Cheap lapel mic?
July 25, 2010 8:44 PM Subscribe
I need recommendations for lavaliere mic on the cheap. One I can hook up to my Zoom H4. Details inside.
I am doing some instructional videos for my classes and other teachers so I am entering the world of video. I have never been a video sort of guy and have a cheap little Panasonic camera with no options for an external mic. But I have a Zoom H4 and experimented with setting up a couple of condenser mics just off camera. The sound was better than the external when I synced in post production but still wasn't as clear as I would have liked. Do they even make a lapel mic with a regular XLR connector I can plug into the Zoom? (the zoom does do phantom power) Is wireless into the Zoom my only option? Does either one get expensive enough that a new camera would be a cheaper route? This is being paid for out of my lowly teacher pockets so any advice on the cheapest route to get better sound would be appreciated.
I am doing some instructional videos for my classes and other teachers so I am entering the world of video. I have never been a video sort of guy and have a cheap little Panasonic camera with no options for an external mic. But I have a Zoom H4 and experimented with setting up a couple of condenser mics just off camera. The sound was better than the external when I synced in post production but still wasn't as clear as I would have liked. Do they even make a lapel mic with a regular XLR connector I can plug into the Zoom? (the zoom does do phantom power) Is wireless into the Zoom my only option? Does either one get expensive enough that a new camera would be a cheaper route? This is being paid for out of my lowly teacher pockets so any advice on the cheapest route to get better sound would be appreciated.
Yes, there are many lavs with XLR connectors. This will depend on what you mean by cheap; the H4's own on-device mics may produce better results for you than really cheap lavs.
I wonder if the issue is mic placement rather than quality, since you say even with two external condensers the sound was not as clear as you would have liked. By lack of clarity, do you mean possibly something that could be minimized by getting the mics closer to the human (and/or minimizing background/AC/heater sorts of noise)? Could you try the placing the H4 alone (or the H4 plus the condenser pair) as close as it can be to the human without being in the shot?
posted by kalapierson at 9:01 AM on July 26, 2010
I wonder if the issue is mic placement rather than quality, since you say even with two external condensers the sound was not as clear as you would have liked. By lack of clarity, do you mean possibly something that could be minimized by getting the mics closer to the human (and/or minimizing background/AC/heater sorts of noise)? Could you try the placing the H4 alone (or the H4 plus the condenser pair) as close as it can be to the human without being in the shot?
posted by kalapierson at 9:01 AM on July 26, 2010
You may also want to look into some kind of cheap XLR adapter which could open up your microphone choices considerably.
posted by quin at 12:03 PM on July 26, 2010
posted by quin at 12:03 PM on July 26, 2010
Response by poster: Clarity wasn't really the issue. It just had that distant "in a barrel sound" you can get from a rather distant mic. I would like to more closely mic myself but I just wanted a little more freedom to move. I had them about 5-6 feet away to each side before. I may just experiment with both the condensers and built in mics a bit before I invest.
posted by spartacusroosevelt at 12:45 PM on July 26, 2010
posted by spartacusroosevelt at 12:45 PM on July 26, 2010
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posted by moviehawk at 9:21 PM on July 25, 2010