After more than two years of technology development, subcommittee discussions and field tests, on February 23rd the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) recommended that North American broadcasters choosing to migrate to the next-generation ATSC 3.0 specification use the Dolby AC-4 codec for OTA transmission. The Dolby system was up against a group of companies that have developed a competing system known as MPEG-H Audio
As a sound recordist, you probably know about basic equalization, or EQ. It is found on most audio mixers today. But do you understand parametric EQ — the more precise form of equalization? If not, you should.
Every year the NFL Super Bowl creates a level of excitement uncommon for most sporting events and this year’s event was no exception. The broadcast provided viewers with a dazzling Lady Gaga half-time show and the stunning and record-breaking, come from behind 34 – 28 win by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
As the majority of loudspeaker drive units in use today are electromagnetic, John Watkinson thinks it appropriate to say something about the subject.
It has long been an open secret in video production: great sound is far more important than the quality of the images. Surround, or even stereo audio, can dramatically improve an average quality picture on virtually any kind of programming — from news and documentary to feature films.
Whenever doing a professional voice recording, de-essing — the reduction of excessive sibilant consonants — is often a persistent issue. There are many techniques to get rid of this offensive sound from recordings of the human voice.
New IT-based technologies have been adopted more readily and sooner in some parts of the broadcast production chain than others. Super Bowl LI illustrated that with the intercom and general communications operation taking place almost completely in the IP domain, using a combination of Dante running over RTS’ OMNEO platform, while audio distribution and networking continued to rely on older formats such as MADI.
Often called “walk-and-talk” recording, videographers are often confronted with recording the audio of subjects in their workplace or during an interview with two or more people walking in full motion. Here’s how to insure excellent audio.