An essential element of the story was, sadly, the audio which captured the sounds of the dolphins screaming and thrashing as dolphin hunters banged poles to frighten them and drive them into a secret cove where they would be hunted and killed.

“The sounds we captured were very disturbing,” explains Associate Producer on film and Director of Clandestine Operations Charles Hambleton.  “We are proud that the Academy has nominated this film, as this will help to reach a much larger audience and make more people aware of the atrocities that are happening to these beautiful and intelligent marine mammals worldwide and how the dolphin captivity industry exists purely for profit – not education.  Most recently, the unfortunate death of SeaWorld Orca trainer Dawn Brancheau illustrates this. ‘The Cove’ has also been drawing attention to the alarming levels of mercury and other toxins in all marine life worldwide – caused by humanity.”

In order to acquire all the audio and video that was necessary, the crew required recording devices that could hold up under a variety of environments, including some harsh conditions. For instance, some recorders were set up underwater or outdoors in areas protected by steep cliffs and high razor wire barricades to keep the public out. With their easy setup features and adaptability to any production condition, the Sound Devices 722 and 744T digital audio recorders were the right tools for the project.

“With this kind of operation you don’t really get a second chance,” adds Hambleton. “All of our audio was recorded in real-time so it was important to get it right the first time.  Sound Devices 744T’s were easy to setup and operate. They were sturdy enough to capture the dolphins’ reactions under water and were easily interchangeable for any audio setup.”

For underwater environments, the 744T was placed in a modified Gates underwater video camera housing. The recorders were used in conjunction with Schoeps and Sennheiser microphones, Cetacean Research Technology C54 hydrophones, Sony XDCAM video cameras, FLIR Thermal imaging cameras, an assortment of Sony hard drive HD cameras, a gyro stabilized HD camera mounted to a radio-controlled helicopter, a 7-meter blimp painted to look like a whale, as well as additional covert recording devices.

Since these recordings were being done without permission from the Japanese government, the crew also required a means of recording for long periods of time with remote access to the recorders. The Sound Devices’ record timer, along with customizable feature selections, made the integration an easy one.

“We found that having the ability to turn off features not being used and entering ‘stealth mode’ allowed us, with our expedition battery setup, to record over 30 hours at a time at 48 kHz,” Hambleton continues. “The timer was also a great feature as we could set it to turn itself on just before the action happened.”

“The Cove” has recently won the Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance film festival as well as taking home awards at 50 other festivals worldwide.  The Cove is the first non-fiction feature to sweep all four Guilds Awards including Director’s, Producer’s, Writer’s and Editor’s.  One of the biggest accomplishments of the film, to date, is securing distribution in Japan, as the film is set for release this April.

The Oceanic Preservation Society is currently working on several new projects that will incorporate Sound Devices technology into the audio capture side of the project.  For more information on The Oceanic Preservation Society and its first film “The Cove,” please visit www.thecovemovie.com.

Acting as a dedicated mixing surface for Sound Devices 788T, the CL-9 is a compact, linear fader controller that features enhanced monitoring.  The CL-9 is equipped with eight 100mm ultra low-latency linear faders and rotary input trim controls with ring LED metering for fast, smooth and precise critical gain changes.  When a CL-9 is connected, the 788T gains a sweepable, single-band parametric EQ for each of its eight inputs with variable frequency, gain and filter Q.  Additionally, the CL-9 adds input pan to the 788T.

“Through innovative accessories and our constant firmware updates, Sound Devices is able to offer new and existing 7-Series recorder customers great features and functionality,” says Jon Tatooles, managing director for Sound Devices.  “The new CL-9 is the perfect complement to the 788T as it enables the recorder to become a complete mixer/recorder product for critical sound-for-picture and music productions.”

A wide range of 788T menu-based controls are accessible with the convenient knob controls on the CL-9, such as output level control of the six outputs, dedicated L/R and Aux 1/Aux 2 output level controls, track-record enabling for each of the 12 record tracks and one-touch soloing of inputs or tracks.

Bus-powered by the 788T, the CL-9 is connected by a single USB cable.  Additional monitoring features are available by connecting the headphone output from the 788T to the CL-9.  The 788T can also be connected to a Mac OS or Windows computer running Sound Devices’ Wave Agent File Librarian. When in the Metering Mode of Wave Agent, all 12 record tracks and 788T time code values can be remotely monitored with available record and stop controls.

