The main benefit to using a wireless microphone or communications system is increased mobility and flexibility as well as aesthetic considerations. Choosing a wireless system is really a series of choices relating to the individual components (input device, transmitter, and receiver) that make up the system, and their suitability for your specific application. The input device and transmitter are chosen based on the source to be miked. For example, some typical input device/transmitter combinations and their applications are:

• a handheld microphone with built-in transmitter (for vocalists)


• a lavalier or "tie-clip" microphone and body-pack transmitter (for lecturers or stage actors)


• a headworn microphone and body-pack transmitter (for singer/dancers, aerobics instructors, etc.)


• an instrument microphone and body-pack transmitter (for horn or woodwind players)


• a short cable and body-pack transmitter (for connection to an electric guitar, bass, or keyboard).

ABC’s of Wireless Microphones
A wireless microphone system is made up of two main elements: a transmitter and a receiver. Wireless transmitters are portable, operate on batteries, and come in two styles: handheld or bodypack (or beltpack). The receiver, which receives a signal from the transmitter, is AC powered and often permanently installed with the other components that make up the sound system.

Learn more about wireless terminology.