Lav Techniques

[@Normandreamfilmmaker]

Hi everyone, The amount of details and the time you take to share all this information with the KZbin community it is priceless. Thank you and keep the great work, you have one of the best channels.

[@matt-porwoll]

Thank you, I really appreciate it!

[@PelicanNorth]

Matt: I really like the detail - very helpful! The day you start hiding a lav is a marker in one's documentary career. It's what a pro does. But, as you said, it can be uncomfortable to invade someone's space. If my subject is capable, after they drop the cord down a shirt, I will sometimes hand them the mic/holder (I use the same Sanken) with the Top Stick on it, and instruct them exactly where to place it. They can use a mirror to help. But since a picture is so instructive, I am going to take a few screen shots of lav placements, print it out and show my subject what we want to achieve. Then they will be more confident about exactly where to stick the mic, or understand what my hands are about to do. And explaining the why behind the effort to properly hide the lav also helps to bring people to a more collaborative mind-set. Sometimes a more comfortable person is around - family or friend - who can do the final placement with their trusted hands. Showing the photo examples to them might help in those situations too.

[@matt-porwoll]

Love this! That’s a great idea!

[@dennischow523]

This is extremely helpful! I know KZbin likes pushing the videos about gear stuff, but please keep making these content They are really helpful for me as a self learning documentary filmmaking starter. Thank you so much for keep making great videos!

[@matt-porwoll]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!

[@davidmorefield]

Extremely useful advice! I try to share what works for me on my channel but I love when more and more people are open about their preferred practices. New subscriber!

[@matt-porwoll]

Thanks so much!

[@candinmuniz3225]

I'm going to show this to my troops. Lav placement is one of those details that can really detract from someone's appearance in an interview, and distract the viewer. Thanks for such an in-depth break down!

[@matt-porwoll]

That’s great! I’m glad you found it helpful!

[@TreverSantora]

Thanks for taking the time to cover a wide variety of techniques, Matt. I'll be integrating these into my next shoot. Especially the puffy coat!

[@matt-porwoll]

You're welcome!

[@jimhestermanphotography]

another great video! Thank you. One obvservation was that your own video quality would get a bit weird randomly. I've noticed exporting as h.264 from davinci gives me this result. I'm not sure if that's your situation or not but now I only export as h.265 and it's super clean.

[@benediktseifert3699]

Very useful. Thanks again for your great and very detailed work.

[@matt-porwoll]

My pleasure!

[@Naturlover785]

Another Great Video! I never really thought about the omnidirectional advantage of the Mic to place it up side down.. Is the Sanken your prefered Lavallier Mic? Any other recommondations? Thank you and keep on your wonderful work 👍👍

[@matt-porwoll]

Thanks! Def don’t overlook the Omni-directional nature of these mics! I only own Sanken, so that’s what I can recommend from personal use. That’s also what 99% of the sound recordists I work with use. Sometimes they pull out a Countryman when a smaller head is needed.

[@kakegarcia8056]

The t shirt situation was the mud I was asking myself how to make not obvious the wire under the fabric. Bests regards from a Venezuelan follower in Panama!

[@matt-porwoll]

Awesome!

[@nebukadnezzar3578]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!!

[@matt-porwoll]

You are so welcome! Glad it's helpful!

[@maggie3458]

Awesome video, thanks Matt! Do you have any tips for more run and gun situations where budget doesn't allow for a soundie with boom - ie where people are walking, running or doing a task with more or less movement, whatever it might be!

[@matt-porwoll]

Thanks for your comment! You should definitely check out my "Camera Audio Configuration" video kzbin.info/www/bejne/aX2yn2qQjdBrf8U where I talk about running multiple tracks yourself, as well as setting up a wireless boom for a producer or the like to operate, while you manage the levels. This is probably the best way to do what you're talking about. Hope that helps!

[@averinmarkstroem8577]

Thank you! I have one question; Where do you put the transmitter in these cases?

[@matt-porwoll]

I normally just stick it in their pants pocket, inside jacket pocket, clip it to their belt in the back or use the neoprene strap I mentioned to wrap it around a leg or waist. All depends on wardrobe and what you’ll see on camera.

[@benjaminstatler2226]

Matt thanks for all the details! What do you do when the lav mic is flat facing vs straight up? I hear a lot of people complaining that those that lay flat and point towards the chest suffer from noise from clothing or body. Do you just avoid these mics or do you have any techniques for them?

[@matt-porwoll]

Thanks for your comment. When you say flat facing, are you referring to something like a Countryman EMW? Unfortunately, I’ve never used this style of mic before, but can see how those issues would arise. I feel like this mic probably isn’t the best for hiding… but hopefully there is someone out there who could better address your question. I’m sorry I don’t have a better answer for you!

[@benjaminstatler2226]

@@matt-porwoll thanks for replying back. Sorry for the late response but appreciate you talking the time to answer. Yeah I think if I'm wanting to hide them I need to use something like the Countryman or get creative in my placement!

[@_FrontFootFilms_]

do you have a link to the rubber casings youre using in this video?

[@matt-porwoll]

bhpho.to/3SSQEIz

[@austinmeyerfilms]

Hey Matt! Are there ever scenarios where you opt to tape the lav to someone's skin rather than to their clothes? Thanks for another great video!

[@matt-porwoll]

Hey, I generally don’t tape to their skin, only because when I’m doing my own sound, I opt for the fast, reliable option. But I certainly know sound mixers who will tape into the skin in certain situations. My guess is it’s best when the fabric is thin and you would see more of lav and tape through the material.

[@austinmeyerfilms]

Thanks@@matt-porwoll !

[@fitoperezproductions]

This is a great video, but you neglect to mention setting a mic on a female.. a blouse, low cut shirt, etc has different techniques. I'd love to see how you tackle that. Cheers!

[@matt-porwoll]

Setting a mic on a female with challenging clothing can be a tedious process, but the techniques are more or less the same. One tip not shown in the video is attaching the mic directly to the skin, instead of on the clothing. Anywhere you can get the mic with minimal interaction with clothing is going to produce the best sound for your lavalier. You just want to make sure you are walking the subject through your process so they are comfortable, or have them do it themselves.