Geneva, Switzerland (September 27, 2022)—Wherever sound recordist, location mixer and boom operator Igor Marlot travels, from the Arctic Circle to the Sahara Desert, he brings along his Lectrosonics wireless kit.
He saved his money and bought his first Lectrosonics SRc receiver and two second-hand UM400 transmitters. Later he added another SRc and two SMQV transmitters to his sound arsenal. Marlot began what he calls his “Sound 101” learning experience as a young teenager working punk rock concerts and the alternative scene in his native Switzerland. He learned how to use soundboards, patch lists, and how to get the most out of cheap and DIY gear. Then he went roving in Western Africa for a couple of years and landed his first shoot wrangling cables for an African TV series, which he describes as “sort of a telenovela.”
Upon returning to Switzerland, he studied audio theory at Centre de Formation aux Métiers du Son (CFMS) in Lausanne and earned his diploma in audio engineering. He started accumulating a working kit as he worked on student projects and developed interests in immersive audio, virtual reality and Ambisonics techniques.
Marlot’s documentary work has taken him to the Arctic Circle, southern Asia, Scandinavia, the African bush, barrios in Guatemala, the Sahara Desert and many other fascinating locations. Working sound in the wild so far afield presents challenges that seldom come up in studios — for example, there’s no way to get spare parts or replacement units, so everything must work and keep on working.
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He rates the documentary project Cosmic Birds in the Amazonian jungles, shot in VR, as his most challenging. The conditions were very difficult, with humidity and insects. Still, his Lectrosonics equipment delivered without fail. He calls it an unforgettable experience, and that’s what he loves about his chosen line of work.
“Oh, I’ve had lots of luck during my young career. I’ve traveled a lot,” he says. “I have seen lots of amazing places and met super interesting and various people — indigenous tribes, Masai people, Touareg people in the Sahara.”
An upcoming documentary project particularly excites him because it will bring him to Turkey. He also contemplates some ENG gigs and documentaries in the works closer to home, in Switzerland.
