I will be using radio microphones to record dialogue as swell as a boom microphone. This is for a couple of reasons. That being because i am the only sound recordist thats going to be on set its good to have a secondary recording method rather than just one boom. If i made a mistake with the boom i have a back up. It also records good quality audio, and can record close to the subject when sometimes i might (depending on the shot). However one issue i have is being able to hide the microphone and reducing cloth noises. In previous works the radio mic audio has been almost unusable because of movement.

This video: 7 ways to hide a lavalier microphone explains some ways of hiding the radio mic and reducing movement noise.

The video starts by explains the best quality audio will come from an exposed mic. However usually a mic will need to be hidden. Obstacles include material noise and cable noise.

A lav microphone can be hidden on the back of a tie, in the knot of a tie, on a shirt collar , on the seem of a shirt, on the chest. The best sound will come from placing the mic on the middle of the chest. Therefore hiding it on a female subject’s bra could also be a good idea. This video uses an interesting method of using tape to form triangles and sandwich the mic in-between two triangles and stick to the subject. This will keep the microphone in one place and reduce clothing noises. When sticking to subject tie a loose knot in the cable to stop strain relief in the wire. Also because the polar patterns are usually omnidirectional the microphone can be pointing downwards.

There is also other products that are made for this.

Invisilav: http://www.rode.com/accessories/invisilav

Hush Lav: http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/53-468_GARFIELD-HUSH-LAVS-Black-pack-of-15

Other products can be self made with small bits of foam/fabrics, tapes etc.

Because i’v had the problem of clothing noises before iv purchased the product invisilav. Therefore when i comes i will test out the difference with and without it.

This video: How to get the best sound with your lavalier microphone, talks about different factors that affect the overall sound quality of the lav mic.

This includes:

mic you use

recorder you use

placement

manage wind

management of movement

There are 2 main polar pattern lav microphones, Cardiode and omnidirectional

Cardiode is directional therefore useful incases when working in a noisy environment- but is less effective at picking up full spectrum of sound around. Omnidirectional mice pick up sound from all directions. Therefore records a fuller sound and picks  up sound in a wider range of the spectrum. Mic placement is typically in the middle/upper part of the chest. You can record directly into the camera or use a handheld record e.g. zoom. Field recorders record better quality because it can record in 24bit. As explained before there is option and products available to help removed movement noises.