How Steerable Lobes Redefine Broadcast Audio Capture

Key Takeaways

• Shure’s DCA901 Broadcast Microphone Array uses 78 internal microphones, steerable lobes, and integrated DSP to create eight independently controlled pickup zones for precise broadcast audio capture
• Steerable lobes enable directional audio control, allowing you to position, shape, and adjust pickup zones in real time without physically moving microphones
• The DCA901’s web-based GUI and how it enables real-time control and configuration, allowing you to position lobes, manage presets, and visually align audio coverage with the environment
• Built-in DSP features like beamforming, automixing, and noise reduction and how they improve clarity, isolate key sound sources, and reduce the need for manual audio adjustments in complex broadcast environments
• The DCA901 applied in real-world sports production, including basketball and soccer, where steerable lobes are used to cover key areas of play, isolate on-field audio, and maintain consistent sound across large venues 

In today’s fast-paced production environments, capturing high-fidelity audio is essential. Audiences expect immersive audio in sports and live entertainment that enhances their experience and brings them closer to the action.

As audio engineers, you know the challenge: covering wide spaces with precision, while minimizing gear and setup time. The DCA901 Broadcast Microphone Array was built to meet that challenge with steerable lobes that deliver clean, focused sound with less hardware. 

Understanding the DCA901: Digital Microphone Array

The DCA901 delivers eight channels of high-fidelity audio through a single network cable. As a digital broadcast microphone array, its directional audio capture is powered by 78 internal microphones, processed individually through eight separate processing chains to form highly directional pickup patterns.

This method allows for independent steerable lobe control while maintaining a coherent, immersive broadcast audio experience.

DCA901 Overview:

• Captures wider coverage than traditional analog microphone setups
• Eliminates spatial aliasing and phase misalignment with synchronized processing
• Provides eight channels, plus stereo and mono automix outputs and a PFL channel in a single-unit design
• Streamlines deployment with a single compact unit
• Offers digital lobe steering to reduce manual adjustments
• Isolates key audio elements while minimizing unwanted crowd or ambient noise
• Higher directionality captures clearer audio in noisy broadcast environments

With the DCA901, you can shape sound with greater control and deliver an immersive, front-row experience.

How Do Steerable Lobes Work?

The DCA901 stands apart with its digitally steerable lobes, which are controlled through an embedded web-based GUI. A steerable lobe acts as a highly directional pickup zone, formed by the internal processing chains within the microphone array. 

The DCA901 offers eight individual lobes, along with a single mono automix, a 2-channel stereo automix, and a PFL channel. The PFL channel enables isolation of individual channels for monitoring without affecting automix decisions. 

Each lobe can be set to narrow, medium, or wide, depending on the desired pickup range. You can steer each lobe independently and even assign multiple lobes to the same target area using different widths for layered coverage. Additional tools like PEQ (parametric equalizer) allow you to refine the sound further and emphasize desired audio elements. 

This setup provides complete independence and flexibility in shaping the sound pickup as required.

Controlling the Lobes: Inside the GUI

To set up the DCA901, you'll need the Shure Discovery app to locate the device on your network. Alternatively, you can use the Shure Update Utility app, to discover and update firmware on the device. 

Follow the user guide to confirm that you selected the network the microphone array is on and access the GUI either by manually entering the IP address in your browser with https as a prefix, or by double-clicking it to open in your browser.

Up to five users can access the GUI simultaneously, with the most recent command taking precedence.

GUI Highlights:

• Dual Views: The left side provides a fixed POV from the array’s perspective (with LED orientation), while the right side offers a movable 3D view to align lobes with visual
• Lobe Control: Shape and steer lobes directly in the interface. In quieter environments, use auto positioning to set direction. For noisier settings, manually steer each lobe, followed by fine-tuning as needed. Lobe positioning should be verified with a talkout.
• Configuration Example: For a basketball setup, mount the microphone array 8 feet high and aim toward the free-throw line, 24 feet away. Use a laser distance measurer to calculate the diagonal value, adjust the X-axis angle, and set the lobe width based on coverage needs.
• Preset Management: Save and export presets immediately to avoid losing configurations during firmware updates. Label files clearly for future reuse.
• Monitoring: Use your ears as the final reference. The GUI provides visual feedback, but the true measure of performance is what you hear.

