OLD LYME, CONN.—FIFA World Cup Host Broadcast Services is using wireless and wired microphones from Sennheiser, including the new Esfera surround microphone system, to capture the stadium atmosphere as realistically as possible and to provide the matches with commentaries and pitchside reports.
For HBS, which has been producing such events since 2002, preparations have long been underway — the equipment and teams required for Brazil have been on-site since the beginning of April, carrying out intensive groundwork in order to ensure smooth broadcasts from the twelve stadia.
In Brazil, HBS will, for the first time, use Sennheiser’s new Esfera surround microphone system, which produces complete 5.1 surround sound from the signal of a compact stereo microphone.
“With Esfera, we can create 5.1 sound with ease—even in post-production. Due to their compact construction and the small amount of cabling required, Esfera microphones will be used in a number of areas in the stadia, e.g. in the players’ tunnel, outside to capture the atmosphere and in the Camera 1 position as a fail-safe for 5.1 surround sound,” a spokesperson from HBS said.
A total of 36 Esfera microphones (SPM 8000) will record the sound in the twelve stadia; in the International Broadcast Centre, two Esfera processing units (SPB 8000) will then be used to produce 5.1 sound from the stereo signals.
The sound of volleys and goal kicks will be captured using around 300 shotgun microphones, including MKH 8070 long gun microphones for
