(l-r) David Canada and Jeff Asell
Minneapolis, MN (December 20, 2013)—Location sound operators working on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives use an arsenal of Digital Hybrid Wireless microphone technology from Lectrosonics for the show.
On the show, host Guy Fieri travels around North America looking for the best made-from-scratch food in diners, drive-ins, and dive bars, which means there are frequently as many as three shooting locations on any given day. To accommodate this schedule, Jeff Asell and David Canada, senior sound engineers for Minneapolis-based production house Match/Cut Productions, typically split into two crews.
Asell and Canada utilize a range of Lectrosonics equipment, including SMa, SMV, SMQV, UM400a, and LMa transmitters along with multiple UCR411a and SR Series receivers. There’s also an LMa transmitter for IFB transmission paired with R1a receivers. Further, there’s a Lectrosonics D4 digital wireless system consisting of the D4T transmitter and D4R receiver. This system is deployed for a primary camera hop and the same signal from the D4 system feeds the producer’s IFB setup, which encompasses a Lectrosonics Quadra digital wireless monitor system. As they work, Asell’s setup typically involves seven audio channels while Canada’s setup utilizes another five.
“Kitchens are hostile environments,” says Asell. “There’s heat, humidity, and vaporized oils in the air. The SM and SR series transmitters and receivers are fantastic for this application because they are well protected from moisture, which is routinely encountered in the kitchen. And when traveling all across North America, frequency agility is necessary. The RF environment can be significantly different from one side of town to the other, or from one coast to the next. Our Lectrosonics gear makes it easy to identify available frequencies and lock them in.”
Lectrosonics
www.lectrosonics.com
