AI in Broadcast Audio: How Shure and the DCA901 Are Changing Live Production  

Key Takeaways 

• At IBC 2025’s AI Assistance Agents in the Live Production Accelerator, Shure demonstrated how agentic AI and the DCA901 Broadcast Microphone Array can simplify complex broadcast audio workflows
• The live IBC demonstration showed how engineers can use natural language commands to adjust microphone array positioning, optimize sound, and manage broadcast audio in real time
• Shure became the only IBC Accelerator partner to connect AI directly to physical broadcast audio hardware, enabling intelligent control of microphone array settings and DSP
• The DCA901 combines steerable lobes, integrated DSP, and Dante/AES67 networking into a single intelligent broadcast microphone array, reducing operational complexity and manual adjustment
• Together, the DCA901 and AI-assisted workflows demonstrated how intelligent broadcast audio systems can help engineers move faster, simplify live production, and stay focused on creative storytelling 

Inside IBC’s Agentic AI Accelerator, Shure demonstrated how the future of broadcast audio is intelligent, adaptive, and ready for the next generation of production.  

Artificial intelligence is no longer an abstract idea in broadcasting. AI-assisted tools are beginning to support production teams directly inside the control room, helping engineers manage complex live productions more efficiently.

At IBC 2025, the AI Assistance Agents in the Live Production Accelerator brought together BBC, ITN, and Channel 4, along with technology partners including Shure. The project explored how agentic AI and intelligent audio systems can help engineers and directors make faster, more informed decisions while staying focused on creative storytelling.  

Implementing AI in Control Rooms: From Concept to Reality

The IBC Accelerator Programme is a collaborative innovation initiative focused on turning the media industry’s most pressing challenges into real, working broadcast solutions. Each year, leading broadcasters and media organizations define key operational problems as “Champions,” then collaborate with global technology vendors, developers, and academic partners to rapidly develop practical proofs of concepts.   

Operating in an intensive six-month development framework, the programme prioritizes hands-on experimentation over theory, with results demonstrated live at IBC. The Accelerator has become a proven platform for fast-tracking achievable innovation across the global media, entertainment, and technology community. 

Inside the Accelerator gallery at IBC, engineers tested a complete AI-assisted broadcast workflow powered by agentic AI, a bleeding-edge technology capable of understanding natural language and performing actions in real time. At the center was an AI orchestrator agent that interpreted speech and communicated with a network of specialized agents working together to execute production tasks and achieve goals.    

Each AI agent handled a specialized production task, including: 

• Audio system configuration
• Graphics overlays  
• Rundown management
• Content discovery
• Error checking and workflow validation

Together, these systems formed an intelligent production workflow capable of responding instantly to operator requests.

Instead of navigating multiple vendor-specific systems and interfaces, menus, or switching between screens, production teams could simply speak or type out commands such as:

“Open the breaking-news rundown.”  

“Find content on AI in media for my rundown.”

“Add a lower-third graphics before the next segment.”  

The AI Orchestrator broke each request into smaller steps, assigned them to the right agents, and completed tasks in seconds. For engineers and producers, it offered the first clear glimpse of a broadcast workflow that could keep pace with creativity.  

Shure’s Pioneering Role in AI-Driven Broadcast Hardware Integration

Among the 12 companies participating in the IBC Accelerator, Shure was the only partner to connect agentic AI to a physical broadcast audio device. This connection was the moment AI moved beyond software orchestration and began interacting with real audio infrastructure. 

Shure developed a cloud-based audio agent to operate the DCA901 Broadcast Microphone Array, the world’s first digital microphone array tailored for broadcast applications. The project demonstrated that an AI system could communicate with professional audio hardware over standard network protocols, exchange parameters, and adjust configurations in real time through natural language commands.

The DCA901 replaces clusters of analog microphones with a single, low-profile broadcast microphone array that delivers up to eight isolated channels via a single Dante or AES67 connection. Built-in DSP manages EQ, compression, delay, and automixing within the unit, creating a hardware platform optimized for AI-assisted broadcast workflows. 

While this level of control traditionally requires multiple interfaces, screens, and practiced domain knowledge, agentic AI simplifies the process by allowing engineers to describe what they want in natural language. For example: 

“Point the mic at the left podium and optimize for speech.”  

Harnessing AI: How Simple Commands Shape Complex Broadcast Audio

During the IBC demo, Shure’s audio agent operated the DCA901 entirely through natural language via text or speech. Engineers instructed the system to adjust the microphone array lobe placement using simple, natural-language descriptions, such as “spread the lobes in a circle,” or to change presets based on intuitive descriptions of scenes. 

They could even give audio commands like:  

“Boost the bass on the male vocal channel” 

or 

“notch out 500 Hz on all channels” 

And the DCA901 array would adjust automatically in real time. 

Tasks that once required multiple screens and extensive adjustment were completed almost instantly, helping production teams move faster during live broadcasts. Behind the scenes, the agent often executed dozens of coordinated actions from single natural language commands, while logging every change for transparency and control.

Engineers remained fully in control while gaining greater speed, flexibility, and accuracy. The demo marked the first time an AI-driven system had managed broadcast microphone hardware with the responsiveness and precision of a human operator.

Simplifying Sound Configuration to Elevate Storytelling

Pairing the DCA901 Broadcast Microphone Array with agentic control will reshape how production teams capture and manage broadcast audio.

A single DCA901 can cover zones that previously required multiple microphones, giving directors more consistent, natural audio with fewer devices visible on camera. Agentic AI further simplifies operation by Allowing engineers to shift audio coverage mid-program- moving between commentators, players, and crowd reactions with a single natural language command.

Each change is logged and reversible, helping broadcasters maintain transparency and control. The result is a broadcast audio workflow that is faster, cleaner, and easier to replicate across shows, networks, or venues.

The Next Frontier: Advances in Intelligent Audio for Broadcasting

The IBC Accelerator project, AI Agent Assistants for Live Production, won the Best AI Innovation (Workflow) award at the Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards 2025. The IBC Accelerator demonstrated how agentic AI will be a key enabler for next-generation real-world broadcast production. This technology reduces manual workload, speeds up decision-making, and keeps human creativity at the center of every moment. 

For Shure, the project extends a century-long legacy of advancing professional audio technology. The DCA901 Broadcast Array Microphone and the Shure audio agent showed that the next leap in broadcast audio isn’t only about fidelity; it’s about intelligence and adaptability.   

Intelligent broadcast microphone arrays and AI coordination give engineers the freedom to respond instantly and deliver experiences that immerse audiences in every detail. 

FAQ: AI and the DCA901 in Broadcast Production

How were engineers controlling the DCA901 during the IBC demonstration? Engineers interacted with the system using natural language text or voice commands, allowing them to adjust lobe placement, optimize sound, and change presets without manually navigating multiple interfaces.

How did the DCA901 fit into the AI-assisted workflow? Shure’s cloud-based audio agent communicated directly with the DCA901 over standard network protocols, allowing the microphone array’s DSP, routing, and steerable lobes to be adjusted in real time.

Did the AI system replace engineers during the demonstration? No. Engineers remained fully in control throughout the workflow, while the AI system accelerated repetitive tasks and simplified complex broadcast audio adjustments.

Why was the IBC Accelerator project significant for broadcast audio? The project demonstrated that AI systems can interact directly with professional broadcast hardware in real time, moving beyond software-only automation into intelligent control of live production infrastructure.