1. Choosing microphones by catalogue, not by set
The first mistake I see in studios is buying or hiring microphones from a specification sheet and never testing them against the actual set. A lavalier that sounds fine in a quiet office behaves differently on a presenter who turns her head often, wears a textured jacket and sits beside a hard glass desk.
The better habit is to choose for the voice, the wardrobe and the room together. Bring the shortlisted models to a rehearsal, put them on the real presenters, and listen through the same monitors the gallery will use. Ten minutes of this saves weeks of complaints about rustle and hollow sound.
Our sound and audio workflow work begins here, with Tom Gifford listening to the set before any kit is recommended. A choice that suits the room usually costs less than a fix made after the first live show.
- Test microphones on the real presenters, not on a colleague
- Listen through gallery monitors, not only headphones
- Note wardrobe and desk surfaces before you decide
2. Placing lavaliers and boom positions carelessly
Placement does more for clarity than any upgrade. A lavalier clipped too low picks up chest resonance and loses consonants; one clipped too close to the chin catches breath and lip noise. Mounted under a lapel that moves, it rubs on every gesture.
Agree a standard position with the wardrobe team before the day, and fix the cable so it cannot swing. For desk shows, a boom or desk microphone should sit just out of shot, angled slightly below the mouth, with enough room that a guest leaning forward does not shift the level.
Mark positions on the desk or floor with discreet tape, so a change of guest does not mean a fresh guess. Consistency from one programme to the next is what lets the mixer trust the starting levels.
3. Cramped or illogical mixing desk layouts
Many live problems come from a desk that was set up once and never questioned. Faders for presenters sit beside a rarely used effects return, the guest channels are scattered, and a tired operator reaches for the wrong control at the worst moment.
Lay the desk out in the order the show actually runs. Group presenters together, put guests next to them, keep playback and outside sources in their own block, and label every strip in plain words rather than private shorthand. Anyone covering a shift should be able to read it in seconds.
Save a clean default scene as well, so that after a rehearsal, a change of format or a mistaken adjustment, the whole desk can return to a known starting point without anyone relying on memory.
- Order faders by the running order of the show
- Label channels in plain, shared wording
- Keep a saved default scene to return to
4. Treating talkback as an afterthought
Talkback is the nervous system of a live gallery, and it is often the last thing anyone plans. When the director's voice leaks into the presenter's earpiece at the wrong moment, or an overlooked open channel carries gallery chatter into the programme feed, the result is embarrassing and hard to undo.
Draw the routing on paper before the day. Decide who can speak to whom, which channels are private to the gallery, and which reach the studio floor. Test each path with the people who will use it, not just with a meter.
Keep instructions short and consistent. A calm, predictable talkback culture does as much for dialogue clarity as any piece of equipment, because it keeps the floor quiet when the programme is on air.
- Draw the routing before the rehearsal
- Test every path with the people who use it
- Keep gallery chatter off any programme feed
5. Setting levels once and trusting them all show
The fifth mistake is setting levels during a sound check and then assuming they will hold. Presenters speak differently once the lights are up and a countdown is running. Guests start quietly and grow louder, or lean away from a microphone they were told to ignore.
Rehearse with the real running order, including the opening and a few awkward moments, and set gain with that energy in mind. Leave headroom so a sudden laugh does not clip, and have the operator watch for drift rather than only reacting to a complaint.
A short note beside the desk, listing who tends to be loud and who tends to be quiet, is worth more than it sounds. It turns individual memory into something the whole crew can share.
Checking the chain before the show
Before any live programme, walk the whole chain from microphone to output. Check batteries and spares, confirm the cables and connectors you trust, and listen to every source through the same path the audience will hear. These checks sound basic, but skipping them is how small faults reach air.
With the cooler weather these weeks, studios are often busier and rooms feel different, so allow time for a fresh listen rather than carrying over last season's settings. Dry air and changing temperatures can affect radio microphones and equipment that has sat unused.
Finish by agreeing who is responsible for each part of the audio chain. Clear ownership means a fault is found quickly instead of discussed while the clock is running.
- Replace batteries and keep tested spares at hand
- Listen to every source on the final output path
- Name one person responsible for each stage
Clear dialogue in a live programme rarely depends on one clever purchase. It comes from choosing microphones for the real set, placing them consistently, laying out the desk logically, planning talkback and watching levels throughout. Each fix is small and cheap on its own. Together they make a gallery calmer and a programme easier to listen to, and they are the habits we help studios build.