Lav recording under clothes

[Ty Ford]

Hi Paul and welcome to the Creative Cow Audio Forum. I’m guessing the problem is not the transmitter or receiver, but the mic rubbing against skin and/or clothing. Smaller mics hide better. The way in which they are mounted makes a huge difference in the results. A small mic like the Countryman B6 can be much more successful. You can order it with connectors that will work with your transmitter. Tight fitting T-shirts will be more problematic. The best starting point is on the sternum, between the breasts using something simple like surgical tape. One strip on the body, another on the mic to hold it onto the first strip. Careful guiding of the cable to reduce cable noise is also required. Success depends on body type. Some shaving may be necessary for hairy chests. If the person is very active, this may cause clothing noise problems. Some have resorted to taping the B6 to the T-shirt instead of the body. Good luck and please let us know what you found.
Regards,
Ty Ford Cow Audio Forum Leader

[Paul Mcdermott]

Thanks a million Ty,
Would tapping to the t shirt be better than the sternum?

Also how would you rate the TRAM TR50?

[Paul Mcdermott]

Thanks a million Ty,
Would tapping to the t shirt be better than the sternum?

Also how would you rate the TR 50?

[Ty Ford]

Hi Paul,
This is why people who fish have tackle boxes! More gear!
The Countryman B6 is smaller, and that may help. The COS-11D is also a player.
Tell me about the doc. Do you really need to hide the mic? Regular folks are not always comfortable with someone getting all up in their wardrobe to plant mics. Are the setups sit downs? If so, a boomed hyper cardioid or super cardioid might be a better choice. My choice for that is a Schoeps CMC 641.
Regards,

Ty Ford

[Paul Mcdermott]

Thanks TY
The Doc – We are following a guy on a one day shoot. He is finding ancient irish lifting stones and lifting them. On this day we are travelling to the Aran Islands of Galway, Ireland.
We will have interviews in the car. We will have him on the boat across and meeting people on the island. We will mic up one of his contacts for a chat We will travel to two stone lifts on the day, over rough terrain.
He will attempt to lift both stones, lifting the stones to his chest. I’d like him mic’d for this, and to get immediate feedback from him. But now that I think about it, I don’t want a mic on his chest as it will get friction and could get damaged.
We will conduct an outdoor interview, asking background questions that we will use as a VO.
The subject will be wearing a t shirt for the lift and a jacket depending on weather. He is enthusiastic, so I see no problem with placing the mic where we want.
Any and all advice greatly appreciated!
Thank you

[Ty Ford]

Lifting stones to the chest….Hmmm. First, because you’ll be outside, if the mic is exposed, use a wind filter. Lavs “hear” wind unpleasantly. If there’s a lot to do with the chest, maybe wire the lav in front, behind the collar of the T-shirt, but run the cable up over one shoulder and down his back, maybe taping a time or two on the body to keep the cable from tugging.
You might be able to run down the front and tuck below one breast to the hip, following the body’s natural lines.
If you do mic at the collar, try to stay low enough so that you don’t get “under the chin” sound.
After this shoot, you’ll know a LOT more about what works and what doesn’t!!
Regards,

Ty Ford

[Paul Mcdermott]

Thanks TY 👍
Great advice