Sound Devices 788Ts travel world to record Beat 2012
Published: ASIA
SINGAPORE: Two Sound Devices 788T digital audio recorders were recently used to capture the sound of world-class athletes in action for Beat 2012 – a documentary chronicling Mark Ronson’s creation of Coca Cola’s anthem for the 2012 Summer Games. Mr Ronson and location sound recordist Diego Sanchez used the 788Ts to record sounds in five different locations, which saw the team visit Singapore to record the sound made by an archer.
The documentary was directed by Kim Gehrig and produced by Somesuch & Co, and in addition to Singapore, a team of five travelled to Moscow to meet a 400m runner, Mexico to meet a taekwondo fighter, Denver to meet a 110m hurdler and London to meet a table-tennis player. With the technical support of sound designer Henning Köphnel and location recording advice from Mr Sanchez, Mr Ronson recorded the sounds while each athlete performed their specific sport. For the dialogue, an additional 788T was used in combination with a Sound Devices’ CL-8 controller.
‘We decided to record the sport sounds to two linked Sound Devices 788T digital recorders as we anticipated a multitude of different microphones in each situation,’ added Mr Sanchez. ‘We opted for Sound Devices for several reasons. First, I have used these recorders for years, and being the only member of the sound crew with location experience, it seemed logical to stick to them. Second, their small size meant a small package for a 16-track recorder, allowing the crew to relocate and reset, while filming with ease. Also, the amazing headphone monitoring and track routings of the 788T allowed crew members to each listen to a different mic or mix, while still recording all of them.’
Mr Sanchez continued, saying that ‘from shooting outdoors in Singapore in the middle of summer to dealing with a 20-degree temperature change in the weather from day to night in Denver, not once did the 788T experience a crash, a file corruption or a failed recording. Also, the simplicity of the device’s L-style batteries meant we could have many of them and recharge them anywhere, even in the car. And the backup recording to compact flash cards meant an easy format for DITS in four different languages to load,’ he explained.
‘Thanks to the reliability and advanced capabilities of the Sound Devices equipment, we were able to capture some amazing audio,’ Mr Sanchez enthused. ‘The final documentary is a beautiful, inspiring and a very aurally rich 60-minute piece.’