The CL-9 is designed with an aluminum and stainless steel chassis for the exceptional durability and low weight portability that Sound Devices is known for.  It has been tested for the same environmental extremes as Sound Devices field mixers.

View list of nominees.

Designed for Production Sound Mixers and Post Production Editors, Wave Agent provides a comprehensive and indispensable range of tools for preparing audio files for problem-free passage through complex production workflows. Wave Agent is an essential, time-saving tool for anyone working in Production Sound.

Download Wave Agent.

Ideal for both simple run-and-gun applications and in complex multi-input/multi-output production setups, Sound Devices 552 is the most technologically advanced portable audio mixer available to date.

Designed specifically for professional sound engineers, Sound Devices 552 contains five precision, high-dynamic range, transformer-balanced microphone inputs with expanded gain and headroom.  The studio-grade inputs have their own limiter, sweepable high-pass filter and pre- or post-fade direct output.  At the heart of each microphone input lies a high-performance Lundahl input transformer, which provides freedom from interference in even the most severe RF and EMI environments that are encountered in the field.

Additionally, Sound Devices 552 has an integrated two-track, 24-bit digital audio recorder that writes Broadcast WAV files to SD and SDHC media. The recorder is ideal for applications where a high-quality, 24-bit local recording is required. Either the outputs or combinations of inputs and outputs can be assigned as record sources.

“The introduction of the 552 marks a new level of audio technology for field production,” says Jon Tatooles, managing director of Sound Devices.  “The majority of our customers are full-time sound mixers and engineers who are conscientious of quality, size and weight.  We can now offer them even more portability and flexibility with a single machine, thus reducing the weight of their kit and offering unparalleled audio quality.  The 552 is the perfect centerpiece of a premium field production audio kit.”

Sound Devices 552 also allows for stereo linking of input pairs 1/2 and 3/4.  With 44.1, 48 48.048, 88.2, and 96 kHz sampling rates, its four-track AES3 digital output runs at the same sample rate as the built-in recorder.

Featuring front-panel control of mic/line inputs and phantom status with LED indication at each input, Sound Devices new user friendly mixer is also designed with sunlight-viewable, 21-segment Peak/VU meters with zoom mode.  The model is also equipped with a voice-prompted setup and option menu.  It is powered by four AA batteries or an external 10-18 VDC.

The 552, like all Sound Devices products, is designed to withstand the physical and environmental extremes of field production. Its top and bottom chassis panels are made from molded, metalized carbon fiber for superior durability and weight reduction. The front panel is also gasketed for water resistance.

The 788T is designed specifically for multi-track, on-location productions and features a significant expansion of input and output capability — eight full-featured microphone inputs and eight tracks of recording – all in a design that’s compact and lightweight.

To accommodate the larger data storage requirements of multi-track recordings, the 788T is available in two models. The 788T is equipped with a 160 GB 2.5-in. internal SATA hard disk drive for up to 40 hours of 8-track, 24 bit, 48 kHz audio. The 788T-SSD is equipped with a 256 GB solid-state drive and can hold up to 66 hours of 8-track Broadcast Wave files.

“We are exceptionally pleased to be nominated for a TEC Award for the 788T,” says Sound Devices Managing Director Jon Tatooles. “It’s very rewarding to be recognized for our dedication to developing audio products specifically for field and on-location recording.”

The honors will be presented at the 25th Annual TEC Awards to be held at the AES Convention, New York City in October 2009. Event details to be announced.

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The XL-SATA provides a migration path for existing owners of the 722 and 744T recorders needing drive replacement or upgrades. Parallel ATA drives (IDE) drives, have become difficult to source for many users as SATA drives take over in the market. The diversity of sizes and types of SATA drives continues to grow.

The 722 and 744T are now shipped from the factory with internal 160 GB SATA hard drives.

“We are constantly working with our customers to learn how we can make our products even more valuable for their work,” says Jon Tatooles, Managing Director of Sound Devices. “The CL-2 carries on this tradition by addressing the needs of sound mixers working with boom microphones, or any mixer wanting very easy, precise access to an input gain. While many jobs require multi-track, often it is that main boom which requires the most precision.”

Sound Devices’ 788T digital audio recorder is designed specifically for multi-track, on-location productions and features a significant expansion of input and output capability — eight full-featured microphone inputs and twelve tracks of recording. In a stainless-steel and aluminum chassis weighing less than four pounds and roughly the size of a hard-covered novel, the 788T accommodates individual controls and connectors for each of its eight inputs, plus numerous additional I/O and data connections.