Following nearly three seasons of extensive prototype testing of Audio-Technica’s 8.0 Microphone Concept at MotoGP, the Grand Prix motorcycle racing Championship commercial rights holder, Dorna Sports S.L. has made the 8.0 microphone a core audio component of its future programme broadcasting which includes ambitious plans towards remote production.
Located at Dorna Sports’ Barcelona, Spain facility, the extensive remote production suite, which is planned to be phased in through the 2024 Season, will include a custom-built 7.1.4 / 5.1.4 dedicated audio control room to mix immersive audio received from the track in real time.
Audio-Technica 8.0 Microphones are to be located at the podium, parc fermé, pit lane and key positions around the racetrack.
While the Audio Control Room will remain static, audio acquisition at the track needs to capture the complex dynamic audio content of the premier global motorcycling event while also being practical in terms of set-up and breakdown, given that there can be over twenty GPs around the World each season.
Audio-Technica’s 8.0 Microphone Concept is designed to be lightweight and small enough not just for discreet placement in a field of play, but each of the eight 12mm elements can be removed from the core mount and packed away quickly in a compact case, making for fast deployment by a single operator.
The simplicity of the 8.0 Microphone Concept is also its advantage, as producers and engineers who wish to capture immersive audio content in a real time and fast-paced environment, such as live sports, will have a practical solution without the additional algorithms and decoding required in alternative immersive audio capture applications.
