
At the Ballpark: DBTV Productions Uses Chase Field as Testing Ground for New In-Venue Approach The concept of fake crowd noise emanated from this stadium By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Wednesday, August 26, 2020 - 10:18 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Although Major League Baseball is continuing with a 60-game regular season, the pulse of what makes professional baseball exciting remains at home. In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 30 in-venue departments are forging ahead with operations inside empty stadiums. SVG's At the Ballpark series takes you behind the control-room door and examines what it's like to produce a fan-less venue experience in 2020.
At one full month into the 2020 MLB season, the immense technological progress that has been made is the result of an arduous planning process. Ideas like fake crowd noise were developed prior to the season's beginning, and Chase Field, home to the Arizona Diamondbacks, was first to experiment with these new workflows.
MORE AT THE BALLPARK INTERVIEWS:
Minnesota Twins Infuse Personal Touches in Player-Centric Videoboard Production
Tampa Bay Rays Integrate Social-Media Content, Fan Videos on Tropicana Field Videoboards
Cincinnati Reds Use Unique Season To Learn New HDR Videoboard
Detroit Tigers Focus on Fan Engagement, Rely on Scrimmages for In-Venue Strategy
Mariners Productions Keeps Players, Onsite Staff on Schedule With In-Venue Routine at T-Mobile Park
New York Mets' In-Venue Show Entertains Players On-Field
Before the regular season started, we were contacted by Major League Baseball to see if we would be the venue to test out crowd sound and virtual fans for the national games on Fox, says Rob Weinheimer, VP, DBTV Productions and Game Operations, Arizona Diamondbacks. For a week, the league came into our ballpark and experimented with various systems that are being used throughout all of the stadiums.
Sounds From Chase Field: Ballpark Becomes the Lab for Fabricated Crowd Noise Rob Weinheimer (left) and PA announcer Chuck Drago in the booth at the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase field
Fake crowd noise has become commonplace within all 30 ballparks, but not many could say that a majority of the prepackaged sounds on an iPad supplied by MLB were recorded from the Diamondbacks' fanbase. In Weinheimer's case, he has some bragging rights over others in the industry.
The iPad has a very nice user interface and is loaded with sound effects, he says. These sound effects are originally from the videogame MLB The Show, and I learned that the majority of the sounds were recorded at our stadium during the 2017 season. It might be the only stadium that has our actual fans cheering, which is pretty cool.
A lot has changed at Chase Field: workers are subject to temperature checks and COVID-19 questionnaires before arriving and when entering the building, the tiering system is still blocking crews from certain areas (Weinheimer and other staffers work from home on non-game days), and safety protocols have affected the layout of the control room. Even with all these differences, the utter silence without fans is one of the biggest that both players and in-venue teams are dealing with.
One of the two main goals that I want to achieve this season is re-creating an atmosphere for the players and coaches on the field that resembles a [live] game, says Weinheimer. When we spoke with the players and asked them what the strangest thing about the season will be, they didn't say the COVID-19 changes or the shortened season but playing without fans. The players want more energy, so we've tried to make [the ballpark] more electric than we had originally planned.
Like the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field, Chase Field is an enclosed dome. With that in mind, the physical structure of the building is a factor in the pushing out proper audio levels.
All I can do is try to make it sound good in the ballpark, he says. It's up to the broadcaster [Fox Sports Arizona] and specifically their audio crew to take what I'm putting out there for their effects mics and set the level that accommodates the people at home.
Evolving Strategy: Environment Improves With Open Communication Inside a domed stadium, producing crowd noise is about finding the sweet spot for both the players and the fans watching at home.
Having the responsibility of producing fake crowd noise has almost become an entirely separate show that needs to be produced. When visual elements come into the mix, DBTV Productions is still doing its best to iron out any issues by communicating openly with colleagues.
I've approached anybody and everybody for help and feedback, says Weinheimer, but it's tough because every ballpark is different in terms of their shape, audio system, and where the speakers are facing. We've changed a lot since the first time we used the crowd noise. For example, we have these monstrous speakers out in centerfield that provide the sound for the whole bowl, but I'm not using those speakers for crowd sound. I'm using my field speakers around the bowl to try to make it sound like the sound is coming from the crowd.
With more information and advice, the production can become even better. It's ever-changing and a continuous work-in-progress, and the whole crew understands that Opening Day and the final game of the year may look drastically different.
We knew going into the season that it was going to be trial and error all of the way through, he adds. I'm sure that my show at the end of September is going to be different than how my show looks now.
Curtain Call: Saluting the Crew of DBTV Productions A look inside the DBTV Productions control room at Chase Field
As with any team in professional sports, it takes more than one individu
Most recent headlines
14/03/2025
BURLINGTON, Mass. Avid has expanded its executive leadership team (ELT) with the appointment of three experienced executives: Tom Sharma as chief technology off...
14/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. TVU Networks, a pioneer in live video production and a leader in cloud-based media solutions, is marking its 20th anniversary at the 2025 NAB ...
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
13/03/2025
Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...
13/03/2025
At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content Feature marks Rokus first women's league-branded zone within service By Bra...
13/03/2025
Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew...
13/03/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size ...
13/03/2025
IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036;...
13/03/2025
NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical...
13/03/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...
13/03/2025
Sky Business, Sky's B2B division, providing connectivity and content to busi...
13/03/2025
Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....