 4, a large-diaphragm true condenser microphone. This cardioid microphone, which is manufactured in Germany, is Sennheiser’s first large-diaphragm side-address microphone and focuses on giving the best possible sound quality rather than technical extravagance. It provides a powerful yet warm sound that is both direct and tight with fine treble resolution.

The MK 4 with its nickel-coloured finish was developed for professional users in project studios, but is equally well suited for other recording environments and is tough enough for use on stage. It is also a microphone that is affordable for home recordists and musicians. “In the development of the MK 4, we invested every euro in getting the best possible sound,” explained Product Manager Sebastian Schmitz, “and we focused on the key elements of a good studio microphone to ensure that we can offer the MK 4 to our customers at an attractive price.” The finest sound structures are well resolved, and sound coming from the sides is picked up without colouration and so does not change the overall sound quality. The microphone has a very harmonious presence; it has vivid mids and is also very detailed in the bass range. At the same time, typical cardioid cancellation is relatively frequency-independent.

Sturdy large-diaphragm model
The MK 4 has a large 1-inch diaphragm precisely spattered with 24-carat gold. The sturdy metal housing and the elastically mounted capsule make the microphone tough enough for even the most energetic recording situations. The excellent suppression of handling noise offered by the internal capsule mount can be even further improved by the use of an elastic suspension, which is available as an accessory. The open front of the suspension mount enables the MK 4 to be positioned close to the sound source. The microphone has a maximum sound pressure level of 140 dB, and its self-noise of 10 dB(A) is extremely low. “The MK 4 is highly versatile for vocals, acoustic guitars and grand pianos as well as for strings and wind instruments,” Sebastian Schmitz explained. “What is more, in numerous field trials it has proven to be an excellent microphone with guitar amplifiers, drums and percussion. To sum up: it is an unpretentious microphone with outstanding sound.”

The MK 4 will be available after NAMM and comes complete with a microphone clip and a protective pouch. Optional accessories include an elastic suspension, a foam windshield and a popshield.

Sennheiser Announces K-array's KR400S Portable Loudspeaker System

Details: Parent Category: Production; Category: Audio; Published on Tuesday, 18 January 2011 17:26; Written by Staff

Sennheiser_Karray_KR400S Sennheiser announced the U.S. arrival of distributed brand K-array's latest portable, high performance loudspeaker: the KR400S. Designed to accommodate users in the live sound and installation markets, the KR400S is a highly efficient, powered loudspeaker system that delivers outstanding audio quality in a remarkably small space.

Desert Sounds

Details: Parent Category: Production; Category: Audio; Published on Tuesday, 04 January 2011 19:04; Written by Larry Sands

AudioColumn Recording audio while on location when you can’t really control the environment is hard enough –– with all the occasional breezes, traffic, pedestrians and other various noises that come with the territory –– but working in bad weather can wreak havoc for filmmakers and their crew, as an environment that just won’t cooperate can make a difficult shoot more stressful.

Recording Remotely

Details: Parent Category: Production; Category: Audio; Published on Monday, 13 December 2010 18:33; Written by Gordon Meyer

AudioCol_Arthur If you ask people in the production biz what’s meant by the term “HD audio,” you’re likely to get very different answers. For an exhibitor, it might mean a state-of-the-art 7.1 channel surround system. For an engineer, it could be a major upgrade to a mixing board. But for Arthur Roberts, it means having an edge over his competition to get gigs.

Expecting the Unexpected

Details: Parent Category: Production; Category: Audio; Published on Wednesday, 24 November 2010 20:19; Written by Gordon Meyer

Audio Specialist Scott Harber does a lot of work in scripted entertainment for both big and small screens alike, including the TV shows “Rescue 911” and “Desperate Housewives” and the upcoming feature 30 Minutes or Less for Columbia Pictures. But his real passion is for the documentary films that have taken him all over the world, such as Bill Maher’s Religulous and the Sacha Baron Cohen mockumentaries Borat and Brüno.

ColAudio_Scott4

Harber and his colleagues shot Cohen’s comedic films as documentaries, as Cohen and his director, Larry Charles, had specific story points in mind and felt that the films were in many ways 21^st-century versions of the classic TV show “Candid Camera,” in which unsuspecting real people were sucked into absurd situations for laughs. “[Borat and Brüno] were docs,” says Harber. “It was me and two cameramen standing in a room with Sacha and whoever he was with.”

Sounds of Silence

Details: Parent Category: Production; Category: Audio; Published on Monday, 08 November 2010 23:13; Written by Gordon Meyer

Earlier this year, veteran Soundman MacAulay Flynt joined Writer/Director Heather Hale’s production crew in North Carolina to shoot the indie thriller Insecurity, starring Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Emmy-winning Actor Edward Asner and rock legend Meat Loaf. The film is about an organized crime family’s attempt to infiltrate the Witness Protection Program in order to kill the assistant district attorney who’s prosecuting a murder case involving a prominent member of the crime family. The plot’s complex cat-and-mouse game features a number of action sequences.

Production Sound in Extreme Environments

Details: Parent Category: Production; Category: Audio; Published on Wednesday, 03 March 2010 16:05; Written by Scott Jason Farr, CAS

Capturing production sound is tough enough in controlled settings without adding outdoor elements into the mix. The challenges faced when working indoors, on a set or controlled locations around sunny Southern California are multiplied a thousand times when you go to remote locations like the Sahara, Arctic or North Sea.

Audio on an Indie Budget

Details: Parent Category: Production; Category: Audio; Published on Friday, 02 October 2009 13:06; Written by David John Farinella

Orloff had to find ways to adapt to the smaller budget, location and process issues that are inherent on an indie production. “I like it,” Orloff admits. “I think it keeps your perspective a little more honest. What’s the saying? Necessity is the mother of invention? That’s it in a nutshell.

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