Tom Holmes has worked as a television sound mixer since 1991, leveraging a background in touring concert sound to help him figure out how to make special events sound great even after they’re broadcast. We caught up with him via email to talk about mixing sound for this year’s Grammy awards ceremony, an HDTV  extravaganza that required attention to detail on every front in the Staples Center, from host and presenter mics to nearly two dozen mics placed around the hall to capture audience sound.

Q: On a team like the one that works on sound for the Grammys, what’s your workload? What are you specifically responsible for?
A: I am the production mixer on the Grammys, and so I am responsible for mixing all of the production elements (host mics, presenter mics, podiums, video taped packages, audience mics, and a music sub-mix) to a 5.1 surround mix for transmittal to CBS.

Q: Were there any unusual challenges during this year’s show? Or were there any other specialized pieces of gear/equipment that helped you get it right?
A: The Grammys is always a challenging show. It takes a huge amount of logistics and equipment to get it all done right, and the audio crew is absolutely the best. A lot of equipment is available that makes our jobs easier. The Calrec Alpha console has amazing power and flexibility, and the TC Electronic M6000 takes a lot of the worry out of keeping our output to the specifications required by the broadcaster. I recorded many of the production elements (48 channels worth) for review during rehearsals, and after the show on an Apple laptop and an RME MADIface. Thats up to 64 channels on one coax cable into a MacBook Pro. I love what you can do with digital audio and a fast computer nowadays!

Q: I understand you used the Holophone H2-PRO. Why was that important?
A: We used the Holophone H2-PRO to add some dimension to our audience mix. In order to let our home viewers get a feel of what the space and the energy in the room is like, we attempt to recreate that live environment with careful placement of audience mics. The Holophone was a very useful part of that re-creation.

Q: Are there basic rules for creating a solid multichannel mix, or does each event demand its own formula?
For television, I would say to keep it basic. I usually diverge the dialog to the left/right channels a bit. Make sure that your audience mics are directed to the proper surround channels to get the real feel for the space of the room your event is taking place in. And we tend to assume that the home user’s default set up is for bass management – their subwoofer is used to handle all lower frequencies, not just for special effects.

Q: What’s the biggest misconception about mixing sound for HDTV?
It’s like anything else for a mixer: there is no wrong way or right way. Everyone’s mix is subjective. If it sounds good to you and your client, it probably sounds the way it is supposed to.