I have the great fortune in my job that I get to deliver presentations regularly to audiences of various sizes – from 10 people to 500 people or more.  For example, recently I had the pleasure of delivering a keynote of a track at an Education conference held in Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands!  My usual routine as a speaker is to pop over to the audio desk and introduce myself to the audio tech – clip on the wireless transmitter that the venue has provided, and then try to weave my lapel microphone through my shirt and up to my second top button.  I love the freedom that a good wireless lav mic gives you as a presenter!  No longer tied to the stage or the lectern!

Up until recently I had never thought of recording my own presentations… every now and then the event organiser will record a video of the presentation – but usually they use the on board microphone and the audio quality is horrible.  Since getting my hands on the Zoom H4n recorder, getting a good quality recording of a presentation has been on my to do list.  At first I looked at wired lav microphones like the Audio-Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Microphone but the thought of walking around on stage with my ZoomH4n clipped to my belt didn’t really excite me!

The last couple of events I have spoken at where I have used a wireless microphone, they haven’t invested in an audio technician that could handle the “out of the ordinary” request to plug my ZoomH4n into their sound desk to get a recording (or they had a policy which meant I couldn’t do it)… so I decided to take matters into my own hands.

After reading how the team at VaynerMedia put together the #askgaryvee videos and podcasts – and in particular the wireless lav microphones they use to get a great voice recording… I purchased the Sennheiser EW 112P system (pictured above) – which comprises of a wireless transmitter to clip on my belt, a good quality lapel mic to clip on my shirt, and a wireless receiver to use with a mixing board, or in my case, plug directly into my ZoomH4n audio recorder This was a great solution to my problem – getting a good quality audio recording when presenting to an audience…  I simply:

  • plug the receiver into my ZoomH4n,
  • clip the transmitter to my belt
  • weave the lav mic up my shirt and clip it on
  • make sure everything is turned on
  • hit record on my ZoomH4n to test the levels
  • hit record again to start the recording

And the resulting sound quality is great. Don’t have a ZoomH4n and want to record your presentation??  I found this great deal over at Amazon.com which bundles a Zoom H4n recorder with the Sennheiser EW 112P wireless microphone system – make sure you check it out!

The next question though… should I buy another  Sennheiser EW 112P system so I can record good quality conversations for my podcasts, or record panel discussions?  It is certainly tempting after the performance of the wireless microphone so far!