STAMFORD, Conn.—NBC Sports is mounting mics in unconventional places to bring the sounds of NASCAR into the living rooms of sports fans.
Whether affixed to the front of a bump on a rear quarter panel or even directly inside a driver’s helmet, DPA Microphones’ powerful 4062 Omnidirectional Miniature Lavaliers have proven to be a “game-changer,” not simply a novelty, when it comes to telling the story of a race, said Matt Hogencamp, director of remote technical operations for motorsports at NBC Sports.
“In NASCAR, grams matter, and race cars generate brutal wind speeds, punishing vibration, extreme temperature shifts and showers of track debris,” he said. “We needed mics that were small enough to hide, light enough to avoid affecting aerodynamics and strong enough to survive extreme conditions lap after lap, while still delivering top-tier audio. The 4062 checked every box and gave us a real leg up in the sound department. Now, fans can hear the gritty scrape of a car skidding along the wall without crashing or the vacuum of ‘dirty air’ when one car tucks in behind another, the sound vanishing into eerie silence.”
While new camera angles and visuals are regularly incorporated into productions, audio is just as important, Hogencamp said.
“When we put a mic under the hood, our viewers can hear the engine in a way that changes how they experience the race,” he said. “It’s like they are in the car themselves. Even more revealing, viewers can now catch a driver’s unfiltered thoughts mid-race—the adrenaline-laced monologue they usually have on their own, as they hurtle toward a 200-mile-per-hour turn. These mics nearly disappear into the car but still capture everything we want.”
The microphones perform consistently regardless of where they are placed, which reduces postproduction fixes and allows engineers to focus on the dozens of other live feeds streaming into the truck, Hogencamp said.
“Durability is another win,” he said. “During multiday events, where crews have little time for repairs, the DPA mics kept running, meaning we had fewer midrace swaps and less risk of losing key audio moments. Quick mounting and low maintenance also made life easier in the high-pressure environment of race day, where every second of setup time is precious.”
For NBC Sports, the future of NASCAR broadcasting lies in this blend of technical ingenuity and creative risk-taking. With DPA on board, Hogencamp expresses confidence the audio side of the sport will only get more immersive.
“We’re always looking for new ways to put viewers closer to the action,” he said. “With DPA, we’re not just showing them the race—we’re letting them feel it.”
More information is available on the company’s website.
