Flagship ITV programme using Sony DWX
Sony Professional has announced that ITV’s flagship breakfast programme, Good Morning Britain, has specified its DWX digital wireless microphone system. Working with professional audio hire specialist Better Sound, ITV chose Sony’s DWX series for the new Good Morning Britain studio facilities, taking the opportunity to capitalise on their sound quality and stability.
On moving studios in 2014, ITV decided to reassess the audio technology supporting its breakfast programme. With the need to invest in a digital solution, ITV needed equipment which could operate stably within a lower frequency range than the previous solution. In addition, the new audio kit needed to be flexible and reliable enough for work outside of the studio as well.
Working with Better Sound to compare multiple manufacturers, ITV selected 14 DWT-B01 wireless belt-pack transmitters, seven DWR-R02D dual mains receivers, and two DWM-02 handheld wireless microphones. Operating within one 8MHz band, the 14 channels of Sony DWX provide Good Morning Britain with the reliability and sound quality demanded of national programming.
Paul Nooney, head of sound for Good Morning Britain, commented: “Being familiar with the excellent sound quality of the Sony ECM-77B lapel microphones, we opted for wireless microphone equipment that matched this performance. The system installed by Better Sound gives incredible range and stability across the production floor, but we also enjoy fantastically sharp audio when shooting outside of the studio complex or on the Southbank. Having that flexibility is invaluable.”
Brian Clarke, senior manager at Better Sound, said: “The excellent transmission range and signal stability of the DWX series make it ideal for the intense and varied workload of a daily production schedule. With its flexibility and reliability, Sony’s DWX series is fast becoming the audio technology of choice for television programming.”
Sony’s DWX series enables wireless transmission that is highly tolerant to unwanted analogue interference, broadcasting high-quality 24-bit/48-kHz digital audio in a specific frequency bandwidth. Transmitting and receiving digitally modulated and encrypted data to minimise the risk of interception, the system provides highly secure transmission and reception with peerless signal stability. Using Sony’s original WiDIF-HP codec, it delivers a wide dynamic range of more than 106 dB, a wide frequency response of 20 Hz to 22 kHz, and an excellent transient response.
Encompassing every element of the live digital audio acquisition chain, Sony’s wireless DWX series includes handheld and belt-pack transmitters, and portable and rack-mount receivers, for use with a number of capsules and lavalier microphones. Plus, by using UHF antennas and remote control units the user has the ability to control up to 82ch transmitters using the Cross Remote function.