Topic: Lav mic for voice. CA?

[pdastoor]

I am seeking a lav mic to capture voice, this is not for taping bands but recording actors voices for films, documentaries, etc. I know CA mics are amazing for live concerts but can they be used as lav mics to record speech? Youtube reviews show that the Giant Squid is very good for this but lot of people here have different views on GS (remember its not for recording music). Any suggestions on what to get?  I don't have the money to buy a $300 Rode lav mic, my budget is much lower than that

[earmonger]

CA works fine for voice, straight into the mic jack or through a battery box into a mic jack.

But obviously you don't need a stereo pair, so you'd have to contact Chris Church to ask him about a single mic.

And there are lots of other lavalier choices, like Jon Stoppable's company, Naiant

http://naiant.com/studio-electronics-products/microphones/x-x-omnidirectional-lapel-condenser-microphone/

And BH Photo has a whole lot of others at various price points.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Lavalier/ci/8535/N/4291086006

If you are really just using it to record voice, you don't need low bass response--in fact, it might be better not to have it--and you might want a mic optimized for the human vocal range rather than full-frequency music recording.

[bryonsos]

I've had to sell a lot of toys lately due to some misfortune. I have kept my pair of B3s terminated to stereo mini. If I have to sell more stuff, I'm keeping the B3s. I don't 007, but these are ideal for that. It's my light travel/rain rig. I taped Furthur (open) with mine for shits and giggles and got a ton of downloads and compliments. ymmv

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/search?N=10295908&InitialSearch=yes&sts=pi

[2manyrocks]

Trew audio has several pro lavs in their used dept.  MXL makes sells a pair of labs for under $99 at B & H. 

[Bruce Watson]

I am seeking a lav mic to capture voice, this is not for taping bands but recording actors voices for films, documentaries, etc.

The biggest bang for your buck IMHO is from Oscar Soundtech. Build quality is excellent, as is sound quality. The 801/802 sound just about exactly like Tram-50s, which are what a great many TV newsrooms (still) use.

You have to decide ahead of time how you're going to use the mic. That is, will it be visible or are you going to have to hide it under clothes? You would typically use mics with different response curves for each application. IOW, hiding under clothes typically requires some HF bump because of the way HF are poorly transmitted through clothes. Just sayin', there are considerations here besides just the cost.

If you can swing it, you should consider the XLR power supply (allows you to run the mic off phantom power, does the transition to plug-in power for you, allows you to use standard XLR cables). These things sound great over cables. Alternatively, they also sound great over wireless, and OST will terminate in Sennheiser, Lectro, Zaxcom, etc. connectors as you desire.

What I did, since I'm using Sennheiser wireless radios, is buy the "whole kit" which included the XLR power supply. So I can plug the Senny plug into the xmitter, or the XLR power supply, either one. No conversions in the field, as it should be. I liked the first set so much I bought another, so I've put my money where my mouth is. Just sayin'.

Call the OST guys on the phone; they'll help you out. Or email. Either way, excellent service.