Ear-pieces: On-Camera Lifeline
So, you are in front of the camera – what, after your microphone, is the most important technical necessity? I’m sure you realise it’s your earpiece. Often it will be your lifeline to the Gallery and the information to keep you abreast of what is happening. What story is breaking? How many products left in the sale? What price are we at? What question is the Studio asking? Where are we going next?
I am amazed how many Presenters, Reporters and MPs just use the generic earpieces supplied by the Satellite Truck Engineer or the Studio. From a mere hygiene aspect, has the earpiece been cleaned and indeed cleaned thoroughly? For that matter how many people have a generic ear? I certainly don’t and no one else I’ve met has. Occasionally a standard fitting can work and will be comfortable and will last for years. There are several makes and styles but one type with a rubber end can become detached from the metal mount and I know of one contributor who has had to go to A&E to have it removed - what a waste of time and indeed potential danger. Going back to the possible transfer of infection from a used and unclean earpiece, the ears are very close to the brain...
So, does a generic earpiece stay in your ear? Yes, quite often but with a standard fitting, talkback can leak out as the wearer might need to turn up the level to hear as the earpiece is loose. We also love watching an MP doing a DTL (Down The Line) interview holding their ear and waiting for the earpiece to fall out? Oh, yes!
So let’s say you want your own custom moulded earpiece. The process is easy; firstly the ears are inspected to see if there are any potential problems using an otoscope which is just like going to the doctor. Foam blocks of the correct diameter are inserted into the ear to prevent the moulding material from going too far into the ear canal and these have a long cotton thread so they cannot possibly be lost inside. Next, the soft silicone impression material is squeezed into the ear canal and the helix and usually deeper and fuller than the earpiece will be. After five minutes the impression has solidified enough to be eased out of the ear but during this time the artist should not talk or eat as when the jaw moves the ear canal changes shape a little. The final product is made from acrylic and is exactly the shape of your ear with a stiff tube inserted to carry the sound and which loops over the top of the ear. This has a soft tube with a coil in it to absorb head movement and has a cap on the end which clips onto the transducer which is the small speaker that produces the audio from either a cabled volume box or a radio receiver pack.
When you have used your earpieces for a while they can become clogged and have to be cleaned otherwise, obviously, the sound cannot get along the tubing. Warm water will do it but beware of moisture being left in the tube as this itself will stop the audio. I have used Air Dusters to clear a blockage in a hurry by removing the cap that clips onto the transducer from the earpiece tubing and inserting the duster tube, but please don’t look at the earpiece – it’s a little like looking down the hosepipe waiting for the water to arrive! There is a good product too called Audiozon (http://puretone.net/webshop/audiozon.html) which dissolves any wax and is supplied with an air puffer to clear the tubing afterwards. In desperation I have known presenters use a pin to clear the offending goo.
Once the impressions are made there are usually several products available which, apart for a standard custom presenters earpieces that can be supplied in different colours, can be wireless hidden earpieces which work especially well for men with close cropped hair as no connection is visible, and reduced size musicians IEM (In Ear Monitoring) which blocks external audio and delivers high quality talkback. These have worked well for pitchside Rugby and Football Reporters as well as the BBC F1 Team. Some people like to sleep, especially when on shift work in Russia, so ear plugs can be supplied too. There are only a few suppliers of custom earpieces and to my knowledge there is only one who works in broadcast audio…
Nick Way