International. Dennis Baxter, audio engineer of the Olympic Games, announced some of the technologies and strategies implemented for the transmission of this important sporting event, among which the use of 350 mixers, 600 sound technicians and 4,000 microphones stands out.
The engineer, who has been in charge of the sound production of the games' transmissions for 20 years, explained, among other things, the difficulties he must overcome to deliver the best possible sound.
To achieve this, during the London Olympic Games, pre-recorded sounds are being used, in some cases, that increase the level of detail and sometimes exceed the live sound offered by the competitions.
Baxter gives as an example the archery tests in which the previously recorded sound of the arrow traveling through the air towards the target is used, this sound was achieved with a flat microphone located on the ground between the athlete and the target.
Another example is what was done with the divers, Baxter explains it as follows "we have microphones on the handrails while the divers go up, we can hear their hands, their feet, their breathing. Then, once they enter the water, the producer mixes the audio from an underwater microphone at the bottom of the pool. You can hear the bubbles. And so the viewer has the full experience of the athlete."
