FIFA World Cup production company Host Broadcast Services (HBS) have chosen wireless and wired microphones from Sennheiser for coverage of the 2014 tournament, including the new Esfera surround system. The systems will capture stadium atmosphere, as well as provide the match commentaries and pitchside reports.

For HBS – which has been producing similar sports events since 2002 – got its equipment and teams required in Brazil have on-site at the beginning of April, carrying out intensive groundwork in order to ensure smooth broadcasts from the 12 stadia. Part of this preparation covered first use of Sennheiser’s Esfera suround system, which produces 5.1 surround-sound from a compact stereo microphone.

‘For us, high-quality images and high-quality sound go hand-in-hand,’ says an HBS spokesperson. ‘And with Esfera we can create 5.1 sound with ease – even in postproduction. 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 – in the players’ tunnel, outside to capture the atmosphere and in the Camera 1 position as a fail-safe for 5.1 surround.’

A total of 36 Esfera microphones (SPM 8000) will record the sound in the 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.

Spot sounds from the pitch will be captured using around 300 shotgun microphones, including MKH 8070 long gun microphones for the very precise recording of distant sound sources, MKH 8060 short gun microphones and MKH 418-S stereo shotgun microphones. MD 46 reporter micrs will also be used pitchside.

Twenty-four plug-on transmitters from the 2000 series will be used for wireless boom microphones and for spidercam-mounted MKH 8060s. Every camera team will also have a wireless reporting set (EK 2000 camera receiver and SK 2000 bodypack transmitter with MKE 1 clip-on microphone) and a wired MD 46 reporter microphone at its disposal. The audio signal will be monitored via HD 25 headphones.

Background reports on the teams and other stories from Brazil are a key element of the broadcast coverage. For these, HBS has put together additional wireless packages for reporters – 40 wireless reporting sets with technology from the 2000 series will handle sound transmission (EK 2000 camera receivers and SKM 2000 handheld transmitters with MMD 935 microphone heads), while 40 talkback links will enable reporters to maintain contact with editorial staff (SK 2000 transmitters and EK 1039 bodypack receivers with HD 25 headphones).

‘The demands regarding broadcasting from Brazil will be very high – image and sound quality must be excellent,’ says Wolfgang Guse, Sales Director Professional Systems at Sennheiser Vertrieb und Service. HBS has been working with us for a long time and has again, in Brazil, chosen to rely on our high-quality products.’

HBS equipment:

Additional equipment for team news:

More: www.sennheiser.com