Audio Advice for Live Conference

[Gregg A. George]

I am shooting a conference next week in Salt Lake City and am looking for some advice on sound recording. I am basically a one-man operation, and will be using a Panasonic DVX-100 for video and audio recording. I use Sennheiser wireless lavs for the speakers at the podium - and the results are great. Problem is, there are going to be about 100 audience members who will be participating in a sort of "group discussion" moderated by a speaker at the podium. What is the best way to capture audience questions/responses as well as the speakers using the two xlr channels on the dvx? I have two wireless lavs, a wireless omni, and a shotgun at my disposal, with I know I could have audience members speak into a stationary mic, but the organizers think this would limit the spontaneous interaction that they want from this segment of the conference. Only other thing I can think of is to have someone walk around with a wireless boom and point at the audience, except that I don't have a crew and this would require entrusting the audio outcome to someone who has no knowledge of sound recording whatsoever. Any creative suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Richard Crowley]

My Best Known Method is to have the presenter (or the MC, chairman, etc.) to repeat the question. Not only for the benefit of your video recording, but also so that everyone in the room hears the question. Most speakers also appreciate having a few extra seconds to think of the response.

 

[Smifis]

I think all you can do it get someone with a long boom pole and dangle it above their heads.

so boom on one channel and wireless from podeium on the other and mix in post

 

[finchy]

Depending on how large the audience is, could u mount a shotgun on a stand in the middle of the audience and try to pick them up with that.... other than getting another member of crew and some more mics and a mixer....

Tom.

Edit: i re-read the part about there being about 100 people in audience... maybe somehow place a boundary mic... or 3 in amoungst the audience....?

 

[finchy]

Also... i assume that you wont see the audience member speaking as u have one camera on the main speaker....?

so as Richard said above, you could just get the speaker to repeat, or incorporate the question into the answer...?


Tom

 

[kyleb]

that's a tuffy. i would go to the place and check things out before the conference. you may just have to position 2 boom mics and use a mixer.

 

[mcvideo]

is this a paid gig? If it is and they requested your service push back on them that you need to do it this way (enter your best method here). If this is a favor then you do your best. they should not expect audio to be top notch under the circumstances..

 

[Erik Olson]

I suppose this event is already over, but the speaker should have a microphone at the lecturn or head table and there should be one Q&A mic in each aisle on an event this size. It should mix down into your camera from an event style mixer. An AV provider would be able to provide you whatever input you desired.

e

 

[Captain Pierce]

I'm sure this is all extremely useful a month after the event , but another option that I've used is to have the organizers provide two or three people to take wireless hand-held mics around to audience members who want to speak. This might allow for a little more spontaneity than stationary mics in the aisles. (A lot of "town hall" style political events are done this way, as an example.) In my experience, a good cardioid-pattern wireless is forgiving enough that a quick "orientation" session for the mic wranglers is enough to get decent results.