When the Oklahoma City Thunder made the 2010 NBA playoffs, drawing Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers as their first round opponent, they knew they would need to step up their game.
That thought was applied to every aspect of the team’s operation, on the court and off – including the audio mix.
“The Thunder organization contacted me and they were concerned that Ford Center’s sound system wasn’t adequate to handle the playoffs,” said Jerry Hooper, owner of Hooper Sound Production Services in Norman, Oklahoma.
“The Thunder fans are among the loudest in the NBA, and a playoff scenario against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers was sure to test the limits of the current system.”
“They asked what should be done to give them the best results, and we determined that the analog FOH console was the weakest link in their situation.”
Hooper consulted with the house sound engineer for the arena, Jeremy Griffin, and recommended the Allen & Heath iLive, primarily for its ability to be integrated quickly.
“We brought in an iLive-144 console and tied it into the existing sound system. In about three hours, we had it all plugged in, checked out, and ready to rock.”
“With our system, it’s not really a question of channel count. It’s more about flexibility,” notes FOH engineer Jeremy Griffin. The systems audio sources include the PA announcer, video playback audio, music from two DJs, a CD player, and four wireless mics that are used for everything from vocal groups to drums as needed.
“The wireless mics are the biggest challenge. During the course of the game, I might be asked to cover almost anything using those mics, because you can’t run cables out onto the court.”
“Everything happens on the fly, and you can’t use the same mics for choirs and percussion and expect both to sound good. But the iLive changed all that instantly.”
“I just set up different EQs, duplicate the channels and put them anywhere I want on the surface, then call them up when I need them.”
Another problem for Griffin is his mix location, which is up at the top of the arena. “I’m sitting outside the coverage area of the PA, which is far from ideal. So if I’m starting to get feedback, I’m literally the last one to hear it,” he said.
“But the iLive gives me full RTA (real-time analysis) of each channel, which is incredibly useful in that situation. You can see everything on a full 31-band meter, with the loudest band at any given moment being lit up in red.”
“So you can instantly see your trouble spots and prevent feedback before it happens. So even though I can’t hear the house mix directly, I can achieve a more balanced sound.”
“The coolest for me,” he said, “is the ability to go mobile and mix from my netbook.” Griffin simply downloaded the free control software available from Allen & Heath and installed it in his netbook, then connected a wireless router to relay the Wi-fi signal between the devices.
“We literally did this as the console was being installed, and it worked like a charm. All year long, I’m dependent on someone else’s ears, hoping they can communicate what kind of changes to make. Suddenly I was adjusting the mix and EQ from down on the floor.”
“To go downstairs to the expensive seats, to hear what’s really happening and make real-time adjustments in a 15-minute soundcheck before the game, made all the difference in the world. It was a real eye-opener for me.”
The change in mixing consoles has had an immediate and positive effect throughout the audio chain. “I was somewhat familiar with the iLive from seeing demos here in town, but I was doing my hands-on learning on the system as it was being installed, and didn’t have any of my sources available until three hours before tip-off. But it was all very intuitive for me.”
“Probably the most shocking thing was how fast it happened, and the fact that the improvement was so immediate. The very first game, we had a significant increase in quality of the overall mix, and that was an opinion shared by everybody involved and everyone who listened, including everyone from the video guys to the team executives.”
“It’s like the difference between a dynamic and ribbon microphone, where you’re suddenly hearing all this detail, with a silky smooth high end. So from that perspective, we really hit a home run with the iLive.”
