LECTROSONICS IN THE THICK OF THE ACTION ON "HAWAII FIVE-O"

Frequency agility and range make audio capture extremely efficient

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii - August 2011. In just one season, CBS's hit show

Hawaii Five-O has become one of the most watched police dramas of television

history. Filmed on location on Oahu, the show takes full advantage of the

island's stunning terrain. From the white sand beaches to the highest

cliffs, this show's action takes place seemingly everywhere. Capturing the

show's dialog is a task that requires equipment capable of delivering under

some very challenging conditions and that's precisely why Lectrosonics

wireless microphone technology is on the job.

Robert Janiger of Los Angeles was the production sound mixer for most of the

show's first season. A veteran sound engineer with an impressive track

record that includes films such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, which was directed

and co-produced by Francis Ford Coppola, as well as Timecode, directed by

Mike Figgis, Janiger's list of credits spans both television and film.

Having used Lectrosonics equipment for the better part of the past twenty

years, Janiger's current equipment arsenal includes four Lectrosonics SMa,

two SMQ, and two SMV Super Miniature transmitters, plus five UM200 frequency

agile transmitters. His receivers include five UCR211 and four UCR411a

compact receivers in conjunction with UMCWBL 4-Channel Wideband UHF

Diversity and UMC 200D multicouplers. For IFB (interruptable foldback for

in-field broadcast among the production staff), Janiger has three IFBT1's

and an IFBT4 compact transmitter as well as eighteen R1A beltpack IFB

receivers. Rounding out his Lectrosonics setup is a combination of two

Lectrosonics high gain log periodic antennas and two SNA 600 dipole

antennas.

Janiger discussed the challenges he routinely encountered while on location

for Hawaii Five-O. "We'd shoot all over the island of Oahu, sometimes

multiple locations in the same day," he explained. "Due to the frequently

noisy surroundings, the nature of the action, and multiple camera shoots, we

were on radio mics for almost every shot. We typically used 3 - 7 radio mics

a day-often in very challenging RF environments. Between the international

air traffic at the nearby airport, radio, TV, and a host of additional

signals, there's a lot of RF congestion nearby. The ability to quickly and

easily scan the area to find open frequencies is one of the strongest

attributes of this equipment. This feature enables me to have the gear

operational in no time."

Range is another important aspect of Lectrosonics wireless equipment that

Janiger finds indispensible, "Occasionally, we'd find ourselves working over

what I consider to be incredibly extreme range. We were working from up on a

hillside, shooting down on a scene from a distance of roughly 200 yards.

This is where my log periodic antennas really saved me. With multiple camera

angles, there was simply no way to get any closer to the talent."

In addition to his equipment's frequency agility and ability to perform

consistently across considerable distance, Janiger is very impressed with

Lectrosonics' build and sound quality. "The reliability and build quality of

the Lectrosonics gear is most impressive," Janiger reports, "and the sound

quality is the icing on the cake. I was really happy with the way my SMa and

SMQ transmitters sounded with both the UCR211 and UCR411a receivers. Not

only is the sound quality first rate, the build quality is rock solid. These

transmitters had accidentally fallen and gotten banged against the pavement,

yet they continued to work fine."

As he prepared for another day on location, Janiger summed up his experience

with Lectrosonics. "Over the years, I've used a lot of Lectrosonics

equipment," he said. "My dealer, Location Sound Corp. of North Hollywood,

CA, has been a terrific business partner and on the few occasions that I've

had direct contact with Lectrosonics, the company has consistently been very

responsive. I've been very pleased with my Lectrosonics gear and, presently,

have no plans to make any changes to my equipment inventory. Yes, I'd

certainly like to acquire a few more IFB receivers, but the reason I'm not

contemplating any changes is due to the fact that I'm very happy with the

way everything's working. It's really nice to have equipment you don't have

to worry about. You put it up and it gets the job done."

For additional information about Robert Janiger, his credits can be found on

the IMDb database at www.imdb.com.

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.