Posts Tagged ‘Audio’
Gearhouse Has Talent when it comes to live audio broadcast
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010With audiences regularly topping 10 million, the annual Britain’s Got Talent show has become something of a national institution.
Presented by the nation’s favourite hosts Ant and Dec, the show has made household names of the likes of judge Simon Cowell and contestants such as Diversity, Susan Boyle and this years winner Spellbound.
Audio broadcast solutions
With the acts and judges performing live in front of an audience it is essential that the audio broadcast technology and solutions within the studio are of the highest possible quality.
For the fourth year running Gearhouse Broadcast were awarded the contract to supply radio microphone equipment for the judges, hosts and contestants for the ITV live studio show of Britain’s Got Talent.
Gearhouse also provide Radio Frequency (RF) solutions for ITV’s other huge talent show hit, ‘X Factor’ as well as the Britain’s Got Talent spin off, ‘Britain’s Got More Talent’.
Jakki Hewitt, Gearhouse Broadcast’s Rental Manager, said: “With our history of successfully undertaking RF projects such as Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor, we have consistently proven that we can provide our clients flexible and reliable solutions to the very highest standards.”
Planning of the show began with a detailed frequency blueprint produced by Gearhouse Broadcast’s audio specialists, and in the end no fewer than 50 channels of radio microphones were in operation.
Broadcast integration and support
Dawn Gray, Britain’s Got Talent, Line Producer for talkbackTHAMES said, “We have worked with Gearhouse Broadcast on many projects before. Highly recommended, Gearhouse proved that their audio department could tailor their service to suit any needs and any schedule that we could throw at them.”
Gearhouse Broadcast audio also managed all stages from planning, kit preparation and delivery to onsite installation. Continual on-site and off-site support is also vital to provide seamless integration of wireless radio microphones given the size of the studio and the unpredictable and spontaneous nature of the programme.
Among the very latest state-of-the-art equipment supplied to meet the very specific needs of the programme were:
- 40 Sennheiser SK5012s
- a new SK5212 bodypack transmitter
- Six SKM 5200 handheld transmitters
- Two SKP 30 plug on transmitters, which when plugged into the microphone connector instantly converts to wireless operation
- Sennheiser’s MKE Platinum clip-on lavalier microphones were used for all presenters and contestants
- A purpose built Titan ProSplit antenna combiner/splitter which fed multiple zones of RF coverage to seven racks of Sennheiser EM1046 receiver cards
What did you think of Britain’s Got Talent 2010? Did the quality of the sound increase your enjoyment of the show? Let us know.
Zoom in on new Gearhouse Broadcast Website!
Thursday, April 29th, 2010As one of the market-leading international broadcast service companies, Gearhouse Broadcast required a website capable of showcasing everything we do and all the latest developments in each sector we operate in across the globe.
Gearhouse Broadcast recently teamed up with web design and online solutions specialists Optix Solutions, to develop a new web presence capable of keeping up with the demands of such a fast-moving industry, and we are pleased to announce the new site went live this month.
Optix Solutions were charged with creating a website that is truly easy to use, quick to navigate and flexible enough to be adapted to reflect every important development in the broadcast world on a daily basis.
At the same time it highlights all the products and services available from our Sales, Rental, System Integration and Project Management departments worldwide, as well as latest company and industry news.
“We wanted a site that is not only simple and satisfying to use and lets people know what we have to offer but that also reflects our position and gravitas within the industry,” said Eamonn Dowdall,Managing Director at Gearhouse Broadcast.
“Given the business we are in it wouldn’t be right to rely on a dull static site that didn’t give the visitor a feel for just what an exciting, technical business we are in. We are absolutely delighted with the result and believe our customers and visitors will be too.”
At the click of a mouse you can check out the latest outside broadcast truck being built at our UK headquarters, what cameras are available for rent in Australia, product sales in Doha or project solutions in India.
With so much to cover, it was vital that the site was designed to be as easy as possible to navigate, to take the visitor where they want to go quickly and efficiently.
We have incorporated a specifically designed filtered search facility which enables the visitor to, for instance, find a product by type, condition (new or used) or brand. In the near future you’ll be able to bid for an ex-rental or excess stock bargain via e-auction.
Case studies are used to introduce the sheer scope of the projects that Gearhouse Broadcast are involved in day in, day out.
Visitors are offered detailed insights into everything from the technology Gearhouse Broadcast supplies to bring ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’ from the Australian rainforest to our living rooms to the creation of India’s state broadcaster Doordarshan’s first custom-built outside broadcast truck.
Specially incorporated 360° panoramic image technology allows the visitor to take a virtual tour of everything from the VTR and audio set up in a HD (High Definition) outside broadcast truck to the wiring and cabling that makes it all work.
Gearhouse Broadcast delivers The X Factor Audio Solution for 2009
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
For the sixth year running broadcast solutions provider Gearhouse Broadcast return to provide the audio systems for ‘The X Factor’, ITV’s largest music talent show.
Gearhouse Broadcast has been awarded the contract of major radio microphone and audio supplier for ITV’s hit show, ‘The X Factor’ and will work with clients, Talkback Thames and Video Sound Services to deliver a huge, complex audio system in accordance with the shows production requirements. The job is so involved that the setup and project planning for the production begins at least two months before the first studio transmission goes live on the 10th October.
Gearhouse Broadcast’s Audio division will provide the majority of all presenter and contestant radio microphones for both the ITV1 and ITV2 shows. A major change to the format of the show will see Gearhouse Broadcast not only delivering for the Saturday live show, but also for the Sunday live results show, amounting to over fifty-four channels of various RF equipment throughout the Studio. Gearhouse Broadcast’s Managing Director Eamonn Dowdall comments “Drawing on our vast experience of live television production we understand the time constraints involved and the need to work within budget and to provide reliable, quality systems. We will create a multi-purpose radio microphone solution to meet the large scale requirements of this high profile show.”
All radio equipment will be configured to meet the specifications of BAFTA award winning Sound Director, Robert Edwards of VSS Limited, who sets out the requirements for both the shows and has worked with Gearhouse Broadcast on a number of projects before including Talent TV’s ‘Test the Nation’ and ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.
In total seven x8-way receiver racks will be rigged at the Studios for use on both the ITV1 & ITV2 shows. The seven racks will be used in conjunction with a Sennheiser custom built ‘Titan X’ aerial combiner which will allow full diversity coverage throughout the studios during the shows. This type of audio solution was determined by both the ITV1 and ITV2 shows requiring not only coverage of the studio but also the backstage areas, green rooms, dressing rooms and connecting corridors all on one system so that contestants can move around the different areas.
The Titan combiner is a bespoke solution built by Gearhouse Broadcast in conjunction with Sennheiser, specifically to meet the audio RF demands of The X Factor and provide a multi-zone radio microphone system. Further audio equipment will be supplied by Gearhouse Broadcast which includes 43 x Sennheiser SK 5012 microphones and 5212 transmitters, 5 Sennheiser SKM 5200-U transmitters, 2 Sennheiser SKP 30 plug on transmitters and a set of two Sennheiser wireless in ear monitors. Due to the 54 channels of Radio Frequencies throughout the building a custom calculated frequency plan was needed to avoid any interference between the equipment. This will be developed in conjunction with the audio manufacturer Sennheiser and radio spectrum managers JFMG.
For the duration of the show Gearhouse Broadcast’s Audio division will supply full technical support and back-up to assist with the smooth running of the production.