Calrec Captures Right Mix For UEFA Cup Coverage

Thanks to Calrec Audio, more than 300 million people heard the final whistle — and all the other action — when Manchester United defeated Chelsea in the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League Cup soccer final this summer. A Calrec Alpha with Bluefin console provided every global audio feed from the match in Moscow, while two additional Calrec consoles completed the British coup at the historic Luzhniki Stadium.

The match was the first all-English final in the contest’s 52-year history, and UEFA appointed Britain’s Sky Television to handle all production requirements. Two Visions OB trucks, HD4 under contract to Sky and HD3 under contract to Russian host broadcasters RTR and NTV, both carried Calrec Alpha consoles. Working on behalf of ITV Sport was another truck sent by 021 Television that used a Calrec 60-fader Sigma console. Although ITV Sport broadcast the game in SD, an HD rack in that truck was used to record the match for posterity. 

“Visions built the technical operations centre (TOC) with its HD3 truck at the core,” said Keith Lane, Sky’s sports operations manager. “As the host, HD3 supplied all feeds using a 54-fader Alpha console, including the main 5.1 match mix, stereo match mix, steady cam, and international feeds routed via the TOC. The TOC international feed provided every other broadcaster — on-site or otherwise — with a clean feed in which to add local commentary.”

Working on his third UEFA Cup Final in as many years, BAFTA award-winning sound designer Robert Edwards mixed the world feed in HD3. Edwards is at the forefront of live-to-air 5.1 surround sound. Besides mixing U.K. Premier League matches for Sky, he is responsible for a variety of entertainment shows, and has mixed live 5.1 soccer audio for the FIFA World Cup.

“This was an interesting game and having three Calrec consoles on site made things so much easier,” Edwards said. “We used a SoundField mic to capture the 5.1 crowd bed, and we supplemented that with other crowd mics. An additional 16 mics were placed around the pitch, and I spent all my time chasing the ball around with the faders! It was a very comprehensive mix. Of course, 5.1 presents very specific problems, especially when you are producing multiple surround feeds alongside all the ISO feeds. Calrec’s TFT displays offer plenty of flexibility, and one can be sure of what is being sent even in the most complex setups.”

The delay issue poses particular challenges when working in a complex HD show. While the soccer match rarely necessitated applying much delay to any one channel, the audio operator required quick and easy access to multiple legs. Because delays were introduced in so many places, the amount of delay built into the Calrec consoles as well as their flexibility proved crucial to audio success for the match.