How Developments In Sound Tech Have Transformed TV

The biggest nights in the film and TV industry come along when events like the Oscars and Baftas are staged, which see blockbuster films, popular TV shows and famous actors being honoured. But those who apply the latest technology and production techniques to raise the bar of quality can also be recognised.

Sometimes these are part of the main awards, such as at the Oscars, where there is an award for the best visual effects. But there can also be stand-alone award events, such as the Television Academy 2025 Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Awards.

This year’s awards have seen various prizes handed out to those who have brought the best and most modern technology to bear on production, with award winners including BBC Research and Development.

From FM And Stereo To Digital Sound

BBC Research and Development received the Philo T. Farnsworth Corporate Achievement Award for its work in the development of broadcasting technology, from FM signals in the 1930s to the use of AI in the 2020s, with stereo sound, HDTV and 5G among other innovations in between.

While these have not all simply been in-house BBC innovations, they have played a big role in their development and skilful usage in enhancing broadcast technology.

The sound aspect should never be overlooked. True, we now live in an age where CGI and AI can produce more compelling visual effects than ever, which may obviate the need for some low-tech special effects, but the quality of sound is just as significant.

This is where a TV production agency like ours can help.

Kenneth And Clarity

It should not be forgotten that moving pictures came first, with the age of silent films being replaced by the ‘talkies’ in the 1920s, around the time that the BBC began the first radio broadcasts.

While this represented a great leap forward, perhaps the biggest until the advent of colour TV, the quality of sound was nowhere near as good as it is today.

To give an example in sports broadcasting, old recordings of football matches from the time of the first live screenings in the 1950s can reveal very poor quality by today’s standards, with comparatively muffled and crackly sound contrasting with the clarity of modern times.

For example, take the classic 1953 FA Cup final: the commentary by Kenneth Wolstenholme is clear enough to hear, but obviously less so than when he spoke his infamous words about there being “some people on the pitch” in the World Cup final 13 years later.

These were incremental improvements, but modern sound technology makes live action even clearer. In addition, digital technology has a big role to play when dealing with pre-recorded productions or old tapes, often cleaning them up to improve sound quality.

Adjusting Sound Digitally

Indeed, while the most up-to-date digital technology can ensure greater clarity in live or recorded sound, the ability to modify and clarify sound to remove intrusive background noise.

This technology works in various ways. One of the most important is through equalisation.  This works by making alterations to the frequency balance between two sounds, so that you can adjust between the two to ensure the sound you want is given greater emphasis and the other sound less.

An obvious use is in music, where it can adjust the sound so that, as various instruments play, the balance between them sounds better for the listener. This is important if broadcasting or recording a live performance, as well as in the studio when a piece of music is being recorded for the first time.

This can equally be used to clarify talking voices and cut out any squeaks or embarrassing noises that may be heard, or indeed anything coming through a ‘hot mic’ that has been left on in error.

The Role The Studio Design Plays

Of course, a studio should be geared up to help create the right environment for sound in the first place. Quite apart from the microphones, the layout and acoustics are designed to enable it to carry in the right way, in the same way (although on none so grand a scale or with such aesthetics) that a concert hall or cathedral might be designed to conduct sound.

However, digital sound technology can do so much more to make this clear, helping to clean up the sound quality in ways that could barely be imagined when the first ‘talkies’ emerged just over a century ago.

Indeed, there is no point speculating about what the next century may bring, for the clarity that post-production work can bring to sound can enhance it beyond what may be heard by anyone present, ensuring the final product is exactly what you want the viewer or listener to hear.