Prague,
Czech Republic (December 8, 2015) — Location sound
engineer Michal Holubec, C.A.S., based in Prague,
has been using Lectrosonics wireless equipment for more than 20 years, ever
since working on his first feature film. Now equipped with Lectrosonics Digital
Hybrid Wireless® technology, including the VR
Field Modular Receiver and SMDb transmitters. Holubec has recently completed work on a period adventure
film, Emperor, starring Adrian Brody,
and an absurdist comedy, Lost in Munich,
starring an African gray parrot.
“In difficult situations
on the set, where there is no time to think about weakness or stability of the
system, I know I can rely upon the quality of Lectrosonics,” says Holubec,
whose film credits include Casino Royale,
AVP: Alien vs. Predator and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
He has been nominated seven times for Czech Lion Awards, the country’s Oscar
equivalent, winning twice for Best Sound, and has been nominated for two C.A.S.
Awards, for two TV mini-series, Anne Frank: The Whole Story and Dune.
“I prefer Lectrosonics
for its well-known sound quality, robust transmission, sturdy metal body,
useful accessories and clever spectrum scanning,” he says. “The RF spectrum
scanning is a clever tool to help quickly and simply find clean wireless
transmission spectrum, which is becoming more and more occupied.”
Holubec is also one of
the principal team members at Bystrouska Sound Studios, which offers audio
equipment sales and rentals as well as sound recording and mixing services at
three locations in Prague. Fortunately for Holubec, Bystrouska is the
authorized Lectrosonics distributor for the Czech Republic. “So we have many
systems in stock or for use. I occasionally test other systems—but this always
makes me sure that I made a good choice with Lectrosonics,” he says.
According to Holubec,
because his favorite recorder, the Sound Devices 788, supports eight tracks
plus a two-track downmix, his first choice was the Lectrosonics Octopack
system, which accommodates four SR Series receivers in a self-contained chassis
with antenna multicoupler. “But I have come to appreciate the clarity and
filtering of the VR Field Receiver filled with VRT modules, which is
a six-channel system. So I use another SRb module to receive an extra two
channels. I can feed the SRb via the RF splitter of the VR Field and keep
the advantage of big directional antennas.”
Because production
recordings for television series very often require all eight tracks, the
reliability and stability of his system is very important, he continues.
Productions increasingly rely on very wide shots and tighter coverage of the
actors, often making it impossible to use a boom mic. “So the reliability of
Lectrosonics’ products keeps me calm, whatever the type of shoot,” he comments.
While a production will
do everything possible to ensure that the location sound equipment is
invisible, one piece of Lectrosonics equipment ended up playing a starring
role, Holubec recalls. “Once, filming the first season of Crossing Lines, we were asked by the props department if we had
something that could look spy-like. They chose the SRa with SRABATTSLED adaptor
and it actually appeared in one scene as a transmitter—which was quite funny,
because usually nobody likes to see any kind of equipment in the frame.”
Holubec recalls that he
first encountered Lectrosonics equipment when sound mixer Chris Newman was in
Prague in 1982 working on Milos Forman's Oscar-winning movie Amadeus. “I saved my money and 10 years
later bought my first Lectrosonics VHF model CR187 compact receiver for my
first feature, Razor Blades, filming
here in Prague,” he says. “Ever since, I have purchased many Lectrosonics
products, because it’s a very clever system and helps me to do my
job better.”
About
Lectrosonics
Well
respected within the film, broadcast, and theatre technical communities since
1971, Lectrosonics wireless microphone systems and audio processing products
are used daily in mission-critical applications by audio engineers familiar
with the company's dedication to quality, customer service, and innovation.
Lectrosonics is a US manufacturer based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Visit the
company online at www.lectrosonics.com.