Streamlined Setup and Routing

With a single Dante/AES67 connection handling audio, power and control, the DCA901 streamlines setup and reduces cable clutter in broadcast audio workflows.

For example, one professional basketball deployment, from physical setup to first audio capture, was completed in just 90 minutes. When installed into an environment with existing infrastructure, setup time was reduced to just 15 minutes. The DCA901 is built for fast, efficient integration into professional broadcast workflows. 

Elevating Audio Capture with Built-In DSP

The DCA901’s internal DSP is central to its performance, offering advanced tools to shape and refine your broadcast audio mix:

• Beamforming provides precise directional control
• Automixing balances sources automatically with minimal manual adjustment
• PEQ fine-tunes frequencies for tonal clarity
• Noise reduction minimizes ambient sound, ensuring clarity in loud environments

Together these features allow engineers to capture clean, natural audio with less manual intervention in broadcast audio environments.

Real-World Applications

The DCA901 offers versatile audio capture and opens new possibilities in media production to deliver exceptional results. It’s user-friendly setup and dynamic steerable lobe control streamline workflows and expand creative options.

Deployment in Sports:

• Basketball: Mount a DCA901 under each stanchion to cover key areas within 35 feet using five lobes, fanned across the three-point line and focused on the free-throw and low post zones. An additional 2 lobes can be used to complete the coverage under the basket at the baseline.

• Soccer: When paired with Edge Sound Research Virtual Sound Engine, the DCA901 activates specific lobes based on ball and player movements, giving engineers greater control over directional audio capture. Replacing traditional shotgun mics, the DCA901 units installed around the field can increase coverage from 12 channels, up to 96.

Unlocking Creative Solutions

The DCA901 has sparked creative audio moments beyond initial deployments. Engineers are impressed by the dynamic steerability, which allows for quick adjustments such as moving a lobe away from a distracting sound while maintaining overall coverage. 

The internal automixer helps reduce eight lobes to a manageable two-channel stereo output while preserving spatial awareness. In studio environments, the built-in noise reduction algorithm significantly reduces static interference. 

Rethinking Broadcast Mic Strategy with the DCA901

The DCA901 simplifies setup, reduces gear requirements, and gives you precise control over broadcast audio capture. Whether you’re producing live sports or in-studio broadcasts, it delivers the coverage and flexibility today’s productions demand.

Want to see it in action? Visit www.shure.com/dca901 to book a demo and learn more about how the DCA901 can elevate your workflow.

FAQ: Using the DCA901 in Broadcast Audio

How much control do I actually have over where audio is picked up with the DCA901? The DCA901 gives you direct control over pickup zones through steerable lobes, which can be positioned, resized, and adjusted in real time using the GUI. This allows you to target specific areas of action without physically moving microphones, making it easier to adapt coverage as the environment or production needs change.

How does the DCA901 handle covering multiple areas of a field or court at the same time? The system creates multiple independent lobes from a single microphone array, allowing you to assign coverage to different parts of the playing surface simultaneously. This makes it possible to capture key zones of action without deploying separate microphones for each area.

What does setup and control actually look like with the DCA901 compared to a traditional mic setup? Instead of placing and physically aiming multiple microphones, the DCA901 is configured through a web-based GUI. From there, you can position lobes, adjust coverage, and manage presets visually, reducing the need for physical adjustments and simplifying deployment.

How does built-in DSP affect the way I mix audio during a broadcast? With built-in processing like beamforming, automixing, and noise reduction, much of the audio shaping happens at the source. This helps deliver cleaner, more balanced audio into the mix, reducing the need for constant manual adjustments during production.

Where does the DCA901 make the biggest difference in real-world production? The DCA901 is especially effective in live sports environments like basketball and soccer, where large coverage areas and constant movement make traditional microphone setups difficult to manage. Using steerable lobes, engineers can isolate key on-field audio and maintain consistent coverage across the entire venue.