
TVBEurope speaks to sound supervisor Richard Meredith
Author:
Jenny PriestleyPublish date:
Nov 2, 2017Social count:
0
TVBEurope speaks to sound supervisor Richard Meredith
0
SHARES
There's no question The Great British Bake Off is now a key part of the British broadcast year. Those worried by the show's move from the BBC to Channel 4 have found the its ingredients stayed pretty much the same, instead of a Victoria Sponge, Channel 4 served up a fruit cake the same basic mix with Noel Fielding added in for a bit of flavour. Despite Prue Leith's Twitter blunder, fans switched on in their millions to find out who would be crowned this year's winner.
Of course, one of the key ingredients to any show's success is how it sounds. And with a show like Bake Off, recording the audio isn't a piece of cake, as sound supervisor Richard Meredith tells TVBEurope, There are several challenges in terms of sound and baking, he explains. There's the noise of the other bakers, and because it's a timed challenge you can't stop them blending or whisking.
The bakers always end up mixing dough at the same time, right at the start when the producers are trying to get their initial thoughts on the challenge. So most often the start of a bake is one of the hardest times for us to collect the audio.
We've got several rules that we try to follow, explains Meredith. We try to leave two adjacent benches distance so there's some isolation between one bakers voice or mixer bleeding across onto the radio mic of another baker. Also, when they do the presenter and judge visits, we endeavour to have a limit on how high they can have their mixer. We don't stop them, we just try and control the speed of the mixer a little bit.
Bake Off uses radio mics for all the bakers, judges and presenters. We can't boom anything because there's a big wide shot on a jib and we'd constantly be in that shot, explains Meredith. There's always a wide shot at the back just filming nice shots of the bakers going about their business. If we boomed we would be constantly in it.
Meredith oversees a team of four sound recordists working in the main area of the tent, while the sound supervisor is monitoring the audio feeds in the gallery.
The sound supervisor sits in the gallery with the director when I say gallery, it is in part of the tent, he explains. The sound supervisor is monitoring all the audio feeds from the radio mics. We record an isolated audio feed there in the gallery which ensures all the radio mics are kept separate so that when the producers get back to post production they can pick and choose what they want to hear at any point to match whatever a camera happens to be doing.
The floor recordists effectively derive a local scratch mix' which is a rough mix, so if somebody wants to review camera shots later for logging purposes, before it goes fully into post production, they have got a reference audio they can hear. If you're logging and you can see people but you can't hear then it makes it very difficult. So the floor recordists generate an audio scratch mix while we're in the tent and this mix is available if there are any floor producers who need to listen in to conversations too.
Another of the big challenges of working on a show like Bake Off is the sheer amount of footage that's filmed in the tent. Some challenges can last up to five hours, meaning the production team need all the cameras and mics to be synced to the exact time. In order to ensure all the kit is all operating correctly, the Bake Off team use UltraSync One from Timecode Systems.
There are two elements of syncing cameras and audio together. One is Timecode and the other is Genlock, explains Meredith.
Timecode is just a counting number, you're squirting into the camera and the sound recorders. So at that point the cameras and sound recorders still bear no relation to each other. They're just several devices around the set getting a feed of time code. So by giving cameras a synchronisation pulse in addition to the timecode actually ensures a high level of accuracy.
"The UltraSync One is the smallest and most economical product on the market at the moment that can provide both Timecode and Genlock wirelessly, which is essential in an environment like the Bake Off tent.
There's one more element that can lead to the show's sound falling flat: the great British weather. In almost every series, there's bound to be one filming weekend when the heavens open.
But the Bake Off team even have that under control. People say how on earth do you film when it's raining?' Well the Bake Off tent has its conical peaks on it, which have become synonymous as a visual feature of that tent, they're not there by accident, says Meredith.
That was part of the tent design, because when it rains, the rain falls on those cones and runs off. If you had a normal pitched tent roof, you would have all the rain hitting the ceiling of the tent only a few feet above the bakers. Those cones do help us with rain noise.
Most recent headlines
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
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....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...