The A2 Position

*PLEASE READ BOTH THE “Identifying Cables” AND “Building a Broadcast Booth” ARTICLES PRIOR TO THIS ARTICLE*

A2 personnel are the backbone of audio production on any given shoot. Whether it is a single person or a team, this position is key for any audio to get on the air and sound clean. In this article, we will overview the A2 position on a sports broadcast and give general information that is paramount for success.

A2’s report directly to the chief audio engineer, or the “A1” for short. This means being the assistant for anything the A1 needs for that given shoot. Your responsibilities become setting up any audio equipment required, running DT-12 and XLR cables, and getting audio to run through the proper channels so that the A1 can feed them into their board to mix the show.

While the A1 will already have an idea of how everything will be patched into the board, they will most likely send patch sheets to the A2. It is important to learn how these patch sheets work because they contain the basic instructions for what you need to do during setup. If you follow the instructions correctly, and the A1 patches it correctly on the truck side, then the audio will get to its correct destination.

Every DT-12 cable has 12 audio channels open for use that will be sent back and forth from the truck. Any group of cables or channels like this can be referred to as a “Mult” or a “Snake”. If you look at the patch sheet example above, the table on the left is called “Mult A” and the location is the booth. This tells you that there should be a DT line running from the truck all the way to the announcer’s booth with a DT-12 breakout at the end. DT-12 breakouts can either be a box or a fanout that has a DT-12 connector with 12 XLRs coming out the back of it.

The picture above includes a breakout box with two rows of XLR ports both female and male. Each line is labeled 1-12 and comes with its own parallel male or female port at the top and bottom of that column. On the fanout, like the one above the box, they will usually have only one set of twelve XLRs of one gender. Looking at the patch sheet you will see that the first three channels in the booth are assigned to the announcer box microphones. This means you will connect the microphone channels of all 3 announcer boxes to the first 3 channels on the breakout box using XLRs.Announcer boxes are the core of the booth setup. At a minimum, usually, three are set for the shoot. One for Play-by-Play(PXP), Color(CLR), and a Spare(SPR). These come with a microphone port, an IFB port, and a talkback port on the rear of the console. The mic port carries the announcer’s headset mics to the truck, and the IFB port provides program audio and intercom audio to the talent from the truck while requiring power to be sent down the XLR. Both require their own individual line for each box as seen on the patch sheet earlier. PXP Box Mic goes into channel one on the breakout, Color Box Mic goes into channel two, and Spare Box Mic goes into channel three. Same being for the IFB lines. Talkback acts as a seperate line for the talent to talk to the truck without it being heard on air. Talkback is commonly ran through a three-to-one XLR connection and will go down a single line instead of three individual channels like the other two. A PL, or “Party Line”, belt pack will be your best friend when it comes to communicating back to the truck. These take up only one audio channel and require power to be sent through the XLR. PLs, allow you to place an intercom line wherever you are as long as you can run an XLR to it and have an appropriate headset. They will mainly be used for communicating back to the truck for areas that need to be monitored, such as the booth or field/court. Another very common use is for communicating with the Time Out Coordinator, or “TOC”. TOCs are the messengers between the truck and the officials so that we can call a media timeout when we go to break.Similar to a PL belt pack there is the IFB belt pack that is used for receiving program audio and intercom audio but does not have any sort of talkback or microphone option. Talent or anyone who needs to monitor program and communication from the truck will use these as a medium. Almost every time you use one it will not be paired with a full headset but only a single earpiece with an auxiliary connection. IFB belt packs take up only one audio channel and require power to be sent through the XLR. Another signature piece of audio gear for any sports broadcast is a stick microphone. These are simple in the way that they take up only one line and don’t usually require power. These are placed in the hands of on-air talent when not using a headset microphone. Most commonly used in “Stand-Up” segments and by sideline reporters. Shotgun mics are most commonly used for effects and should never be used in similar operations like that of a stick mic. They pick up a wide area of audio that is directly in front of them in almost a cone-like pattern, so they are perfect for getting crowd reactions and the general “noise” of the venue. These likely require a powered connection and a single audio line.

Sometimes the producer or director will call for a “Stand-Up” segment. This is when the on-air talent is at a separate location away from the announcer boxes and temporarily calls the show from that location, most likely for an open or half-time segment. To prepare for these you need to set up however many stick mics are needed plus one spare and at a minimum one IFB belt pack for the PXP analyst. It is also proper etiquette to have a designated A2 PL on and be nearby to help ease any bumps in the road that might occur while taping.

The last thing to prepare for during the setup phase of a shoot will be the Effects mics or “FX”. These take the form of shotgun microphones most commonly and will be mounted on all of the cameras as well as a C-stand on the field if the event calls for it. Shotguns mounted on cams can either be taped on or secured on a built-in mount and will need a short XLR to the rear of the camera body where they can plug into one of the audio channels available. Make sure the audio settings on the rear of the camera body are set to the audio port that you are using and “+48V” turned on. Refer to the camera guide articles if you have trouble finding them. A C-stand with three shotguns mounted to it can be referred to as a “Three on a tree” and is used for getting crowd audio. The three shotguns should be facing different directions and will be labeled as FX left, FX right, and FX center on the patch sheet. If limited on shotgun mics, you can also take out the center mic and keep the left and right mics. These trees are placed somewhere on the sideline near the breakout box while facing the home crowd.

During the show, the A2’s job is to correct any mishaps that might happen. If a line goes down or if something isn’t getting to where it is supposed to, you are the first line of defense. You need to troubleshoot these problems while coordinating with the A1. Use the PL boxes you set to communicate with them. ALWAYS HAVE A HEADSET ON OR BE AVAILABLE BY THE TRUCK. The most frustrating thing an A2 can do is disappear when they are needed!Before the show starts make sure you plan accordingly with the A1 for strike. During the strike, you will most likely be taking down all pieces of gear out in the field and wrapping cable. Everything that came off the truck must go back to where it was originally found unless told otherwise. It is the A2’s RESPONSIBILITY to keep track of all the equipment in use during the shoot. Exceptions may include broken equipment. If a cable or microphone was not functioning during setup or show make sure you bring it to the attention of the engineers. The hardest part about this position is making sure you get all your gear back. Always keep a tally of all microphones and belt packs out in the field. Make sure that when putting things away you are not damaging any equipment like putting heavy pieces of gear on top of headsets.

There you have it! This article gave us a broad scope of what comes with the A2 position and what you might need to know when going into a sports broadcast. We went over a lot of the responsibilities and nuances that come with this role, however, sometimes you might receive more or less instructions depending on the shoot. You might have to set up lights for a stand-up, put monitors in the booth for the talent, and sometimes you even have to run the camera for a segment. Just always keep in mind that the A2 position is very flexible and can throw you some curveballs every once in a while.