AUDIO ASSIST—REVIEW: The Best Lavalier Microphones

Choosing the right microphone for any given situation can be a daunting task, especially if you aren’t a professional sound mixer or audio engineer. One of the most practical microphones to consider is the humble lavalier, which is used in so many scenarios that one could say lavs are for anyone who needs to mike up talent to appear on camera for almost any scenario.

Since lavalier microphones are very small, they’re easy to hide on talent and are an effective way to obtain great sound when talent is moving or stationary. In terms of how and where they’re used, these small, dynamic mics are usually placed on talent, often hidden in wardrobe or in hair for narrative purposes, although for nonfiction projects, they can remain visible. They’re also used to ensure the production’s audio is captured. For instance, even when a boom microphone is deployed with a boom operator, the lavalier mic can still serve as a backup. And when talent is shown in larger, wider shots where a microphone boom would be visible on camera, the lavalier often becomes the only way to mike