Tips for working with clip-on, or lavalier, microphones.
Sound recordist Dane Kelly gives cinematographer and documentarian Mark Bone his pro audio and lav mic tips:
- Eliminate clothing rustle – by using thinner lav mics, which have less surface area, or by using mounts
- Positioning – ideally: the centre of the chest; the closer to the throat, the worse the sound
- Wind Protection – a cap, a softie, even tape to help shield the mic, particularly when outside
- Mitigate Rubbing Sounds – attach the mic to the noisier surface (shirt vs hairy chest, pre-sweat)
- Tape – Snot Tape and Medical Tape are options, depending on sensitivity, or can also help as additional shielding
Operating as a single-person crew? Standard Story Company has even more lav mic tips:
Further Listening
Dane and Mark end by comparing the more localised sound of a lav mic to the more environmental sound of a boom mic – and Parker Walbeck offers more tips on capturing dialogue with a boom mic, as well as other tools and techniques: