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It's NBA finals season and I'm analyzing the games trying to figure out the audio setup. It definitely sounds like there's a mic in the basket (I'm guessing in the hinge between hoop and board) and maybe also a piezo on the board. You can hear the net splashing as well as the dunks. I'm not too sure about other mics around the center of the field as that's where you hear the ball sound and shoes lowering in intensity. Also, the space is crammed around the playing field. Do you have any knowledge of how these events are treated audio-wise? Mic setups, models, mixing techniques, ... I couldn't find any article on the subject.

saemola
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  • Not the exact answer to your question, but you'll find this podcast http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-sound-of-sports/ highly informative about the subject of sounds in sports broadcasting. A rather surprising fact, at least in somes situations parts of the audio are not actual live sounds, but fabricated ones. – José David Jun 03 '16 at 11:23
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    yes, I've actually heard that podcast a while ago. I was wondering if there was something more like this around: http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/25/5141600/any-given-sunday-the-chaos-and-spectacle-of-nfl-on-fox or this: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/how-the-gorgeous-sometimes-fictional-sound-of-the-olympics-gets-made/259742/

    I wonder how much of what we hear is pre-recorded (kinda like the Oscars' crowd cheerings)

     – saemola Jun 06 '16 at 14:06

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From what I've seen a large variety of microphones / gear are at play, especially depending on who is responsible for the event's sound, however specifically for the sounds of the court (not interviews, crowd noises, possibly player mics, etc.) often contact and array mics come up, for example:

https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/08/10/nba-returns-audio-in-the-bubble/

https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/10/19/nba-tipoff-2021-tnt-sports-will-deploy-shure-linear-mic-arrays/

Note that these are both from the same source, finding official and definitive info is difficult because commercially there is a lot at stake. You can, however, find some articles directly from the microphone manufacturers themselves or av news sites discussing the application a bit too:

https://www.q5x.com/nba-playermic-system/

https://www.avnetwork.com/news/shure-microphone-array-in-scoreboard-boosts-toronto-raptors-fan-experience

https://cortadomic.com/applications/

https://www.sportsvideo.org/2014/01/10/nba-to-resume-use-of-player-microphones/

In general, a lot of the word is that sports micing is pretty similar to that of other TV and Film, especially in function. Podium / dekstop mics in interview, shotguns at a distance in conversation or crowd (or also interview), lavs for players and coaches (anyone who might be moving quite a bit), handheld dynamics for a lot of reporting, and more. It often can happen on a more grand scale live, mixing massive channel counts down from a plethora of different mic sources, and a lot of sounds may be added in live post if what is coming in is inadequate or inappropriate.

Conner
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