Fred Aldous, the multi-Emmy Award winning specialist in sports audio, selected two primary microphones, Audio-Technica’s AT815ST stereo shotgun and the AT825 X/Y stereo field recording mics, to help NASCAR deliver a compelling audio experience for coverage of its races.
In order to get a good stereo image in a small package that could handle the extreme sound pressure levels that come from the cars on the track, Aldous placed AT815ST shotgun mics on all of the highest cameras, which are located at the very top of the grandstands. Because of the 815’s small size and lightweight, it can be mounted directly on the camera.
The shotgun mic has three patterns: stereo-narrow, stereo-wide and midside. Using the midside setting, Aldous said he got a realistic left-to-right stereo image as the cars passed through the shot.
The AT825 X/Y stereo mics are placed on top of the catch fence around the track. Because of the mic’s pick-up pattern, the 825 offers an additional left-to-right audio image when the car passes through the camera shot.
For more information, visit http://www.audio-technica.com/.
