How to record a wedding speech?

The quality of a voice recording depends above all on the distance between the microphone and the mouth. The further away the microphone, the more it picks up the room (reverberation, chatter, clinking glasses) at the expense of the voice. Before you even choose a device, remember this: moving the microphone from 2 metres to 30 cm changes everything. That is why a phone placed on a table at the other end of the room almost always gives a disappointing result.

• Move it closer: place the phone 30–50 cm from the person speaking, microphone towards the mouth, not in a pocket.
• Aeroplane mode so that a call or notification doesn't cut off the recording.
• Turn off the air conditioning and background music during the speech if possible.
• Do a 10-second test and listen back on headphones before the real moment.

It is the ideal back-up solution, but it quickly reaches its limits as soon as there is a crowd and atmosphere.

If the speeches already go through a microphone connected to the sound system, the cleanest sound is already there: in the mixing desk. All you need to do is take the mixer's line output (REC / line out) to a recorder or a smartphone (via a small jack adapter). You get the amplified voice, without room noise, exactly as the audience hears it.

That is the hidden advantage of hiring a sound system with a microphone for the ceremony or the drinks reception: it amplifies the speeches for the guests and lets you record them cleanly. Our LD Dave 15 system, with its built-in mixer, is perfect for this; a pair of FBT speakers with a microphone works just as well. For speaking, go for a good wireless handheld microphone such as our dual wireless microphone kit. See our guide sound for a wedding.

To go further without relying on the sound system, a small digital recorder placed near the speaker, or a wireless lavalier microphone clipped to a jacket, gives an intimate, consistent sound — handy when several people take turns speaking. This is the option to choose if the recording really matters to you.

• Relying on the microphone of a camera placed at the back: too far, too much room.
• Forgetting the battery: make sure you have enough to last the whole evening (charged phone, spare batteries).
• Overloading the level: an emotional speech sometimes rises in pitch — set an input level that is not too high to avoid distortion.
• Not testing: a test the day before or that morning avoids 90% of unpleasant surprises.

We deliver and set up the sound system and wireless microphones anywhere on the Basque Coast (Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Bidart…). Let us know that you want to record the speeches: we will provide the microphone and the right recording output. Build your pack on the booking page.