Exclusive: SNL Pro mixes an NBA jam

India:

The NBA (National Basketball Association) has been extending its reach internationally in recent years, hosting games across Europe, South America and parts of Asia. The North American basketball league’s most recent excursion saw the Sacramento Kings take on the Indiana Pacers on back-to-back nights at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium in Mumbai, marking the first NBA games in India. SNL Pro’s rental division was called upon to supply the audio setup for these historic pre-season matches.

‘The main concern for the NBA was to have very even coverage over the entire house,’ commented SNL Pro sound engineer Bruce Rodericks. ‘Also, due to the low roof height of only 11m above the court, any speakers or lighting fixtures had to be placed carefully to avoid getting in the way of the game taking place.’

SNL Pro employed an L-Acoustics PA setup, comprising 12 K2 and 36 Kara loudspeakers with 18 LA8 amplified controllers. Low-end was handled by eight SB28 subwoofers, while presenters and YouTube star Bhuvan Bam, who sang the Indian national anthem, were provided foldback via four X15 monitor wedges. Four Yamaha MSP7 speakers were also on hand.

‘We flew the Kara speakers almost facing down to cover the VIP seats, which are practically on the court,’ added Rodericks. ‘The K2 speakers had the task of covering the rest of the house because ground-stacked subs were not an option.’

The voices of presenters and singers alike were captured through Shure microphones. A pair of Axient AD2/B58 handheld wireless microphones were provided by SNL Pro, along with ADX1 bodypack transmitters and an AD4Q digital wireless receiver. In addition, UR2 handheld mics were paired with UR1 beltpacks and UR4D+ dual-channel receivers. A Shure PSM 1000 personal monitor system was also employed, featuring P10R wireless bodypack receivers and P10T-L9E transmitters.

Completing the audio setup was a Yamaha CL5 digital mixing console, running alongside a trio of Rio 3224-D Dante-enabled interfaces.