Lectrosonics, Inc.
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
United States
NEW YORK, MARCH 3, 2016 — When the Lifetime Network’s hit show Project Runway: All Stars hit the
catwalk for its fourth season, A1 and Lead Board Mixer Sergio Reyes-Sheehan and
Audio Supervisor Adam Howell turned to industry leaders DPA Microphones, Lectrosonics and Sound Devices
to create a stylish audio equipment package for the show.
Project
Runway: All Stars is a spin-off series based on Project Runway. Season 5 featured 14 of the most talented Project Runway designers who returned to
compete in the biggest and most competitive season ever. In this cut-throat
season, former standout designers came back to New York to compete for runway
gold.
Reyes-Sheehan and Howell have
completed three seasons of Project
Runway: All Stars together, and the two worked closely on the best way to
handle a show of this nature. “Our team was great and was picked specifically
for their strengths,” says Reyes-Sheehan. “It started with our supervisor Adam
Howell, a veteran location and studio sound mixer/recordist. He worked
closely with the post-production team to help keep us all on the same page.
This was extremely important given the many sources of audio and daily changes
a competition reality show undergoes.”
With a cast of over 26 members,
Reyes-Sheehan relied on DPA d:screet™ 4060 and 4061 Miniature and Necklace
Microphones for the production. The mics were used for the shows main hosts and
special guests, as well as on the designers. The designers themselves presented
some unique miking challenges. Among them were several loud talkers and many
wore creative, skin-baring outfits and accessories, which a regular-sized lav
mic would have been a distraction. According to Reyes-Sheehan, “I purchased the
DPA mics for specific use on another show. I came to completely rely upon DPA
over the general reality show standard mics from other manufacturers. In
addition, there are very few lavs on the market with such a small cable that
can be hidden on jewelry and otherwise sheer clothing while also sounding
natural, making them the obvious choice for the production.”
In addition to the DPA microphones,
the team used a selection of Sound Devices mixers and recorders, including a
rack-mount 970 recorder, a 664 and two 633 field production mixers, two 788T
recorders, two 552 field mixers, and two MM-1 mic preamps. To that, the team
added four Lectrosonics Venue rack receivers housing five different blocks (19,
21, 22, 25 and 26) for the show’s on-camera talent. Reyes-Sheehan mixed the
main board and Venue system into the Sound Devices 970. The board and racks
were all on the Dante™ network, which served the teams’ needs very
well.
“When I became audio supervisor for
Project Runway: All Stars season 2,
the first change I made was to swap out the talent wireless brand to
Lectrosonics from the previously used system. Having exclusively owned
Lectro for over a decade, I can rely on second to none performance with solid
stage coverage and exceptional range for location/field shoots,” adds Howell.
“User friendly, well respected and highly dependable, Lectro is integral to
each project that I supervise.”
“There was a lot of prep production on location to coordinate the frequencies
in play,” adds Reyes-Sheehan. “There were also live frequency scans being
done all day while on different locations to offer the most knowledge of what
was happening around us. There were always anomalies, but we did very well in
making quick decisions with the many years of knowledge between us all.”
The field mixing bags, used to mix
and record on the fly, were each designated to a different camera. These
signals were captured in IFB mode to simplify the amount of transmitters on
site. The alternative was either mono or two-channel hops from each bag and an
IFB transmitter for production to monitor the scene.
“The amount of wireless used had
greatly entangled an already complicated production in the past,” says
Reyes-Sheehan. “These days, a proper post mix is done with the main Sound
Devices 970 tracks, not the field recorders. Limiting the amount of
wireless has been very helpful, as it has allowed us to achieve clean
frequencies for all the talent wireless.”
Reyes-Sheehan
says the resulting sound quality throughout the latest season was noticed by
all, especially the client. “For Project
Runway: All Stars it was a fantastic partnership of DPA mics, Lectrosonics
wireless and Sound Devices mixers/recorders that gave us an edge over previous
years, which was ultimately recognized by production,” he says. “Having a
client notice how much better things are sounding and how easy we were to work
with is the best feedback one can aim for in this business. Our decision to use
DPA, Lectrosonics and Sound Devices has worked out great and has created an
all-star trio of its own.”
Central Ohio Audio Video
6650 Busch Blvd.
Columbus, OH 43229
USA
(614) 848-5222
http://www.centralohav.com/
FAQ
Can I return an item for credit?
Hours of Operation?
Private Policy, Personal Data, and Cookies
View More
Links
Contact Info
6650 Busch Blvd.
Columbus, OH 43229
Office: (877) 432-8273
Fax: (614) 848-6189