Prism Sound Orpheus - Audio Media

++SOUNDFIELD + + + + SOUNDFIELD+ + + + SOUNDFIELD+ + + + SOUNSurround RecordingFrom A Single MicrophoneWhat other microphone systems can producesimultaneous mono, stereo, M/S and surroundfrom a single mic? With their surround-ready mictechnology, it’s easy to see why SoundField systemsare the products of choice for many HD broadcastersworking in surround...All over the world, TV companies aregearing up for the move from StandardDefinition (SD) to High Definition (HD)broadcasting, for which 5.1 surround is themain required audio standard. As a result,the number of broadcasters who require aquick and easy method of capturing audioin 5.1 whilst maintaining compatibility forstereo SD transmissions is increasing fast.Using SoundField technology there’s noneed for costly multi-microphone arrays,spaced capsule ‘dummy heads’ or complexrecording techniques – and the multichannelaudio that SoundField generates iscompletely phase-coherent (see ‘HowIt Works’).UK microphone manufacturer SoundFieldhave made multi-capsule single-micsystems capable of outputting mono, stereo,M/S and surround sound for many years –Sky Sports have permanently installed DSF-2systems at UK Premiership grounds to capture 5.1stadium ambience for their HD soccer coverage.the core technology being the company’sproprietary three-dimensional audio signalwhich each microphone system generates,known as SoundField B-Format. Now thecompany’s designers have dedicated nearlyfive years refining and improving theirtechnology to produce a new range of digitalmicrophone systems for HD broadcast –the first of which is the DSF-2 BroadcastMicrophone System.SoundField DigitalThe DSF-2 was designed specifically forthe broadcast market, with much inputfrom professionals at Sky Sports who hadpreviously been using analogue SoundFieldproducts in the field. The all-digital designoffers a high-quality, accurate signal path,and the microphone can be used to generatestereo and surround audio for simultaneousSD and HD transmissions at up to 300metres from its associated processor.The processor, in turn, can be situated up toa kilometre from the associated OB vehicle,providing a reliable operating distance ofup to 1.3 kilometres from the microphonehead. This offers a further unique advantagein outside broadcast situations where theremote vehicle is situated a long way fromthe action being filmed.The 1U-rack DSF-2 controller unitoffers live decoding to stereo, stereo M/S,and SoundField B-Format. The stereosignal may be output directly from theDSF-2 in the analogue or digital domainvia rear-panel XLRs or AES/75Ω BNCconnectors respectively, while the StereoM/S and B-Format signals are outputdigitally. From here, the digital B-Formatsignals may be decoded to a variety ofsurround formats by SoundField’s newDSF-3 Digital Surround Processor, or bythe company’s Surround Zone decodingsoftware plug-in, now available for usewith DAWs such as Digidesign Pro Tools,Steinberg Nuendo, and SADiE. Digital outputis possible at 48, 96 and 192kHz for the bestpossible audio quality.The very first DSF-2 systems were usedto originate stereo and 5.1 ambience fromeach stadium during the 2006 soccer WorldCup in Germany; the stereo output fromthe DSF-2 was used for SD broadcast,while the B-Format output was decodedto 5.1 surround for the HD transmission.The results were so successful that SkySports began using DSF-2 systems for alltheir live HD coverage of UK Premiershipsoccer matches. More recently, they havestandardised on SoundField for all of theirHD sports coverage including internationalgolf, rugby and cricket.SoundField PortableThe company’s most affordable products arealso their most portable. Like all SoundFieldsystems, the ST350 generates SoundFieldB-Format and consists of a multi-capsulemicrophone and an associated processorunit. However, in this system, the mic isabout half the size and weight of otherSoundField mics, and the decoder/processorcan be powered from the mains or batteries.Even when using batteries, the design of thecompact mic allows it to be used reliably atdistances in excess of 100 metres from theprocessor. In short, the system provides anaffordable, portable, single-mic solution for30 SOUNDFIELD