What Makes Capturing Banana Ball Audio Different from Other Live Sports Broadcasts

Traditional broadcast audio systems were built around defined positions and predictable movement. Coverage is designed around where the action is expected to happen using conventional analog sports microphone setups.

Banana Ball removes those assumptions.

Nicholas Caldera, broadcast engineer for the Savannah Bananas, describes the pace simply:
“Here it’s go, go, go all the time. The show is always hot.”

There are no true breaks in the action. Players dance between innings. Performers move in and out of the field of play. Crowd interaction is continuous, not reactive.

From an audio perspective, multiple moments occur simultaneously. A reaction in the dugout. A chant in the stands. A hit at the plate. None of them waits for their turn.

Traditional microphone placement forces prioritization. Capture one moment and miss another.

That compromise is subtle, but viewers feel it. Most viewers may not know what’s missing, but they recognize when a broadcast feels flat, disconnected, or less alive than what they see on screen. 

Why Live Sports Broadcast Audio Requires More Than Traditional Microphone Placement

Matthew Webster, Head of Technology for the Savannah Bananas, frames the objective clearly:
“Our job is to deliver an experience better for people watching at home than for people in the venue. Capturing that is really, really difficult.”

Broadcast is expected to surpass the in-venue experience, offering greater access, perspective, and intimacy.

Achieving that requires rethinking how audio is captured at the source, starting with the role of the broadcast microphone.

Placing microphones in key locations and mixing between them is no longer enough. That model assumes the action will come to the microphone. In productions as dynamic as Banana Ball, the opposite is true.

The capture system needs to follow the action.

Scaling that approach without adding operational complexity is equally critical. Large crews, constant repositioning, and manual adjustments do not easily scale, especially in REMI and distributed production environments.

A system must be both fixed and flexible. Fixed in deployment, flexible in how it captures.

At Grayson Stadium, the Savannah Bananas partnered with Shure to implement that approach, using the Shure DCA901 Broadcast Microphone Array to move from static capture to dynamic, software-defined coverage.

How the DCA901 Broadcast Microphone Array Handles a Constantly Moving Field of Play

The DCA901 is deployed at the first base dugout and third base dugout, with each unit remaining in a fixed position throughout the game.

Rather than relying on a large number of traditional mics for baseball coverage across the field, fewer physical units now deliver broader, more flexible coverage.

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Using digitally steerable lobes, the DCA901 directs its focus across the field of play in real time. Its 78 microphone elements combine to create up to eight independently controlled pickup zones.

Each pickup zone can be routed as an independent output, giving engineers discrete control at the console while maintaining a simplified physical deployment.

Pickup zones are defined and adjusted through a web-based interface, giving engineers control over lobe steering without additional software installation or proprietary hardware.

Engineers can shift focus instantly, from home plate to the pitcher’s mound to the dugout or the stands, without touching a piece of hardware.

The array stays fixed. The pickup adapts.

Clayton Franklin, A2 for the Savannah Bananas broadcast, describes what that unlocks:
“Being able to pinpoint home plate, the pitcher’s mound, and third base, hearing the bat crack, the pitch, the slide, it’s miraculous how good it is.”

That level of control changes how coverage is approached. Engineers are no longer limited to capturing isolated moments. The full sequence of a play, from the pitch to the hit to the reaction, can be followed and captured in real time.

Integration into the production chain is equally straightforward. Caldera explains the routing:
“With mounting them at the dugouts, it’s one quick Ethernet back to our truck using Dante. That helps us patch all the audio. It’s very simple to get set up.”

That simplicity extends to remote production. The system integrates directly into IP-based REMI workflows, giving engineers working off-site the same real-time control over pickup zones as those at the venue.

For a touring production like the Savannah Bananas, that consistency is critical. The physical environment changes from venue to venue, but the capture approach and workflow remain consistent.

What Changes When the DCA901 Is in the Mix

Before deploying the DCA901, the Savannah Bananas relied on several traditional sports microphones. Coverage was limited, and expanding coverage meant adding more hardware, more cabling, and more complexity.

With the DCA901, that model shifts entirely.

Webster explains:
“We deploy two to three DCA901s, and we get almost 16 plus microphones all the way around the field. The sound is fuller, louder, and honestly just more of it.”

The impact is felt across the production, from system design to the console to the field.

For Franklin, the DCA901 fundamentally changed the setup on game day:
“I don’t have to throw out as many mics for flavor around the dugouts or around home plate as I used to. I’m able to pinpoint areas where I would have needed multiple microphones. It does those pickups just as well, if not better.”

The result is faster setup, fewer failure points, and more coverage from less hardware.

For Gwen Guiteau, A1 audio mixer for the Savannah Bananas, the difference in the mix was immediate:
“During batting practice, I heard the crack of the bat like I was right there on the field. The DCA901 makes it easier to fine-tune and create a lively mix for fans at home.”

Franklin adds:
“There’s a big home run or a big play; we hear them react. That adds so much flavor to the broadcast.”

Guiteau adds:
“With the DCA901, I use everything now. I’m getting every single sound I want, and that’s something I’ve never been able to do before with other microphones.”

Moments that were previously buried now come through clearly.

Why the DCA901 Opens Up New Possibilities for Live Sports Broadcast Audio

If the DCA901 can keep up with Banana Ball, the broadcast microphone array can keep up with anything.

Constant motion, layered sound, and unscripted moments exist across live sports and entertainment.

That makes this production a proving ground.

For the Savannah Bananas, performance extends beyond a single game. Touring productions demand consistency across venues, fast deployment, and a capture approach that delivers every night. And the DCA901 meets that requirement.

This shift reflects how Shure redefines what a broadcast microphone can deliver in modern sports production.

The goal remains the same: deliver the sound of the front row experience.

What has changed is how reliably that experience can be captured and delivered for every moment, every play, and every game.

Are you ready to try out the DCA901 in your environment? Schedule a demo today and open up new possibilities for what you can capture in your broadcast.