Broadcast Quality Lav Microphone suggestions for Documentary

T

theprestige

Active member
Hi guys,

So yeah, I have another documentary coming up. It's a short one, only 15 mins long, but I still want high quality sound. We've managed to secure a field mixer for one day where we will be doing interviews, but the other days we will be limited to my equipment. I recently brought a Olympus LS-100 as I heard that might be sufficient as an audio recorder to get high quality sound and my old Audio Technica 3350, which while decent, does not provide the type to audio that I will need for broadcast.

My question is, what lavaliere microphone is good enough for capturing really high quality broadcast audio? I'm going to do a lot of tracking shots in this doc, so I will be following my talent around and won't have the luxury of a field mixer for most of the shoot.
 
Our go-to lav's are Sanken COS-11's. Also Tram 50's and Sony ECM-77's. But the Sankens see the lions share of the work(~90%+).
 
The OST 801 and 802 (Tram look-a-like) are good. The 801 has an increased presence peak for mounting under clothing. The traditional round (4mm) TL40 is a nice mic as well, but has a flatter response. For a few more $, (still under $200) the Countryman B3 has three protective caps to change the mic's frequency response. If you need to plug any of these into an XLR, factor in another $100 for the Phantom Power supply/adapter.
I would not buy a pre-owned lav unless I knew it's owner and usage history. Over time, lavs are subject to sweat, make-up and other crap that gunks up the element, not to mention the usual strain to the cable and connections. Many folks sell them when they go south. They work.. but the sound is compromised somewhat.
 
OST wired lav kits are like $140. I would find the money for a used Tascam DR60D, DR70D, or even a cheap DR40D recorder. The dr40 are cheap new and work fairly well. The DR60 eat batteries and really need an external USB power supply. No experience with the DR70.
 
Good recommendations so far. I mostly use Countryman EMWs & B6s and Sanken COS-11s and have a half dozen or so of each. DPAs sound great but are expensive and in doc situations, I've experienced a bit of cable noise; I need to look into that because I'd be happy to use them more.

In the big scheme of things, just about any lav will work for you and your doc. But perhaps consider getting the same model, or at least same style, that your field mixer will be using if you think you might directly cut from his/her audio tracks to your own. Just a thought.

Also consider getting two of whatever lav you consider. Lavs are expendables; they're reliable but they can also experience unexpected abuse and failure. S*** Happens. So having a spare is a good idea. And that makes me think you might want to lean towards something less expensive such as an OSC 801/801 or Countryman EMW with the frequency response you'd like (ie- will the mic be hidden under clothes or exposed?)
http://www.countryman.com/emw-omnidirectional-lavalier-microphone/

Ya, you'd probably be fine with just one lav. But if something goes wrong, will you have an opportunity to pick up what you missed on another time? If so, no (well, fewer) worries.

Good luck!
 
Last edited:
Rick R said:
... I would not buy a pre-owned lav unless I knew it's owner and usage history. Over time, lavs are subject to sweat, make-up and other crap that gunks up the element, not to mention the usual strain to the cable and connections. Many folks sell them when they go south. They work.. but the sound is compromised somewhat.
Click to expand...

I've had no issues buying four of them on ebay. The ones I have are in good condition. But those are good points. I had not considered that when buying.
 
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