Ear prompter equipment: a headphone setup checklist

For recorded rehearsal, ear prompter equipment needs to get a guide track to your ears while letting you perform comfortably. If you are recording a take, you also need to check what the microphone captures and what ends up in the saved file.

Test the complete arrangement before relying on it: device, app, headphones, connection and recording method. This checklist gives you a setup log and a repeatable test sequence. It does not report tested hardware combinations or recommend a particular model.

Write down the complete setup

Begin with the equipment you intend to use. Record enough detail that you can reproduce the check later.

Setup detail	What to write down
Playback device	Exact iPhone or iPad model and operating-system version
Prompting app	App name and version
Guide	Script name and guide recording version
Headphones or earpiece	Manufacturer and model
Connection	Wired or wireless, including any adapter
Recording	Device, app and intended microphone
Position	Where you stand and where the recording device sits
Evidence	Date, test clip name and saved-file location

Use a new row or sheet when you change the arrangement. “Bluetooth worked” is too broad to describe a check of one headset with one app version.

Check where the guide plays

Connect your headphones and play a short guide at a comfortable level. Confirm that you hear it where you expect before starting the performance recording.

Then open the recording arrangement you intend to use and check again. Write down whether playback continues and which output carries it. Treat the observed behaviour as a result for that arrangement.

Avoid beginning with a long script. A short recording makes it easier to identify a stopped guide, an unexpected speaker output or a level change.

Make a test that separates guide audio from your voice

For this original test, record a guide saying:

Guide marker: blue notebook. Leave a pause. Now read your spoken test line.

During the performance recording, stay silent for the guide marker. When the guide reaches the instruction, say:

This is my spoken test line, recorded from my usual position.

The different phrases help you inspect the saved file. If you hear “blue notebook” in the performance recording, guide audio reached that file even though you did not say those words aloud.

The test identifies unwanted audio; it does not prove its cause. You would need further checks to distinguish sound leaking into a microphone from audio included through another route.

Record a second sample using normal rehearsal behaviour, including speaking while the guide plays. Check that the speech you want remains intelligible during that overlap.

Review the saved file separately

Stop the guide before playing the performance recording back. Otherwise, you could mistake current playback for audio inside the saved file.

Listen from the start, including the silent marker section. Check the first and last spoken words, any changes in level and any unexpected audio.

If your workflow includes export, open the exported file as well. Keep the clip name beside your setup notes so the observation has evidence you can return to.

Use plain results: “guide marker audible”, “speech missing” or “speech clear in this sample”. Avoid turning a successful short clip into a claim about every headset or every recording app.

Repeat after the changes your session will involve

Run another short test after disconnecting and reconnecting the headphones. If your planned session involves switching apps or recovering from an interruption, include those actions in the rehearsal and inspect a new saved clip.

Do this during a test session, with time to recover. Record the action and the behaviour you observed. Mark anything you did not try as untested.

For current app-specific instructions, check Ear Prompter’s headphone and microphone support. Instructions explain what to configure; your recorded sample checks what happened in your setup.

Decide whether the setup is ready for your task

Use these acceptance questions for the session you are preparing:

• Can you hear the guide comfortably throughout the test?
• Does playback stay on the intended output when recording begins?
• Does the saved file contain clear speech from your actual position?
• Is unwanted guide audio absent from the checked samples?
• After a reconnect, can you restore the setup and repeat the result?
• Does any visible equipment meet the recording brief?

If a check fails, change one part of the arrangement and repeat the relevant test. Keep the failed result so you know what changed.

Is a wireless ear prompter setup better than wired headphones?

Connection type alone does not answer that question. Compare the exact arrangements against the checks your session requires. Keep a separate result for each headphone and connection you try before choosing one for the session.

Keep the setup log with the guide you plan to rehearse. Before the real session, use a short test to confirm you can reproduce the result you recorded.

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