Lav recommendation for mini series

K

ksduded

Active member
I will be shooting a 6 part 20min miniseries end of December. This is my current kit

Canon T2i
Zoom H4N
Zoom H1
Sennheiser G2 wireless kit

Now I am looking for some good lavs to go with it. I don't want to go the boom route, cause most of the shoot will be guerilla and I want to keep everything hidden.
I need to buy two mics and I will rent one more when 3 ppl are needed on screen.

Which lavalier mic can be hidden easily and does not suffer from a lot of clothing rustle. My budget for each mic and any accessories needed is around $300.

Please advise the lav and accessories (vampire clips etc.)

My priorities are:

1) No rustle noise
2) Budget
3) Sound Quality

Many Thanks
 
I use countryman B6s. They are great because you can leave them in plane sight or put them in the hair rather quickly and easily. I've found them used for under 200 but am not sure about the connection to the g2
 
There a few good choices in that price range. Something that scares me is your criteria for 1) No rustle noise. While there are some mics that are more prone than others, the fact that the mics must be hidden inplies that at least in some cases, they will need to be under clothing. Getting rid of clothing rustle is about 10% mic and 90% technique. Do some searches and then spend some time practicing and practicing. Different wardrobes and different fabrics require different techniques. Cotton is your friend. Silk and Satin are evil. Make sure that new clothing is washed to remove the sizing, the stuff that make them look stiff and new. No starch. I'm a big fan of tram TR-50s and have recently found a clone from Oscar Soundtech. Even the stock ME-2 can be made to sound pretty good. The Sountryman B6 is a good choice, but busts your budget. Like most things soundwise, it's not so much about the gear as it is about the person using it. This is especially true when it comes to hiding mics. The new Rode pinmic is making some buzz, but typically it's visible, although minimally.

Again, read some of the articles posted about hiding lavs, and practice, practice, practice.
 
gpforet said:
There a few good choices in that price range. Something that scares me is your criteria for 1) No rustle noise. While there are some mics that are more prone than others, the fact that the mics must be hidden inplies that at least in some cases, they will need to be under clothing. Getting rid of clothing rustle is about 10% mic and 90% technique. Do some searches and then spend some time practicing and practicing. Different wardrobes and different fabrics require different techniques. Cotton is your friend. Silk and Satin are evil. Make sure that new clothing is washed to remove the sizing, the stuff that make them look stiff and new. No starch. I'm a big fan of tram TR-50s and have recently found a clone from Oscar Soundtech. Even the stock ME-2 can be made to sound pretty good. The Sountryman B6 is a good choice, but busts your budget. Like most things soundwise, it's not so much about the gear as it is about the person using it. This is especially true when it comes to hiding mics. The new Rode pinmic is making some buzz, but typically it's visible, although minimally.

Again, read some of the articles posted about hiding lavs, and practice, practice, practice.
Click to expand...

thats good advice. I really wanted the pinmic, but according to rode it releases mid jan 2011, so thats too late.

All my shoot will be under clothing (Noted: No silk or starch tip), so if a certain brand has better accessories for reducing clothes rustle, then that is definitely a plus.
 
If your budget for each mic is $300 all inclusive, here are a few suggestions leaving some room for accessories.

Countryman EMW: slightly larger than most, very rugged, good sound, and good in humidity. I have several of these and they are great for the $$
Countryman B3: smaller than the EMW, but maybe not quite as good or as rugged, the B6 is considered better but is more $$
Rode Lav: new on the market, and seems to sound very good, Rode usually delivers good value

Grant
 
http://www.oscarsoundtech.com/
i have more then a dozen of these

good sound , working grate with lectro and g-2 ,excellent customer service , good prices ( directly from the manufacture)
you will be finish with 120 usd per mic with accessories .
clothing noise have nothing with the mic but with it placement , it is better get sound man who could teach you how todo it right
 
I have to say that the Rode Lavalier and PinMic are great sounding mics, at 250.00 each. I am in the process if doing a demo video on the PinMic and not only does it sound great, the cable for both does not produce much, if any, noise from rubbing. AND you can even replace the cable if you mess it up, and you can switch connectors for the type of wireless, or recorder you are using. The PinMic can hide in plain sight as it's just a dot on your shirt, and you can get more capsules and paint them so they blend. That way you don't have to hide the mic under clothing. There is also a thread here called "Lav Shootout!" not too far back that highlights 4 popular lavs, and the Rode Lav is included, so you can get an idea on sound quality. The PinMic sounds just the same. I just tested this tonight. I should have a video up soon.
 
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