Golf is gaining popularity; the 2025 Ryder Cup achieved record-breaking viewing figures in the UK specifically, with five million fans tuning in – a 45 percent average viewership increase on the 2023 event. Last year’s US Open and Ryder Cup tournaments also smashed records on digital platforms. The US Open was the most streamed golf event in NBC Sports history, and the Ryder Cup experienced 432 million video views across the tournament’s own digital and social channels. With so many people invested in the sport, the pressure is increasing for broadcast audio A1s to deliver the most immersive and captivating broadcasts. In this craft interview, A1s Florian Brown (FB) and James Deason (JD) drive us through the highs and lows of mixing two of the highest profile events in the global golf calendar
James, this was your first year as lead A1 at the US Open Championships, can you explain how you prepare for a tournament of this size and stature? How does it compare to the other tournaments in the PGA? Or the Ryder Cup?
JD: 2025 was indeed my first year as lead A1 for the US Open. For the prior four years I have been the relief mixer. On the technical side we rely quite a bit on past knowledge. We are very fortunate that the majority of our audio crew has been involved in these shows for a number of years, that is an immense help. It gives us a solid foundation for building the show since we know what we have done in the past. That foundation gives us a tremendous amount of flexibility in adding new technologies for these large shows since we don’t have to focus on the basics. Having an incredibly skilled and experienced audio team makes the job so much easier.
Were all four of NEP’s flexible ND2 mobile units employed at the US Open? Can you describe how they worked together from an audio perspective?
JD: For the US Open we used all four units of ND2; The ND2A console was the main mix desk for the show, and the D console handled the submix. The consoles are linked together via hydra patch bays, as well as 2110 flows. Lawrence Cirillo is the lead NBC submix and he handles all of the sounds coming from the field of play. One of the unique things in golf is there are 18 independent arenas being used simultaneously. They all have to feed into the router so that they can be recorded. Lawrence handles all of that. He sends me a full 5.1 mix of whatever hole is live during the broadcast.
What other NEP trucks were in the compound at the US Open, and how did they connect to the overall audio workflow? What role did NEP’s scalable TFC IP facilities play in managing everything?
JD: We had NEP’s Supershooter 4 A, B, and C units on site. They handled the feature group coverage for the event. All of these trucks are 2110-enabled so there is an amazing amount of flexibility. We rely heavily on the EICs; in the 2110 world the truck engineer is the point of the spear; every source and destination has to go through them, so their role is mission critical. The 2110 flows between the various trucks allowing signals to easily route to any destination. Utilizing NEP’s TFC as well as other signal transport like MADI, and Dante gives us the flexibility to do anything with any signal.
Did you and Florian work together on the mix for the 2025 Ryder Cup? Can you tell us about that?
JD: I handled the unilateral feed for NBC at the Ryder Cup, and Florian mixed the world feed. The Ryder Cup was, by far, the most complicated scenario I have ever been a part of. The lead producer for NBC was producing the world feed and the NBC feed at the same time. In addition, there was a separate world feed producer and NBC producer that handled commercial elements. The audio department had to juggle all of those producers and the various talent before we could even begin to address the actual golf. Florian was on a new Argo console, but I was using a non-impulse core Apollo, so there was a lot of conversion and signal generation to get sources and destinations where they needed to go.
Florian, NEP’s scalable TFC IP facilities were used for the 2025 Ryder Cup to create a broadcast hub, with Supershooter 10 (housing a Calrec Argo Q, ImPulse Core, AoIP Stage Box systems and 3 x Hydra2 AoIP Field Boxes) serving as the core for the world feeds. Can you explain how the audio was routed in this multi-truck compound?
FB: The Argo in NEP’s Supershooter10 truck was the main console for the World feed Production. The Submix Apollo desk audio travelled to me and then a split was given to the NBC show Apollo. Each desk then fed the router with the appropriate audio to each desks needs. The TFC infrastructure allowed everything to be shared then over the router. The world feed had access to the NBC assets, and NBC had access to all the world feed assets.
Giving centralised control over multi-vendor systems at major sports productions, how does Argo Q help to integrate with NEP’s TFC orchestration platform?
FB: While the IP nature of audio is still being digested by Mixers, the consistent labelling between the desk and the TFC infrastructure is key to being able to navigate the multiple folders. The Ergonomics of the touch screen nature of both platforms makes patching and routing fairly easy.
James, how do the Calrec Apollo consoles integrate with the TFC orchestration platform?
JD: The TFC system gives us the organizational capabilities that are needed on a large show. Every flow is accessible and the routes in and out of the Apollo are easily changed. Using TFC creates a format-agnostic signal as far as the Calrec is concerned; meaning once the signal is in TFC it doesn’t matter what the original source was – a de-embedder, CCU, MADI, AES, 2110 – once it is a part of a flow it is easily accessible.
How has the audio capture of the crowd and the field of play changed at events like the Ryder Cup, and what effect does it have on your approach to mixing the ambient crowd atmosphere versus commentary and effects?
