Archive of the Microphones, accessories Category

John Casali Uses B-Format ST350 Microphone On Robert Downey, Jnr’s Sherlock Holmes

(Pictured right, John Casali with his SoundField ST350 on the set of his new project)

The end of 2009 is currently the planned release date for the latest filmed addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon, starring Robert Downey Jnr and Jude Law in an almost irreverent take on the story of Baker Street’s most famous detective. Downey Jnr’s clumsy, tousle-headed, slightly risqué version of Holmes is far removed from the calculating, ice-cool character portrayed by the likes of Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett in the past, and yet somehow, it all works brilliantly.

Exterior filming for the new Holmes film began in early 2009 in suitably old-fashioned locations in Liverpool, London, Chatham and Manchester, with Second Unit sound recordings being overseen by freelance Sound Mixer John more

Satellite Broadcaster Buys Eight SoundField Stereo-to-5.1 Upmix Processors

European satellite broadcaster BSkyB, better known as Sky, has purchased eight of SoundField’s stereo-to-5.1 upmix processors for live use in their studios and outside broadcast facilities. The SoundField UPM-1 (pictured right) is a 1U, 19-inch rack processor which can create a convincing, phase-coherent 5.1 surround panorama from stereo audio in real time, without adding any reverb or unwanted additional phase shifts. It does this by adaptively analysing the two-channel stereo material, separating the content into its ambient and direct components, and placing any material from the centre of the original stereo mix, such as commentary or dialogue, into the Centre channel of the resulting 5.1 panorama. For HD broadcasters, the UPM-1 ensures that most audio can be broadcast in fold-down friendly surround sound, without obvious moments when the broadcast soundscape narrows to more

Italy’s Soccer Championship and Champions/Europa League Events Covered in HD Video and Dolby Surround Sound for Mediaset, Sky Italy and Rai

NAPOLI, ITALY, NOVEMBER 18, 2009 — Frame S.P.A, a leading Italian-based television production company specializing in both national and international broadcasts, turned to Holophone’s H2-PRO for Italy’s Soccer Championship and several Champions/Europa League Events. The soccer events were shot in Dolby surround sound, thanks to Holophone’s H2-PRO, as well as high-definition video, and were broadcast on leading Italian television networks Mediaset, Sky Italy and Rai. more

ONTARIO, CANADA, NOVEMBER 16, 2009 — Holophone®, the leading manufacturer of surround microphones, is now shipping its PortaMic 5.1 and PortaMic Pro camera-mountable surround microphones. Holophone’s PortaMic 5.1 is an easy-to-use and cost-effective means of recording surround sound directly to a camera or any stereo recording device, while its PortaMic Pro microphone is based on the design of the PortaMic 5.1, but offers a wider feature set designed for professional applications, also in a compact size at an aggressive price point. more

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: TransAudio Group, the worldwide distributor for BOCK AUDIO, is introducing the new BOCK 50 omni-tube microphone at the 127th AES Convention in New York. Focused on a tradition that stretches back to classical orchestral recording microphones of the 1950s, the BOCK omni-directional BOCK 50 is similarly intended to capture the natural ambience of groups of acoustic instruments, from small ensembles to large orchestras. It is particularly well-suited for use in a Decca Tree configuration.

The BOCK 50 features a half-inch diaphragm mounted in a sphere offering unique frequency-dependant directional characteristics. The capsule is mated to BOCK-designed tube electronics for wide bandwidth and dynamics. In addition, the custom BOCK inductor loaded linear power supply offers the best combination of long-term power, low noise floor and high-end mic sonic performance.

BOCK AUDIO, established in 2007, builds the personal designs developed more

Los Angeles, CA – November 2009… Location sound work always presents unique challenges, but for the crew tasked with capturing the sights and sounds of many of our planet’s most beautiful—and remote—fishing destinations, the job becomes even more demanding. Such is the case for George Clark, Executive Producer of HOOKED on the Fly, a new sport fishing program that will air on the Sportsman Channel come December 29th. The show’s production crew routinely encounters extreme weather conditions that pose serious threats to their electronic equipment, but when it comes to capturing audio, their wireless microphone systems from Lectrosonics deliver in a big way. more

Buena Park, CA – October 2009… Hosa Technology, the leading innovator of analog and digital connectivity solutions for the modern musician and audio/video professional, and distributor of Da-Cappo Micro Microphones throughout the Americas, is pleased to announce the introduction of the Da-Cappo DA15 Cardioid Earset Microphone with Earbud Monitor. By combining a discreet earset microphone with an in-ear monitor, the new Da-Cappo DA15 provides unparalleled comfort and unprecedented freedom of movement for onstage performers and production staff alike. more

Adds New Dimension to Audio for Chinese New Year Parade Broadcast

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — KTVU, San Francisco’s local Fox affiliate, is bringing the audio for its special events coverage — most specifically the station’s coverage of the city’s Chinese New Year Parade — to the next level with Holophone®’s H4 SuperMINI Camera-mountable surround microphone.

The largest celebration of the Chinese New Year outside of Asia, San Francisco’s parade attracts visitors from all over the world. For over 20 years it has been KTVU’s task to bring the sights and sounds of the event to viewers at home. This year, in addition to the event being broadcast in HD, Mark Metzler, Operations Supervisor of KTVU and one of the sound designers for the show, wanted to further enhance the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound mix more

H4 SuperMINI and PortaMic Line Now Available with Software Bundle

NEW YORK — Holophone®, the leading manufacturer of surround microphones, announces an exclusive deal to offer its Dolby Pro Logic II licensed microphones, the H4 SuperMINI, PortaMic 5.1 and PortaMic Pro, exclusively bundled with Minnetonka Audio’s SurCode™ for Dolby® Pro Logic® II software at AES 2009 (Booth 868). A Holophone representative will be at the Minnetonka booth space at AES to showcase how each company’s products can work seamlessly together, side-by-side.

“In keeping up with the needs of today’s computer-based audio engineer, Holophone is now offering a digital solution for decoding and encoding audio from our Dolby-licensed surround mics,” says Holophone CEO Jonathan Godfrey. “Collaborating with Minnetonka Audio’s SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II was a natural choice for us, as its products seamlessly integrate with our surround mics to offer a more

Affordable 5.1 Version of the H2-PRO Now Available

NEW YORK, NY — Holophone®, the leading manufacturer of surround microphones, is now shipping its H2-5.1 surround microphone, exclusively equipped with Sennheiser’s MKE series microphone capsules. The H2-5.1 offers users the same power and audio quality of the H2-PRO in an affordable 5.1 package. Ideal for productions solely requiring a superior discrete 5.1 surround recording, Holophone’s H2-5.1 will be available immediately.

Based on the company’s flagship model, the H2-PRO, the H2-5.1 features six Sennheiser microphone capsules arranged to correspond with the typical 5.1 speaker setup found in a studio or home theater. This configuration allows the H2-5.1 to easily and effortlessly capture, from a single point, an extremely accurate 5.1 surround recording with no signal manipulation required. The mic’s six channels of audio are output to six separate XLR connectors. With the H2-5.1 retailing more