HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA – This year’s US Open of Surfing, a nine-day broadcast event in which the top surfers in the world compete for $100,000, featured the use of Sennheiser MKH digital microphones. Attended by over 500,000 people and held on a beach stretching 300 yards, the event was supported by Hollywood, CA-based Coffey Sound used the MKH 8060 and MKH 8070 mics equipped with MZD 8000 digital output modules. The mics offered the weather resistance required for a seaside environment that included wind, moisture and salty air.
Gary Vahling, rental manager at Coffey Sound, served as A1 broadcast mixer at the surf venue and handled sound design for two other venues showcased at the event: BMX riding and skateboarding bowl. His primary challenge was to capture the fans and the natural sound of the ocean. He used two Sennheiser MKH8070 shotgun mics and Sennheiser MZD 8000 digital output modules, which were fed into a Neumann DMI 2 AES42 interface.
Vahling credited the Sennheiser digital mics’ sound quality as “outstanding,” noting the “very complex” nature of ocean sound. “There is a wispy-ness, a lot of foam and a lot of bubbles. We really wanted to capture all this and make it translate for the viewer so they feel like they are there – whether they are watching on television or over the Internet.”
The MKH 8070s were placed in a spaced pair arrangement, approximately 25 feet apart from one another and about 150 feet from the water, where the microphone platform and rack equipment were situated.
In addition to the pair of MKH 8070 digital microphones, Vahling also used two Sennheiser MKH 70s as spot mics on the crowd, and two Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld transmitters, which were used for sideline reports with the surfers.
The broadcast truck was situated about 300 yards from the surfing venue, and connected via fiber optic cable.
For more information, visit: www.sennheiserusa.com.
