New York, NY – September, 2014… As
it starts its third season, CBS’ hit TV show Unforgettable is looking to capture solid ratings during the
increasingly competitive summer season. The show stars Poppy Montgomery as Detective Carrie Wells, a
female police detective with an unusually detailed memory, and her partner
Lieutenant Al Burns, played by Dylan Walsh. Capturing the action involves an
innovative approach to sound recording—and to ensure the highest quality audio,
Production Sound Mixer Larry Hoff, CAS relies on his arsenal of wireless
microphone equipment drawn from the catalog of Rio Rancho, NM-based
Lectrosonics.
Hoff reports that the bulk of his work takes place in the
greater New York City area, though he has also recorded sound for a variety of
TV and film projects in Canada, India, England, and Italy. With shows like Law and Order, Law and Order – Special Victims Unit, and Fringe among his numerous credits, he clearly knows what it takes
to capture high quality audio. He discussed his reasons for choosing
Lectrosonics.
“I’ve been using Lectrosonics equipment for over fifteen
years,” Hoff reports. “I have a Lectrosonics Venue receiver system that is
fully outfitted with six VRT receiver modules, four UCR411a receivers, as well
as four of the older UCR211 receivers. I use several of the company’s
transmitters, including HM plug-on units, SMQV and SMa Super Miniature
transmitters, and UM400a beltpack systems. For IFB, I use the Lectrosonics T4
transmitter and the R1a receiver and I also use the company’s ALP series shark
fins and SNA dipole antennas among my various accessories.”
With most of his work taking place throughout the greater
New York metropolitan area, RF agility is an extremely important consideration
for Hoff. “I carry transmitters in both block twenty one and twenty six because
New York has one of the highest rates of RF traffic in the world,” he said. “With the Lectrosonics scanning system, I know very
quickly what I’m up against in any given area and I can tell which block to
use.”
Hoff reflected on how the nature of his business has
changed over the years, “Like most production sound mixers my age, I started
out by hard wiring the boom mics and using wireless mics sparingly—that is,
until the advent of the Lectrosonics 400 series transmitters and receivers.
This equipment revolutionized the way I work, making things faster and more
flexible without sacrificing any sound quality. These days, my boom operators listen
on Lectrosonics IFB receivers and transmit their mics to me on Lectrosonics
transmitters.”
For any location sound engineer, quality customer and
technical support services are crucial. Here too, Hoff has been very pleased
with Lectrosonics. “Lectrosonics’ customer support services are really good,”
he says. “I know that I can always contact the company and reach a support
technician who understands what I’m trying to accomplish. I’ve been
particularly impressed with the quality of service provided by Queens-based
Jaycee Communications, which is operated by Jerry Cudmore. Jerry’s knowledge of
the equipment, his suggestions, and fast turnaround for repair has been great.”
For more information about Unforgettable, go
to http://www.cbs.com/shows/unforgettable/.
For additional information about the services of Larry Hoff, contact him at
914-391-9186 or via email at [email protected].
About Lectrosonics
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