Setting Up Multiple Wireless Microphones

A general setup order that works for most wireless systems. Always follow your system's manual for specific buttons and menus.

1. Place the receivers and antennas

Put receivers or the rack where the antennas have clear line of sight to the stage, not behind a wall, inside a closed metal cabinet, or under the stage.
Keep antennas away from metal, lighting dimmers, LED walls and Wi-Fi routers.
On multi-channel systems, connect antennas to the antenna distribution, not to each receiver.

Run a scan on the receivers with all other wireless equipment you'll use during the show turned on.
Assign each channel a coordinated frequency, then sync each transmitter to its receiver.
Label each bodypack and receiver with matching numbers or character names.

Connect each receiver output to its own mixer input and label the channel strips. Start with mixer channels turned down.

With the mic on the performer, have them speak and sing at full performance volume.
Adjust the transmitter gain/sensitivity so the receiver's audio meter peaks high without hitting the clip/peak indicator.
Then set the mixer input gain.

Have someone walk every part of the stage and wings with each pack on, while you watch the receivers' RF meters and listen for dropouts.

Write a mic plot: which performer wears which mic in each scene, plus frequencies and gain settings.