Welcome to the beginning of...
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Home of the Sports Television A2
| Welcome everyone. Katman here. I am a Sports Television A2. An A2 is an audio assistant that sets up microphones so that television viewers can hear announcers and the sounds of the game. Being an A2 means that I wasted thousands of dollars to pay for grad school just so that I could connect microphone cables for a living. Although it sounds like anyone could do this job, a good Sports TV A2 is hard to come by. This is why I have created Pin37. Now a "green" A2 can read all about what they need to know and meet some of the characters that grace the world we know as "Sports Television Audio." |
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| Before we begin, understand that as an A2 you are working for the A1. The A1 is the audio engineer that controls or "mixes" the show using his sound board. The most common characteristic of a Sports TV A1 is that he does not like to leave his audio room. Although the A1 makes more money than the A2, the A1 is usually more stressed out and cannot leave his sound board during the show. Most sound people agree that the difference in pay is not really worth the aggravation. This is why you won't find me in that chair. No money is worth taking the grin of my fat face. | ||
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Lesson 1 - Mults and the DT12
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In sports television, the most common audio cable mult is the DT12. This cable connects to the truck on it's I/O panel. You can connect it on the male side or the female side depending on what your A1 wants. Usually the male side connects to the truck to run microphones. High level mults with PLs and IFBs usually run the other way. It is all about signal flow. If you are confused already, don't worry. It has been 15 years and I still don't understand everything yet. |
Lesson 2 - The Booth, the Field and RF.
| Every sports show has its own way to set up. A network baseball show has a Booth A2, a Field A2 and possibly an RF A2. Other shows, such as college basketball, have only one A2 do the booth and the effects microphones. If you are a new A2 you should always take the field. That is where you begin to troubleshoot PL's and microphones. Once you feel comfortable with that you should buy or make a booth mult cable. This will help you be a good booth A2. Finally, once you are comfortable with the booth, you can start playing with the RF gear. The only position after that is Comms. If you master Comms, you might as well become a submixer or an A1. The faster you move up the audio ladder the better, because the less competition for me as an A2. |
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Lesson 3 - The Athletes
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After working a few shows, the professional athletes around you no longer seem like "movie stars." They are just people that make a lot of money and they usually don't like to be bothered by TV folk. I find myself ignoring them most of the time. The one thing I like about them is that because they exist, I have a job. As an A2, you do have to put microphones on athletes from time to time. Make sure you are prepared with electrical tape and tie wraps. You usually get one chance to do it right. |
Lesson 4 - The Camera Mics
| Most cameras on the field, or court, or ice have microphones on them. You may have to put shotgun microphones (mics) on the camera. This means that you connect the mic to the camera, turn on the proper power level, and and set the roll-off switch. Once all the cameras are powered up, you will have to ID them with the A1 or submixer. It is good practice to have a windscreen on the mics as well. You may not need them on indoor events, but put them on anyway, because I said so. |
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Lesson - 5 The Talent
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As an A2 you deal directly with the Talent. On big network
shows the Talent will have a personal producer that you can work with.
The more experienced Talent won't need your help. It is the newer Talent
that will need your help. You will have to adjust their microphones, help
them with their Telex ear piece, and make sure that they know what buttons
to press on their talkback boxes. If they need water, tell the Stage Manager.
It is cool to be nice, but they hire runners to get water.
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Lesson 6 - The Road
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When you get good at your craft, you make more money. You also get asked to travel on bigger network shows. Travel and you get per diem and mileage reimbursement. The network pays for your plane ticket and your hotel. On the road, you meet more people and continue to expand your business network. You also run the risk of being labeled "Network Guy" and never working at home again. An A2 from down south actually called me "Yankee" once. I told him that he was a fool, because I am Red Sox fan. |
Lesson 7 - The Post Game Interview
| When the game ends you usually have a post-game interview. This means you have to grab a player and put a headset on him. Then you stay out of the camera's view. Despite popular belief by Tape Operators, this is the only time that an A2 will get down on his knees. | ||
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Lesson 8 - The Effects Mics
| On the field you will have to set up effects mics to capture sound during the game. These mics are sometimes up high on a pole or mounted on a screen. If a ladder is needed, it is important to contact a Utility for assistance. |
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Lesson 9 - Weatherproofing
| Even though you may be working an indoor event, the trucks may still be parked outside. This means that you have to be prepared to protect your gear from the elements. Always cover your tubs with tarps and use sleeving on your cable connections. The best way to attach sleeving is with electrical tape. |
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Lesson 10 - The Officials
| Every now and then you will have to put a microphone on a game official. This is because the network paid a lot of money and they can stick microphones wherever they want. Make sure that you meet the official right when they step on the field. Chances are you will have to do some adjustments to make sure that everything works properly. |
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Lesson 11 - The Studio Show
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When an event is really big, the network adds a studio show in addition to the game. This involves a desk and a lot of waiting around. The studio shows have long hours and are "live" before, during half-time, and after the game. This means more overtime, and that means more money. When the times are tough, go for the studio show. |
Lesson 12 - The A2 Brotherhood
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One thing that you need to understand is that there is an A2 Brotherhood. We look out for each other. This is what separates us from the camera guys. We talk to each other about what we make and alert each other on what shows are good to work and what shows are bad to work. When there is a green A2 on a show, the more experienced brother will pick up the slack. And remember that the A1 is not always your friend. He might want his buddy on the show and you can't do anything about the fact that he will bash you that night to the producer. So always watch out for your fellow A2 and do the best you can. The more you keep your mouth shut and do a good job, you and your A2 career will continue to grow. -A2Katman |
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Log: 2/12/09 -Fixed some spelling mistakes. -Added the A2 Brotherhood. 1/21/09 -A2 Tom from Cleveland dials in and thanks Pin37 for putting up crewing websites. Good Luck, brother. 1/16/09 -Changed background color -Added Text and Stadiums page
01/07/09 -A2 Mark from South Dakota dials in on e-mail reminding me that I have a site! Whoops! Better update the thing.
08/24/08 -Added picture and gallery folder -Added A2 Ranking System
02/29/08 -Added pics from Superbowl -Fixed a spelling mistake -Added text and buttons that don't work yet
01/25/08 -My wife became the first visitor to Pin37.org -Fixed spelling mistakes -Resized pictures for better load times -Uploaded revised Index Page
01/23/08 -Added text and first set of page revisions -Created visitor counter with Bravenet.com -Uploaded pictures for site -Uploaded first Index Page
Contact: a2katman@pin37.org |
