37 ESPORTS Audio
SHOUTCASTERS COMMENTATE DURING THE ACTION AND HOST THE PROGRAMME
relationship between the PA and broadcast audio in esports means that newer, bespoke venues can be optimised for a more seamless production. Premium esports venue the HyperX Esports Arena, which opened its doors in March 2019, is a case in point. Situated at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, the venue is owned by Allied Esports International, whose head of content, Drew Ohlmeyer, recalls that the mission was “to build a turnkey infrastructure to do many different live events, as well as produce content in a style and quality that meets or exceeds current broadcast standards”. Along with replacing the former nightclub’s copper network with fibre, the installers, CBT Systems, specified twin 24 fader Lawo mc²36 consoles: one for the purposes of FOH sound, the other to mix finished audio for live streams. The desks are networked via Ravenna audio over IP technology using a Lawo Nova37 router. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER With so many potential audio sources, it stands to reason that esports events can be made or broken in the mix. “The most interesting element here is often how you switch between the different ‘views’ and surround fields within the game, and then translate this to the final production,” notes Colin Pearson, senior sound engineer at Gravity Media. Ultimately, it comes down to having an almost forensic knowledge of the individual event, an understanding of the organiser’s requirements and, adds Pearson, “having a view of what’s going on within the game and how it can work in conjunction with all the other elements we are putting in”. This sense of ‘what works together’ will surely continue to evolve – not least as esports looks set to increasingly take place in dedicated venues (as Forbes headlined a piece in 2019, ‘Esports stadiums are popping up everywhere’). In such scenarios, it’s likely a new level of audio workflow flexibility and content-sharing for the PA and broadcast teams will be attained – suggesting that esports could soon become a pacesetter for large-scale production audio.
COMING TOGETHER Getting the right balance of new and traditional audio technology
can make for a great audience experience
Games for the League of Legends World Championship Final in Paris, where Calrec’s RP1 unit – which allows a remotely located audio mixing surface to control all mixing functionality at another facility – being installed at the arena to manage local monitor and IFX (interruptible foldback) mixes, while the main mix took place at a central production hub in Berlin. Sources included the on-air talent, which consisted of three ‘shoutcasters’ (aka commentators) and six analysts. SHOUTCASTERS AND PRODUCTION For both the PA and broadcast audio, the incorporation of the shoutcasters and analysis teams – during and after the actual matches take place – is a major consideration. The microphone plan has to be rigorously outlined and shared between
team members well in advance of the game, while the blending of multiple voices with other content is a challenge at the mix stage. As Letson explains: “Shoutcasters provide a dual role: they commentate during the action and host the programme between the matches, including interviewing experts and players, while breaking down the key points. All the mics and monitoring for these different elements of the programming schedule need to be carefully planned. Further to this, there are the comms between all the different members of the production team.” Although many of the principal in- arena audio elements used to deliver esports tournaments – line array systems, FOH and monitor consoles, participant microphones – will be familiar from concerts and other large-scale live events, the closer
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