Los Angeles, CA — “Anything I can do to make sure more art gets out into the world gives me a sense of purpose,” explains Los Angeles-based production sound mixer, Will Harrell. For Harrell, providing flawless audio is fundamentally about facilitating creativity. With a resume spanning major commercials for Mercedes AMG and AMD, press junkets for hit shows like The Last of Us and Paradise, and high-profile documentaries, Harrell tackles every project armed with an extensive Lectrosonics kit including DSR4 Four-Channel Digital Slot Receivers, SRc Dual-Channel Slot Mount ENG Receivers, SMDWB Dual Battery Miniature Wideband Transmitters, LT Digital Hybrid Wireless® Belt-Pack Transmitters, and HMa Digital Hybrid Wireless UHF Plug-On Transmitters.
Harrell’s journey into production sound began over a decade ago at the University of Texas at Austin. Realizing he needed a technical specialty to excel in the film industry, he leaned into his lifelong passion for music. “I felt like I had the ear for what made something sound good,” he notes. After saving up from a grocery store job to buy budget gear, he quickly discovered the limitations of prosumer wireless systems. His trajectory changed when he borrowed a Lectrosonics 400 series kit from the university gear department. “I was so blown away by the quality of the Lectrosonics’ signal,” Harrell recalls. “Just select a clean frequency and you're golden; I realized I could rely on Lectrosonics just like a hardwire.”
Since relocating to Los Angeles in 2018, Harrell has continuously upgraded his kit to meet the demands of crowded urban RF environments and complex shoots. “Living in LA, clean frequencies are often not available in a wide spectrum, so it's helpful to have something like the SMDWB transmitters that cover multiple blocks,” he says. To keep his bag setup light and powerful, he utilizes the DSR4 four-slot receiver.
This setup recently proved invaluable on a fast-paced Jack Link's commercial. “It was three days of miking up Sasquatches and recording their grunts,” laughs Harrell. “I rigged up my DSR4 receiver and an SNA600 antenna, and everything went off like a dream.” Harrell also considers the HMa plug-on transmitter the unsung hero of his narrative film work. “On a film set, the boom is your bread and butter, and you can't have wireless dropouts,” he states. “The HMa surprises me every day with how reliable it is.”
That reliability has been put to the ultimate test by extreme weather conditions. While shooting an independent feature film in Iowa a February winter vortex forced Harrell to work in sub-zero temperatures. “I watched the camera department struggle with their equipment and was concerned with how my gear would hold up,” Harrell shares. “Despite the negative 20-degree weather, I noticed absolutely no difference in the operation of the Lectrosonics gear.”
Six months later, Harrell found himself on the opposite end of the spectrum. “We were shooting a short in the blazing 120-degree Joshua Tree sun, and the Lectrosonics gear never overheated or showed any signs of failure,” he marvels. “Between Iowa and Joshua Tree, the operating temperatures swung 140-degrees and Lectrosonics didn’t break a sweat. It was just another sign that I had made a good investment.”
Currently, Harrell is bringing his expertise to a high-profile fashion film starring Stellan Skarsgård and a sprawling documentary series featuring Erin Brockovich that investigates water contamination across the United States. Whether he is capturing critical investigative interviews or the grunts of a commercial Sasquatch, Harrell knows his equipment will not let him down even in the most challenging conditions. “No sound is uncapturable. There's always a way to do it,” Harrell concludes. “With Lectrosonics by my side, it’s that much easier.”
About Lectrosonics
Well-respected within the film, broadcast, and theatre technical communities since 1971, Lectrosonics wireless microphone systems and audio processing products are used daily in mission-critical applications by audio engineers familiar with the company’s dedication to quality, customer service, and innovation. Lectrosonics received an Academy Scientific and Technical Award for its Digital Hybrid Wireless® technology and is a US manufacturer based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Visit the company online at www.lectrosonics.com.
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