Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/642315
FROM HEAVEN TO HELL www.postmagazine.com 27 POST FEBRUARY 2016 daily thunderstorms, my 552 never missed a beat. While mics were failing due to the extreme temperature swings, my mixer always kept up and performed exactly as I would expect. Because we were sending audio to camera via wireless hop, it was always great to know I had a broadcast-quality recording happening simultaneously, just in case." Martin uses Lectrosonics wireless, exclusively with Sanken COS-11 and Countryman B6 lavs. His boom mics include a Sennheiser MKH 416 and MKH 50, and a Neumann KMR 81 i. He also relies on a few Peter Engh Omnigoose mics. Also on board with Sound Devices gear is A1 and lead board mixer Sergio Reyes-Sheehan and sound supervisor Adam Howell, who handle the audio duties for Lifetime Network's hit show Project Runway: All Stars. When the show hit the catwalk for its fourth season, Reyes-Sheehan and Howell turned to Sound Devices, along with DPA Microphones and Lectrosonics to create a stylish audio equipment package for the show. Project Runway: All Stars is a spin-off series based on Project Runway. Season 4 featured 14 of the most talented Project Runway designers who re- turned 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 show's main hosts and special guests, as well as on the designers. The designers themselves presented some unique micing challenges. Among them were several loud talkers and many wore creative, skin-baring out- fits and accessories on which a regular-sized lav mic would have been a distrac- tion. 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 pro- duction mixer/recorder, two 788T recorders, two 633 compact mixer/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. The field mixing bags, used to mix and record on the fly, were each des- ignated 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." explains. "She went cross-country in an RV last season, and we wired the RV with GoPros and occasionally had an HDX900 in there with them." Post supervisor Kelly McDonald has been with Long Island Medium since Season 2. One of the changes in the last five seasons has been "how much post production we can do in-house" at Magilla Entertainment, she says. "In the past, we offlined in our facility then took the show to a post house. Now we finish here and make the LTO deliverables." The show occupies five to seven offline rooms (Magilla has 40 in its facility) where editors cut on Avid Media Composer V.6.5.4.5 with ISIS 5000 shared storage. One editor usually cuts an episode from start to finish. "Our ed- itors are pretty self-sufficient; they have real producers' eyes," McDonald says. "They know what the audience wants to see and what the people getting readings will be comfortable broadcast- ing." Pupa notes that 90 percent of the editors return from season to season; some have been with the show since it debuted. The show's color and conform are done in one of Magilla's three Avid Symphony rooms. "The [process] is pretty well oiled at this point; from offline to color to the mix and delivery, it's all very smooth. The only challenges some- times are our speed of working," says McDonald. Glenn Ianaro of Kittens Creative, who has been with Long Island Medium since the beginning, mixes the show off-site; Magilla uses its Avid ProTools room for review. "There's not a lot of footage that goes unused," notes Pupa. In the past year, the series has introduced themed episodes, which link readings with a similar client base: first responders, prospective brides, pregnant women. There's plenty of mate- rial to target new themes each season. "The show is simple in its processes: We want to be respectful and real, not glitzy," says Pupa. "Theresa is a glitzy- enough person in her own right. We don't need to add to that." THE AMAZING RACE One of the longest-running reality series, the Emmy Award-winning The Amazing Race, poses unique production and post production challenges with its globe-spanning scale. The competition features two-person teams racing around the world, finding clues and conquering physical and mental challenges in their quest to win a hefty grand prize. Season 28 premieres this month on CBS; two seasons are broadcast annually. Post producer Kevin Mueller joined the show in Season 5. "Process-wise, the show has not changed dramatically," he notes. "But we've seen the evolution of formats and technology. When I started we were shooting Beta SP. We moved to a digital format, then HD and are now dabbling in 4K acquisition." The show's current complement of