SVG Summit:CONNECT - Enhanced Crowd Sound, Next Generation Audio Are Major Topics Comms become more complex with COVID-spurred reliance on literally at-home' production By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Monday, December 21, 2020 - 11:21 am
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As the SVG Summit does every December, SVG Summit:CONNECT brought the world of broadcast sports together over Zoom instead of over cocktails at the New York Hilton. But the effect was the same: a robust exchange of ideas as the industry approached the finale of a remarkable year.
Audio was very much on the table. Not surprising, since sound - or the lack of it in largely COVID-shuttered stadiums and arenas - was the silent hallmark of the early days of sports' shutdown. Then things became quite noisy, as networks and sports leagues and teams rapidly developed a slew of systems for producing enhanced crowd-sound.
The Distraction of Empty Stadiums' In fact, it was the initial silence of the stands that compelled broadcasters to address the need for some kind of encompassing sound for games on television.
It's subtle, observed Onnie Bose, VP, broadcasting, NFL. You may not think about it, but you know just the presence of that crowd makes a difference. The presence of something can be a distraction, but [its] absence can also be a distraction.
There are many kinds of philosophical and editorial points of view, he continued. [Such as,] do you want the authenticity? You have the unique opportunity to hear more from the field than ever, but we thought it was important to make sure we had that. It created, he said, a meaningful difference in how you experienced [a] game on TV. Ultimately, he concluded, artificial crowd sounds remove the distraction of empty stadiums.
Bose went on to point out that the German Bundesliga had been an early participant in what would become a massive audio undertaking throughout sports globally. Our friends at Fox [Sports] connected us with them, he added, underscoring another aspect of sports during the COVID era: the remarkable collegiality between the various networks and league offices. It was a theme that would surface often during the Summit.
Bose credited NFL Films' vast audio archive, which the league mined for highly specific content to create indigenous virtual crowds particular to each team and stadium, and NFL Films VP/Supervising Sound Mixer Vince Caputo for curating the audio files.
Panelists for the Inside the NBA Bubble With ESPN and Turner Sports session
It was a similar narrative for the NBA, whose artificial fan noise gave psychological boosts to players. During the session Inside the NBA Bubble With ESPN and Turner Sports - which featured Turner Sports VP, Operations and Technology, Chris Brown; ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer Tim Corrigan; and ESPN Senior Remote Operations Specialist Eddie Okuno - panel moderator Steve Hellmuth, EVP, media operations and technology, NBA Entertainment, noted, The players told us to turn it up. The virtual fans gave us the sense that there were fans there. The sounds come from the home teams, so it's as real as it can get.
The NBA will continue to use enhanced crowd sound when it begins its 2021 season in January, Paul Benedict, VP, broadcasting content management, NBA, confirmed for SVG. That and other crowd-noise platforms will be part of what Corrigan described as the industry's spirit of access and growth and innovation that we want to bring forward. We'll figure it out because that's what we do.
Golf had a unique experience with live sound this year: golfers wired for sound or near open microphones found that, without the masking noise of crowds around them, their occasionally expletive-laden banter might make it to air. As Mike Francis, VP, remote engineering, CBS Sports, put it to the panel during Inside PGA and The Majors 2020, Would you want to wear a microphone while you're playing golf? - a query that drew knowing laughter.
But, as with other sports, the intimate sound from the links is drawing viewers in, and most profanity can be contained with delays.
Fans clearly enjoy it and love having the access, said David Dukes, senior director, technical operations, PGA TOUR Entertainment. Most of the challenges come from the logistical standpoint. It's a very individualized decision [to wear a microphone], and, right now, it'll be used on a limited basis. We'd love to do more of it, but it's something that the players will have to get more and more used to. They're naturally nervous about putting themselves out there for that long, but it definitely gives fans some insight.
Panelist Kevin Landy, senior director, broadcasting and production, USGA, noted that the suddenly stark dialog available on the golf course is affecting production techniques.
It's technology that's changing production philosophy, he asserted. As you get that great sound from the course, you need the announcers to lay out.
Added Dukes, It's a combination of announcers and players. Some [players] are more chatty than others; some are gonna be more quiet; some are going to be more entertaining to listen to. It's that give-and-take that the announcers are going to have to read and understand who's likely to jump in where.
Tennis also had its own unique moments when it came to crowd sounds. Patti Fallick, managing director, broadcast, USTA, found that, while tennis players largely ignored artificial crowd sounds, getting a good balance of appropriate sounds was important for the broadcasts.
Everyone has very different feelings about crowd noise, and finding the right balance was a challenge, she said, adding that the community that broadcast sports comprises - including SVG as an important hub for knowledge dissemination -
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SVG Summit:CONNECT - Enhanced Crowd Sound, Next Generation Audio Are Major Topics Comms become more complex with COVID-spurred reliance on literally at-home' production By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
