Event audio brief builder

Sound that is not captured at the source cannot be repaired in the edit. This builder helps you decide what must be heard, where it comes from and who confirms access.

What is it for?

Event audio is shared between people who rarely talk to each other: the organiser, the venue’s audio-visual (AV) owner, the speakers and the video crew. The builder puts their jobs in one list and turns every unknown into a question.

How do I use it?

1. List each speaker by role and say whether they stay in one place, move around or join remotely. Choose their microphone: a room microphone, a crew microphone, none, or not sure.
2. Say whether the audience will ask questions and how they would be heard.
3. Say whether you have a contact for the venue’s public address (PA) sound system or AV team, and whether anyone speaks remotely.
4. Mark the sound sources that might be used, such as the sound desk feed or music playback. Leave each as unconfirmed unless the AV owner has confirmed it.
5. List the recordings that must be complete, with the source and whether a backup is wanted.

How do I read the result?

Each speaker shows what happens to their sound. A room microphone shows as not recorded yet unless a PA feed is confirmed.

Capture priorities list each complete recording with its state: source planned, waiting for the AV owner, fallback needed, or no source chosen. The checklist is grouped by when it happens and by who does it: the AV owner, the organiser, our crew or the speakers. Questions still open sit at the end.

What are the assumptions and limits?

• A microphone in the room is recorded only when a source is chosen for it.
• A feed counts once the AV owner confirms it.
• Availability of any feed, equipment or crew member is agreed for your event.
• It is a planning aid, and the sound check on the day still matters.

A worked example

This is an illustrative example. A seminar has one stationary keynote speaker on a room microphone, a moderator, and audience questions with a runner. The PA feed is marked unconfirmed, and the keynote is a complete recording.

The result shows the keynote as not recorded yet, because the feed is unconfirmed. It asks whether the AV owner can confirm a feed, or whether our crew should place its own microphone. Audience questions raise a separate question about how the runner’s microphone is captured. Once the AV owner confirms the feed, the state changes to recorded through the confirmed feed.

When should I message us?

Message us once you know who runs the sound, or if you are not sure, and we tell you what to ask them. The must-capture moments checklist shows which parts need the clearest sound, the livestream planning checklist covers live audio, and our event videography service page describes how we plan coverage.