Desk stands for gooseneck microphones, currently an Audio Technica line-up: the AT8688 and AT8699 unswitched bases, the AT8688S with an illuminated mute switch, and the AT8699R with a programmable touch switch and LED. All four accept any gooseneck with a 3-pin XLRM output and pass signal through to a male XLR, with heavy die-cast construction and non-slip pads keeping surface vibration out of the capsule. The AT8688 pair adds anti-shock isolation, while the low-profile AT8699 models run on 11 to 52 volt phantom power.

Pick by control requirement. The AT8688S switch attenuates the mic by 64dB and illuminates when live; the AT8699R’s touch switch can be set to latching on/off, touch-to-talk or touch-to-mute, with a red status LED, useful in council and courtroom settings where the talker needs to know the microphone is open.