Planning Conference Video Audio Before the Event

Start from the outputs that need speech

Plan usable speaker audio by deciding which sessions and quotes need clean speech, then putting your AV team and video crew in touch before event day. Agree who records what, from which source, when it gets tested and what happens if a source fails. A recap can lean on music and atmosphere; a full session can't, so the audio plan follows the outputs.

Not every deliverable needs the same sound. Decide what each output has to do before anyone talks about microphones.

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If you plan to caption session recordings, budget time for someone to check the captions. W3C's caption guidance warns that automatic captions need checking and correction. Clear speech gives that person something to work from.

For the full comparison of outputs, see event video deliverables.

List every room and every voice

For each room where speech matters, write down:

• sessions and times, from the latest agenda;
• how each person speaks: lectern microphone, handheld, clip-on (lavalier) or headset;
• panels: one microphone per panelist, or shared;
• audience questions: a dedicated audience microphone, a runner with a handheld, or the speaker repeating each question;
• laptop audio: any presenter video with sound, and whether it plays through the sound system;
• music and walk-up cues that you may or may not want in the recording.

Rooms running at the same time need their own audio plan and their own camera. Our guide to choosing event video coverage explains how overlaps change the crew you need.

Get the AV team and the crew talking

Write down who runs the room's sound and who records speech for the video. These may be different teams, hired by different people; the handoff must identify their agreed responsibilities. Introduce them by email before the event, with you copied, and get answers to these questions:

1. Can you provide a recording feed? Some venues and AV companies can, some can't, and some need it requested in advance or charge for it. Don't assume either way.
2. Where does it come from, and where can the crew connect? The sound desk and the camera position may be far apart. Ask how the signal will get from one to the other.
3. What will the feed include? All stage microphones, the audience microphone and laptop audio, or only some of them?
4. Is the room mix right for recording? The mix is set for the people in the room. Ask whether a separate mix or output for recording is possible.
5. Do wireless frequencies need coordinating? If the crew brings wireless microphones, tell the AV lead in advance so systems don't interfere.
6. Who sits at the sound desk during each session, and how does the crew reach them: radio, phone or in person?

Write the answers into the handoff sheet below, not into a long email thread. If anything changes, update the sheet.

Book a test window

A microphone that sounds fine in the room doesn't prove the recording works. Test the recording itself.

• When: during setup or a rehearsal, before doors open, when the AV lead and the crew are both there and the room is quiet enough to listen.
• What: speak into every microphone at presentation volume, including the audience microphone. Play a few seconds of any presenter video. Record it, then listen back on headphones from the recording, not from the room speakers.
• Who: the AV lead, the crew member responsible for audio, and someone from your team to act as the speaker.
• Retest when something changes: a room flip, a new presenter laptop, a swapped microphone.
• Speakers wearing clip-on or headset microphones should arrive early enough for a quick check.

Decide the backup, and who owns it

A backup can't promise perfect sound. It gives you options when something fails. Decide in advance which backup applies to which session:

• a second source: ask the AV lead and crew what independent option can be tested for this room and its speakers; don't assume any particular microphone is standard kit;
• a recording at the sound desk, if the AV team offers one, handed over after the session;
• the camera's own microphone, which picks up the room as much as the speaker. Treat it as a last resort for speech.

Then settle three responsibilities:

1. Who listens to the recording during each session.
2. What happens if a source fails mid-talk: who notices, who they tell and who fixes it.
3. What you'll accept if a session's audio isn't usable: publishing excerpts, publishing slides with a summary, or not publishing that session.

Audio planning is one part of the larger shoot plan. For the run of show, access and approvals, see how to plan an event video shoot, and browse more event guides.

Organizer, AV team and crew handoff sheet

Copy this sheet, share it with all three parties and keep one current version.

Contacts

• Organizer lead (name, phone): ____________
• AV lead (company, name, phone): ____________
• Crew lead (name, phone): ____________
• How the three teams reach each other during sessions: ____________

Decisions

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Room-by-room audio log

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Example (hypothetical)

One row from a hypothetical industry conference:

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How we can help

When sessions are part of your project, we plan the audio with your AV team before the event. Running the venue's sound or AV, full recordings of every session and slide capture aren't included unless your proposal scopes them. See event and conference video for how event coverage is planned.

Tell us about your project →