Know what you’re asking for
Conference audio is judged entirely on intelligibility, and the choices that decide it are unglamorous. Here’s what each piece does in a Los Angeles session room, so the spec matches the programme you’re actually running. Everything below is ours, tuned in the room, with an engineer on it.
CoverageDistributed coverage
Several smaller speakers placed through the room rather than two large ones at the front.
Ask for it when: Wide or deep session rooms. It’s how the back rows hear clearly without the front rows being uncomfortable.
CoverageDelay position
Rear speakers time-aligned so their sound arrives with the front system instead of as an echo.
Ask for it when: Long rooms. Without alignment, extra speakers make speech less intelligible, not more.
MicrophoneLavalier (lav)
A discreet clip-on mic with a bodypack.
Ask for it when: Presenters on camera who need to look unencumbered. Quietest of the options, so it needs a well-behaved room.
MicrophoneHeadset mic
A thin over-ear mic held at a fixed distance from the mouth.
Ask for it when: Anyone who moves, turns their head, or speaks quietly. Noticeably more consistent than a lav.
MicrophoneGooseneck / podium mic
A wired mic fixed to the lectern.
Ask for it when: Formal programmes and scripted remarks. Wired means it cannot drop, which matters for the opening.
MicrophoneBoundary / table mic
A low-profile mic sitting on the table surface, covering one or two seats.
Ask for it when: Panels and board-style discussions where handhelds would be awkward.
MicrophoneHandheld for Q&A
Wireless handhelds passed to the audience, or on stands in the aisles.
Ask for it when: Any session taking audience questions. Without one the recording captures the answer and not the question.
WirelessRF coordination
Scanning the building’s spectrum on the day and assigning every channel a clear frequency.
Ask for it when: Multi-room conferences especially — dozens of concurrent transmitters is exactly when mics start dropping.
DistributionProgram feed / split
A clean, separately balanced feed of the room audio sent to recording, streaming, or overflow rooms.
Ask for it when: Any session being recorded or streamed. A mic pointed at a speaker is not a program feed.
HybridMix-minus
A feed sent to a remote presenter containing everything except their own voice.
Ask for it when: Any remote speaker dialling in. It’s what stops them hearing themselves echoed back a half-second late.
AccessAssistive listening
A dedicated feed to receivers for guests who are hard of hearing.
Ask for it when: Frequently an accessibility requirement for public and corporate events — confirm early rather than at doors.
AccessInterpretation channel
Separate language feeds routed to receivers or a companion app.
Ask for it when: International programmes. It changes the mic and routing plan, so it has to be known before the room is speced.