SoundField Success At IBC

A UK-based outside broadcast facilities company SISLIVE has revealed that it has purchased a SoundField DSF-2 digital microphone system and accompanying DSF-3 surround-sound processor.
The DSF-2/DSF-3 pairing made its debut on SISLIVE's high-definition coverage of 2008's Wimbledon tennis tournament for BBC Sport in June, and has since been used for the live coverage of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, which has just concluded.
According to SISLIVE OB sound supervisor Bill Whiston, who experimented with surround sound recording as a BBC OB sound engineer for many years, SoundField's digital microphone system has been a big step forward.
I've been interested in the SoundField microphone for years, ever since it was introduced as a Calrec product", commented Whiston. "The digital version and the DSF-3 have made surround sound for broadcast very simple."
Visitors to IBC in Amsterdam also heard that, in March, the microphone company SoundField was instrumental in bringing 5.1 surround sound to live Spanish television for what is believed to be the broadcast debut of live surround audio on the Iberian peninsula.
Spanish PayTV channel Sogecable elected to follow the lead of other European broadcasters such as Sky TV and Premiere and begin broadcasting high-definition video and audio, commencing with the March 5th UEFA Champions League soccer clash between Real Madrid and AS Roma.
A SoundField DSF-2 microphone provided the basis for the broadcast 5.1 audio mix, supplementing the usual microphone set-up used for recording Real Madrid games. The proprietary four-channel SoundField B-Format audio captured by the microphone was decoded to 5.1 Surround by a SoundField SP451 processor, and this 5.1 feed was then passed into the main mixing console in the on-site OB vehicle at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, which was provided by Spanish broadcast services provider TSA.
"I've been working with the DSF-2 for some time, using it on the 2006 World Cup and for 5.1 audio on Sky's HD broadcasts" commented engineer Mick Dwyer of Dolby, who was instrumental in arranging the use of the SoundField equipment at the Spanish game, and carried the DSF-2 and SP451 to Spain personally for the match.
"It's the surround microphone system that actually works - plug it in, rig the SP451, and 5.1 comes out. End of story!"
SoundField was also showing their SPS200 Software Controlled microphone, the most affordable mic in their range, at IBC 2008.
Despite being the 'baby' of the SoundField range, the concept and technology of the SPS200 is derived directly from the more expensive SoundField models and utilises the full capsule array, which is at the heart of all SoundField microphones.
The SPS200 is ideal for one-camera location recording teams who need to originate 5.1 audio surround recording - if you have a laptop, you can generate a wide range of audio formats simultaneously if required, the decoding and control all handled by the software plug-in. At a mere 220 grammes (about half a pound), the mic itself is also well suited to such field recording activities. For more information on the SPS200, come to the SoundField booth at IBC.
(BMcC)