Inside the courtroom: How S&L Integrated delivers crystal-clear audio with AUDIX mics

Meet S&L Integrated, the top-tier A/V systems contractor in the American Southeast. From government and corporate offices to schools, hospitals, and houses of worship, the company is dedicated to enhancing audiovisual experiences. Heading the charge is Gage Helton, director of operations, renowned for his expertise in courtroom audio systems. He's engineered setups for nearly 150 courts, ensuring every word is crystal clear. In the realm of law, precise audio is paramount, ensuring accurate records and clear communication among all parties involved.

Helton’s signal chains begin with AUDIX conferencing microphones, most often the MG18 and MG18HC gooseneck condenser mics mounted in the ATS1 heavy-duty tabletop base. 

Next, ADX60 boundary microphones capture remaining speakers that may not have per-person mics. Helton details the unique needs of courtroom sound reinforcement and why he chooses AUDIX.

“From an audio perspective, the most important person in the room is the witness,” he begins. “The second most important is the judge. Then, obviously, you need to be able to hear the jury. Many contractors who do general-purpose installations don’t make things audible enough when they do courtrooms, or there’s feedback because they didn’t EQ the room. 

"For this reason, we tend to use column array speakers, tune them, and then the MG18 mics in most places. But for positions closer to the arrays, we’ll opt for the MG18HC, which is essentially the same mic with a hypercardioid pickup pattern.”

The ATS1 base units accept gooseneck mics via an XLR input, and Helton explains how they form a literal solid foundation for the sound. 

“We love the ATS1,” he enthuses. “Even if I were using a non-AUDIX gooseneck mic, I’d still use the ATS1 as the base. First off, it’s built like a tank, so it deadens table vibrations, and doesn’t scoot around surfaces. Another thing we really like is that it has a physical button. 

"Via a DIP switch on the bottom, you can set that up as push-to-talk or push-to-mute. The important thing is that the button has tactile feedback, it’s not a touchscreen or capacitive button. We’ve found that users can get confused by those — especially when you factor in the stress that comes with being in court — and either fail to trigger them when it’s their turn to speak or accidentally turn them on when it’s not. The beefy button here removes this possibility.”

The ATS1 also helps Helton keep installations tidy, which is always desirable in the formal setting of a courtroom. “It sounds like a minor thing,” he reflects, “but the ATS1 has an XLR output jack for a detachable cable. If you’re in a band or recording studio, everything is like that, right? But a lot of gooseneck bases for conferencing have an attached cable, so you need to figure out how to dress it and route it in an unobtrusive way. 

"With the ATS1, we can just run our own cable and terminate, which makes the install so much cleaner. Honestly, everyone should make a product like the ATS1.”

Of the MG18, MG18HC, and ADX60 microphones, Helton says, “We like them because we don’t have to think about them. They just do what they’re supposed to do. 

"We’ll have the witness and jury foreman mics on shock mounts, and everything else on the ATS1 bases. Then, the ADX60s go on surfaces like the prosecution and defence attorneys’ tables, for sidebar conversations, which also need to be on the record.”

Why so many microphones? “One reason is, in many installs we send multitrack audio to the court reporter so they can produce the most accurate transcript possible,” answers Helton. 

“Another is that we like to have a press feed plate for higher-profile cases, so reporters can just plug in and get a clean audio mix. For larger courtrooms, we’ll also do a mix-minus through small speakers at various locations, so the participants can hear everyone else clearly but not have an echo of themselves. All that begins with microphones that reject unwanted sounds but take in voices clearly, and that’s what AUDIX does.”

“I also want to shout out to AUDIX’s customer service,” Helton points out. “Guys like Lofty [Whitaker, eastern regional sales manager] have been fantastic to deal with. Our local rep, Richard Hembree with Griffith Sales, makes sure we always have the most current information about products that might solve problems. 

"Every time we’ve ever needed any kind of service from AUDIX, they’ve been quick and responsive, so we love those guys. We love AUDIX products because they’re freakin’ bulletproof. They. Just. Work.”