Here is and old article from a few season back:
http://www.prosoundweb.com/install/applications/crd/crd.php
Wireless systems in capturing the sonic fury of pro football
To capture more realistic game-action sounds for a team video, the A/V production crew of the Arizona Cardinals NFL (National Football League) franchise has devised a successful way to place wireless microphone systems on the players.
The solution proved highly successful despite the fact that the players are subject to some of the most violent collisions this side of head-on car accidents. And, as expected, the wireless systems were able to more accurately capture the unique and often frightening sonic energy generated by this intense impact, in contrast to the standard parabolic and shotgun mics that were the previous standard for this application.
Further, it allows clean capture of dialog between players, coaches and game officials, helping to bring fans a more realistic view of what’s really happening on the field.
The approach proved so successful that the team video, titled “Maximum Cardinals by Alltel,” was nominated for five regional Emmy Awards. Cardinals Director of Broadcast Craig Amazeen, producer of the video, notes that four of the five nominations were directly linked to the new audio approach, and the crew has continued to implement the approach as the 2002 season nears kickoff.
Specifically, prior to a game, the crew secures Sennheiser Evolution EW 500 wireless system bodypack transmitters players shoulder pads, linked by a cable taped under the pads to MKE 2 lavalier microphones also taped to the front/center of the pads. The systems are supplied to a select players each game - not all players are outfitted with systems.
"On a Friday prior to a game, Kevin Jacobsen, our broadcast coordinator and show producer, secures the transmitters on the back of the shoulder pads," Amazeen explains. "Then he runs the mic under the plastic front shell of the shoulder pads to the center front 'tie-zone.
'The pads with the transmitter and mic are then thrown into the players' equipment bag and later loaded on the truck with other gear piled on top of it.
On Sunday morning, the crew unloads the gear into the locker room. About two hours prior to game time, the broadcast crew goes in, finishes securing the mic to the shoulder pads, and turns the unit on. The designated player puts on the gear and hits the field. It's amazing! We cover the entire game without having a signal interrupted or changing batteries.
"The MKE 2s omni-directional pickup pattern delivers some truly great audio we couldn't have provided any other way," he adds. The companion EW 500 wireless receivers are strapped onto Canon XL-1 Main ISO cameras on the sidelines, which capture the images to go with the dramatic sounds.
“The EW 500 Series wireless mic system is incredibly small yet rugged, which makes a huge difference in the type of programming we're going after," Amazeen says. "We don't have the option of changing the transmitter's battery during the game, and we can't even think of distracting from the player's performance with a bulky or heavy transmission device. With the EW 500 in virtually every play of the game, our broadcast is a 'more real than real' hyper-sensory experience. I don't think the most expensive wireless units out there could deliver the action like the EW 500.”
http://www.prosoundweb.com/install/applications/crd/crd.php
Wireless systems in capturing the sonic fury of pro football
To capture more realistic game-action sounds for a team video, the A/V production crew of the Arizona Cardinals NFL (National Football League) franchise has devised a successful way to place wireless microphone systems on the players.
The solution proved highly successful despite the fact that the players are subject to some of the most violent collisions this side of head-on car accidents. And, as expected, the wireless systems were able to more accurately capture the unique and often frightening sonic energy generated by this intense impact, in contrast to the standard parabolic and shotgun mics that were the previous standard for this application.
Further, it allows clean capture of dialog between players, coaches and game officials, helping to bring fans a more realistic view of what’s really happening on the field.
The approach proved so successful that the team video, titled “Maximum Cardinals by Alltel,” was nominated for five regional Emmy Awards. Cardinals Director of Broadcast Craig Amazeen, producer of the video, notes that four of the five nominations were directly linked to the new audio approach, and the crew has continued to implement the approach as the 2002 season nears kickoff.
Specifically, prior to a game, the crew secures Sennheiser Evolution EW 500 wireless system bodypack transmitters players shoulder pads, linked by a cable taped under the pads to MKE 2 lavalier microphones also taped to the front/center of the pads. The systems are supplied to a select players each game - not all players are outfitted with systems.
"On a Friday prior to a game, Kevin Jacobsen, our broadcast coordinator and show producer, secures the transmitters on the back of the shoulder pads," Amazeen explains. "Then he runs the mic under the plastic front shell of the shoulder pads to the center front 'tie-zone.
'The pads with the transmitter and mic are then thrown into the players' equipment bag and later loaded on the truck with other gear piled on top of it.
On Sunday morning, the crew unloads the gear into the locker room. About two hours prior to game time, the broadcast crew goes in, finishes securing the mic to the shoulder pads, and turns the unit on. The designated player puts on the gear and hits the field. It's amazing! We cover the entire game without having a signal interrupted or changing batteries.
"The MKE 2s omni-directional pickup pattern delivers some truly great audio we couldn't have provided any other way," he adds. The companion EW 500 wireless receivers are strapped onto Canon XL-1 Main ISO cameras on the sidelines, which capture the images to go with the dramatic sounds.
“The EW 500 Series wireless mic system is incredibly small yet rugged, which makes a huge difference in the type of programming we're going after," Amazeen says. "We don't have the option of changing the transmitter's battery during the game, and we can't even think of distracting from the player's performance with a bulky or heavy transmission device. With the EW 500 in virtually every play of the game, our broadcast is a 'more real than real' hyper-sensory experience. I don't think the most expensive wireless units out there could deliver the action like the EW 500.”
