Lavalier microphone

What it means

A lavalier is a small microphone, often smaller than a fingertip, that clips to a collar or shirt a hand's width below the mouth. Because it sits so close to the speaker, it captures the voice loudly and clearly compared with background sound, which makes it the standard tool for interviews, presenters and vlogs.

Lavaliers come wired, plugging into a camera or phone, or as part of wireless kits where a small transmitter carries the mic and sends audio to a receiver on the camera. Many modern wireless kits have the mic built into the transmitter itself and also record a backup track internally, which can be matched later with audio sync.

How it works in practice

Clip the mic to the center of the chest or collar, facing up toward the mouth. Under clothing it is hidden and shielded from wind, but fabric rustle becomes a risk, so tape it in place with a small loop of cable.

For riders and paddlers, a lav under a jacket is often the only way to record speech at speed, since a camera mic catches mostly wind noise.

Record a few seconds of test speech and listen on headphones before starting, and keep spare batteries for wireless kits. Clear speech also makes transcription and captions far more accurate later.

What to watch out for

Clothing rustle is the most common lav problem. Synthetic jackets and moving straps rub against the mic. Secure it with tape and avoid noisy fabric.

Wired lavs tie the speaker to the camera, which is impractical for action. Wireless kits solve that but can drop out at range or behind the body.

Recording levels set for normal speech will distort when someone shouts or laughs. Leave headroom, see audio clipping, or use a kit with a safety track recorded at lower gain. Sweat and rain can damage unprotected mics, so check whether yours is water resistant.