Audio and device setup for in-person events
How to place devices and prepare rooms so in-person discussions come out clearly — with a checklist to run before the event.
One recording device per discussion group, placed in the middle, in a reasonably quiet room — that setup covers most events. Run one test with the exact device, browser and Wi-Fi you will use on the day; that single test prevents most audio problems.
Prefer the visual guides?
This article is the quick text version. Two detailed visual companions cover the same ground in more depth:
- Guest Recording Setup Guide (PDF) — an illustrated step-by-step guide to audio and device setup for organisers.
- Guest Recording Setup Video — a short video walkthrough of the guest recording flow, from scanning the QR code to submitting.
Both are also available in the app at any time: click the ? button, open Help, and look under Guides & tutorials.
Which setup fits your group
| Group size | Recommended setup |
|---|---|
| 1–3 people | Place a phone between the participants, or pass it to whoever is speaking. |
| 4–15 around a table | Put one phone or laptop in the centre of the table. A 360° conference microphone is even better. |
| 15+ in one room | Can everyone hear each other without microphones? Then one central device may work — test it first. If not, split into table groups, each with its own device. |
| 50+ (large venue) | Let each breakout table record separately. For plenary parts, connect a laptop to the venue's sound system. |
Laptop microphones pick up sound from the screen side: face the screen toward the group, not away from it.
Checklist before the event
- Do a full test recording with the real device, browser and Wi-Fi.
- Live transcription needs a stable internet connection. No internet at the venue? Record with the phone's voice recorder app and upload the files afterwards.
- Charge every device fully and bring chargers.
- On laptops, disable sleep mode — recording can stop when the device sleeps.
- On phones, set the screen timeout to the maximum (or "Never") so the screen stays on while recording.
- On Apple devices, turn Bluetooth off so the microphone doesn't switch devices mid-recording. On MacBooks, set the microphone mode to "Standard" instead of Voice Isolation.
- Open the recording page once before the event and allow microphone access when the browser asks.
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Last updated: 2026-07-13
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