Lavalier Microphone | benefits of having one - how to use it - sound recording tips

Here is the video on my youtube channel, and subscribe while you're at it:

Sound recording is a crucial part in filmmaking, if you have already made a short film using your smartphone for example, you will understand what I am talking about.

This was supposed to be a product review, or an unboxing one but I have no idea what brand this is. So instead, I will just talk about the benefits of having a lavalier microphone.

I got this microphone for about 9 US$, three years now and like I said I don't remember what brand it was but generally all cheap lavalier microphones have the same accessories, so this could be a review to all the similar lavalier microphones.

Cheap Lavalier Microphones come without transmitters, just the microphone that you can plug directly to your smartphone or to your camera.

The microphone consists of:

• The mic capsule
• An alligator clip that serves to clip the mic to your clothes
• Foam windshield
• 2 other plugs depending on where you are going to plug your mic.

The microphone is about one meter long (about three feets for Americans)

How to use a lavalier microphone?

Simply you can plug it directly on your smartphone if you have the jack entry, and then you can use it to record. Or use it with a transmitter if you have one, or any other recording device you have.

If you can record with your lavalier microphone exposed then do it, it's better than hiding it under clothes because the clothes will be rubbing against it even if you take off the windshield, clothes will still be rubbing against it. And that will cause some noises. If not then there are a few ways to hide it.

What you need to do if you are hiding it is to make a loop (a loose knot), it reduces the noises. Then you can tape it to your clothes in a hidden area just like it's shown in the video.

In low budget filmmaking you can just use your lavalier microphone as a shotgun microphone just like shown in the video where I have clipped it to my tripod but you can use any other tool just make sure it's not visible in the frame in your camera.

Generally, an external microphone helps you a lot when there are two people or more talking at the same time in a scene or when you are switching cameras, because the sounds and the ambient noises will remain the same regardless of how many cameras you are using.

Of course a lavalier microphone is not the best option for sound recording, but it can help if you are on low budget. But you will need to get better microphones depending on the kind of videos you make.

After posting the LavMic video I received an email from a microphone brand in China asking me if I could make a video review for them.. So I will probably make a product review for that brand of microphones in the future, stay tuned.