FB: The “Ryder Cup roar” is the loudest sound in golf. On a normal weekend crowds tend to gather on signature holes, or near sponsor activations. At the Ryder Cup every hole can draw huge crowds, and you never know when the roar will go off. We gain all the field mics lower for this event and use the Groups to make up any gain if we need it.
The crowd behaviour was described as particularly “rough” and “brutal” at last year’s event. How did this compare to other golf tournaments you’ve worked on in terms of audio management challenges?
FB: The sound of golf has evolved over the years, once it was a quiet sport, with reserved crowds. But not anymore, fans yell and scream all the time. With the international competition that enthusiasm only increases. While not every fan reaction was polite this year, the intensity of fans will only continue to grow with each season. On the audio side we are prepared, and the swear button operator definitely gets a workout.
How do you balance the need for authentic crowd atmosphere with the risk of capturing inappropriate language, and how do immersive audio formats affect your approach?
FB: We in the audio department cover the sound as it occurs. We prefer the audience doesn’t swear, but we also don’t try to avoid it. Hopefully the dump button works. We add some high crowd mics near the stadium build outs to accommodate the immersive elements.
James, what were the most memorable moments to capture during the US Open and why?
JD: Sunday at the US Open is always special. The challenges of the golf course come to the forefront as the golfers continue to grind through the holes. It is a war of attrition – last man standing. Bringing this battle to the viewer is what makes it special. This past year it was raining on Sunday, the wet conditions created even more of a challenge, and watching a golfer battle back to win it on a 60+ foot putt and hearing the crowd go wild was electrifying.
How do you balance the natural soundscapes of birds, wind and ambient crowd with commentary and player mics so that it feels authentic on air?
JD: Our goal when listening to the balance between the plethora of sources is to create layers. You need a foundational layer – a base that creates continuity between the holes. Each hole sounds different due to ambient changes like roads or trains, or even generator placement. We use a bed of sound that helps even out those ambient changes. On top of that we need to add in the golf sounds, the crowd, the player conversations, and the broadcast hosts. We want the viewer to never be distracted by an out of place sound, so we do our best to make transitions smooth and EQ sources to minimize the differences between holes to create an environment for the viewer.
Caddy and player conversations are an important storytelling tool. How do you decide when and how they are brought into the mix and how are they captured?
JD: The lead producer is in charge of telling the story, and we support his vision. We will absolutely let him know when we hear good conversation, but he calls for it, he makes the decision on that part of the story. We make sure that our mic ops are in the best place possible to hear those conversations when they do happen, and make it sound the best we can every time.
Were there any particular Calrec features or capabilities that proved especially useful for handling unique challenges at this venue?
FB: The new Control Link feature on the Argo proved especially useful, particularly the ability to turn it on and off for a group of faders. This made it handy to change settings on the fly quickly.
What role did Calrec’s Hydra2 networking play in managing audio across the vast distances at the Bethpage Black course, and what are the challenges in making such long cable runs across the course?
FB: The amount of fibre needed to connect all the infrastructure is truly amazing. Having to navigate long distances, obscure routes, water features, and people is always a challenge. The Hydra2 network is rock solid and has been since its inception. The ability to share the Hydra2 network across desks is also invaluable.
With Calrec’s Hydra2 networking allowing you to route audio from anywhere on the course, how do you strategically decide which mics to keep “hot” during tense moments?
FB: The general rule in EFX mixing is to have only two mics open, where the ball is, and where it is going. That usually involves the RF pack walking with the golfer and the audio from the green. Hopefully a smooth transition occurs while the ball is in flight.
How do you handle audio redundancy to ensure an uninterrupted world feed delivery?
FB: We deploy secondary mics using a different transport path from the booth. We can rely on camera mics if the hydras fail. We also run copper backups in the compound to send important mixes between the desks.
James, can you describe some of the main technical challenges during the US Open and how the Calrec systems helped you overcome them?
JD: The technical challenges are, more often than not, a matter of everyone being on the same page. We have to make sure everyone is communicating what they are delivering or requesting to the right person. The Calrec architecture makes it easy to move things, to reroute destinations, to create multiple outputs, etc. In coordination with TFC it allows us to customise feeds for the various requirements without jumping through a lot of hoops.
What makes Calrec’s workflow particularly suited to golf broadcasting compared to other sports you’ve mixed?
JD: Golf broadcasting is different from other sports. We have 18 different venues all playing at the same time; and while they are separate, they are all a part of the larger ecosystem of the event. Every golfer is playing every venue, but at a different time and under potentially different circumstances. No other sport has this dynamic. Calrec’s functionality in routing and generating multiple paths for each of these “venues” is critical. We have to be able to make changes on the fly and the fact that that is easy to do on a Calrec makes them integral to what we do.
What are the main differences mixing golf content compared to other sports events?
JD: There are two main differences in golf content. First, as I mentioned, is that there are 18 separate, but inter-dependent arenas to cover. Second, the dynamic range is like no other. You have to balance the ability to hear a putter strike a ball or hear the ball.
What are your favourite Calrec console features and why?
JD: I enjoy mixing on Calrec consoles. I feel that they are very user-friendly, laid out well, and give the operator every opportunity to create good sound. The advancement of the impulse core, and now True Control 2.0, have opened the door to the future of audio production.
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