How to Use a Lavalier Microphone

Today we’re going to be talking about how to use a lavalier mic.

Lavs are very small mics that are meant to be clipped onto your clothing. 

They are really easy to use when you don’t have a sound recordist, or when you have multiple people talking so booming may not be very practical, or when you don’t want to use a boom because you’re in a really noisy environment. 

Now every microphone has a pickup pattern - that is what direction around the mic is it sensitive to sound. A lav mic is omni directional and that means it will pick up sound coming from any direction.

A good position for clipping a lav mic is about a hands distance away from your mouth. If you go too low, your recording will sound pretty bass-y. 

If you are wearing a button down shirt, this is really easy. If you are wearing a t-shirt with a high neckline, you may go a little to the side. If you have someone looking to the side, maybe for an interview, then clip the mic on something like their suit jacket, on the side they are looking.

One time I was working for a tech company out in Seattle and we had a client come in to do a recording. He was a really nice guy and had come in wearing a mock turtleneck. I was trying to figure out where to clip his mic (we were recording in a studio, so we were wired for a lav - it was not easy to switch to a boom on the fly), and he (kindly) offered to just cut a hole in his shirt and thread the mic through it. I said, “No! Oh my god no, we don’t need to do that.” I wound up mic-ing him off on the side of his neck and it worked out just fine. But please, don’t cut holes in anyone’s shirts!

It’s easy to hide the cable, just run it down your shirt. I have had to run the cable down someone’s back before.

That’s it - lavs are pretty simple and can make your life a lot easier if you are trying to get really nice and reliable audio.