Talkback routing and mic checks: how we now set up live audio

Why audio gets its own workflow

When I joined artivory as Sound Supervisor, the first thing I noticed was how often audio was treated as something to fix at the end of a studio build. Cameras are placed, lighting goes up, and sound is expected to fit around whatever is left. In live television that order costs you, because a viewer will forgive a slightly soft shot far sooner than a crackle or a missing voice.

So we plan sound as its own workflow, starting before the first cable is run. That means deciding who speaks where, how many voices can overlap, what the director needs to hear, and how a problem gets reported and fixed while the programme is on air. This article describes how that planning now looks on our jobs, drawing on the way we handle news bulletins and live shows alike.

It is not a rigid template. A single-presenter bulletin and a four-guest talk show need different amounts of kit. What stays the same is the order of thinking: sources first, then the desk, then the talkback that ties the crew together.

Microphone placement that suits the set

Placement starts with the set drawing and the presenters' habits. A presenter who turns to a screen mid-sentence needs a lavalier clipped where the voice stays consistent, not one that drifts off-axis. At a desk, we look at where hands, papers and laptops will sit, because a microphone that picks up shuffling is a problem waiting for a quiet moment.

We check clothing as well. Silk, heavy jewellery and scarves all rub against a lavalier, so we talk to the production team about what presenters will wear before the day, not on it. Where a boom or a fixed desk microphone is used, we agree its position with the lighting and camera teams so it stays out of shot and out of shadow.

Every microphone is tested in place with the person who will use it, speaking at their normal level and then a little louder, as they might when a story gets lively. We note the gain that works and mark it, so a replacement presenter or a restart does not mean starting from scratch.

• Test each microphone with the actual speaker in their seat
• Agree boom and desk microphone positions with camera and lighting
• Ask about clothing and jewellery ahead of the day
• Mark working gain levels so they can be restored quickly

Laying out the mixing desk for live work

A mixing desk can do far more than a live programme needs, and the extra options are where mistakes creep in. We set the desk up so the faders in use sit together, grouped by role: presenters, guests, playback sources and the programme feed. Anything not needed during the show is muted and left alone.

Labels matter more than people expect. Every channel carries a clear name written in plain language rather than shorthand only one person understands, because the operator on the day may not be the one who built the layout. We also keep a printed channel list at the desk in the same order as the faders.

Before rehearsal we run a simple line-by-line check: sound each source, confirm it reaches the programme bus, confirm the monitoring matches what the control room hears. Fixing a wrong route in a quiet studio takes a minute; finding it with a presenter waiting takes far longer and far more nerve.

• Group faders by role and keep unused channels muted
• Label channels in plain words and keep a printed list at the desk

Talkback routing and who hears whom

Talkback is the part viewers never notice and crews cannot work without. The director needs to reach the floor manager, camera operators and sound at once, and sometimes to speak privately to just one of them. We map those routes on paper first, then build them, so everyone knows which button speaks to which group.

A frequent problem is a presenter's earpiece carrying the wrong thing. A presenter wants the programme feed and the occasional instruction from the gallery, but not the crew's chatter. We separate those feeds and test them with the presenter wearing the earpiece, adjusting the volume to a level that is comfortable and does not leak into their microphone.

We also agree a short spoken protocol: who calls the countdown, who confirms a fault, and what is said when something goes wrong. Calm language over talkback keeps a small problem from turning into a visible one on screen.

• Draw the talkback map before building it
• Keep presenter earpiece feeds separate from crew chatter
• Agree who counts down and who confirms faults

What we check in the last half hour

The final stretch before going live is for checking, not changing. We walk through each microphone once more, confirm batteries on wireless packs are fresh, and look at spare packs and cables within reach of the desk. A spare lavalier taped under the desk has saved more than one bulletin.

We listen to the programme feed on the same monitors the control room uses, and to the studio floor on its own speakers, so we know both sides are right. If the set has changed since rehearsal, a new prop, a moved chair or a different guest, we recheck the affected microphones rather than assuming nothing moved.

Then we stop. A calm desk in the last minutes helps the whole crew, and it is easier to stay calm when the groundwork was done properly earlier in the day rather than patched together at the last moment.

• Replace wireless batteries and keep spares near the desk
• Recheck any microphone near a moved prop or chair

Taking the approach into the autumn schedule

Autumn tends to bring longer programmes and more guests, which puts extra demand on audio planning. We are using these weeks to revisit existing studio audio chains with our clients, reviewing channel labels, talkback groups and spare equipment before the busier schedule arrives.

If you are thinking about your own studio, the best starting point is a short conversation about how your programmes actually run, who speaks and in what order. From there we can suggest what to keep, what to simplify and what is worth adding, without selling you more than the show needs.