Best Lavalier Microphones for TV / Film
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ค. 2024
- Boston-based Production Sound Mixer Jim Keaney takes us through an in-depth comparison of 6 Lav Mics commonly used on professional TV / Film productions.
Links to products in this video:
1) DPA 6060 CORE: geni.us/1B8Qd
2) SANKEN COSD11: geni.us/zmvI
3) COUNTRYMAN B6: geni.us/nQpV
4) TRAM TR-50: geni.us/84RGEgS
5) DEITY W.LAV MICRO: geni.us/mT3BwSJ
6) DEITY W.LAV PRO: geni.us/dg1Gqr
SCHOEPS CMIT5U SHOTGUN MIC: geni.us/2s2mgs
LAV POUCH (shown in intro): geni.us/ntfS
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Recorded with a Sound Devices Recorder geni.us/2eqzmO
Shot on Canon 70D geni.us/ZnV2W
Edited in Premiere Pro amzn.to/3aHb2We
Follow me on the ole / jimkeaney
Hire me at HubLocationSound.com (based in Boston)
Or via email: Jim.Keaney [at] Gmail.com
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:06 DPA6060
3:06 Sanken COS11D
4:02 Countryman B6
6:52 Tram TR50
8:37 Deity W.Lav Micro
11:16 Deity W.Lav Pro
13:33 Comparison
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Thank you for taking the time to put this together.
First lav mic review for me...thank you and well done 👍
Great insight my friend! Thanks for the review
This video is quite educative! I loved the clear comparison... it helped me make my decision. Thank you!
This was so well done! What a great shoot out.
Really impressed with the Deity mics. Great value.
Thanks for the video, Jim. Very, very helpful comparisons
Thanks, Todd
TR50 baby! Still using mine!
This was a gold mine of information thank you so much!
Very helpful. Building out a minimal documentary film kit for when I'm solo without an audio person and this was just the video I needed. Thanks for putting it together and sharing!
👌🏼 excellent! Very useful to hear all in a row, thanks
extremely helpful! Thank you for this review
Thanks, a really helpful and professional review so we could really hear the difference.
Excellent and much needed video demo. Also nicely made video, good lighting, great sound of course, and good editing. Thanks.
Thanks for the compliments. Always trying to take the production level up a bit - without getting too overwhelmed. Newfound respect for camera, lighting and post departments!
Great stuff brother keep it up!
Very helpful. Lots of great info as always. Thanks!
Thank you, Paul. Glad you found it useful.
Love your videos, straight to the point and super helpful! I just subscribed, looking forward to more videos. I think I may go with the COSD 11 or the Deity. I'm unfamiliar with the recorders in this area. I'm used to recorders like the zoom h1, or Zoom F1-LP. (3.5mm recorders). Would love a video breaking down some of the recorders you use and maybe some budget options? Again, love the channel!
amazing works. Thanks!
These videos are great. Thanks man.
Can I invite you to test our microphone? No need to exaggerate our products, just let others understand our products better, welcome to free testing
This is a game changer for me. I do a lot of wedding ceremonies and didn’t realize how many quality options there are. Thank you!
Thanks I'm building my first kit and this video really helped
Very Helpful. Thank you!
Bro... this is OUTRAGEOUSLY helpful!
Awesome video bud!
Really good video. Cos11 is what I have so its good to know that I made a great choice. Thanks
Yerp...TR50 for me, with the COS11D in close 2nd place. Great video Jim🔥🔥🔥Truly, much appreciated!
Wow, one of the best mic videos I've found on YT. Just what I have been looking for. I just bought a Hollyland Lark 150 and was looking to upgrade the mics, and your video has really helped. Thanks, man.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks a lot, it was a lot quicker to watch than compare each one manually.
Thanks so much, so helpful
Just found your channel and this is SO helpful! Thinking about creating some short video content and this might be perfect for what I need, thank you!
Thanks for sharing pro lavs instead of the usual TH-camr prosumer picks. I have the Deity Lav Pro. The Sanken seems like the real deal.
Cool review!!!! Thank`s alot!!! Very very very useful.
really handy , just what I was looking for .... thanks
Thanks for your great video!
just picked up the Diety, great reviews and explanations!
Thank you very much!
great vid TY
SUPER HELPFUL REVIEW!! For your voice I do prefer in no particular order DPA 6060, Countryman B6 and Deity W.Lav Pro. Sanken didn't do it for me. The Deity W.Lav Pro was actually my preferred sound. Thanks so much.
Nice presentation thank you for putting it together. I was hoping for an MKE2 sample to hear how they hold up.
We all hear things in our own way. I thought the Countryman sounded natural like an actual person a few feet away.
I was looking into w.lav mics a while back, but was persuaded away by reddit.
You actually owning 10+ COS-11d's and vouching for the w.lav is the strongest endorsement :)
The Cos11 feels more robust (thicker cable), and is still my go-to Lav mic. But I was impressed with the sound and size of the W.Lavs. I haven't had them long enough to comment on how they hold up long-term.
Oh my God, Tram TR50 is pretty amazing for a lavalier mic! Thank you so much bud.
Thats what I'm thinking!
Exactly what I thought.
He said it's bad
Great information
heading into production and this video answered every question I had. Thanks!
Thank you for this video. Just doing some pre-production on sound for my first feature. Thinking of going with two Deity Pro. Will check out your other videos. Thanks again.
@@ernestacosta2431 did you try the Deity pros? Thoughts?
I was a cos11 guy who pretty much will be getting w.lav prod in the future from now on. Easy to hide, sounds amazing, and rustle with the cos11 is much more prominant. Love the review and glad I'm not the only one who sees the potential in the w.lav pro
How has the W.Lav been treating you? in particular with rustle and hiding the lav?
I also have 2 COS-11 and recently bought 3 Deity Lav Pro. Excellent mic for the price!!! They`re same thickness as COS-11, and I can use alegators and wind grills from COS-11 on my Deity Lav-pro when I need news stile for some resons. And for film they`re easier to hide because cable is thinner then COS-11
Absolutely amazing!! This helped me so much when deciding on my mic. I’m doing a traveling podcast studio from a backpack. Thank you!!!
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@Fisher Peyton instablaster ;)
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Excelent, thx from Peru
Really excellent and 100% fair comparison. It cracks me up that you're wired up with 6 lavs at once, lol. That some mad scientist shit right there. But, as a now working sound guy, I'm getting out of the prosumer range and more into investing in pro level gear. My Sennheiser G3s are suiting my needs just fine for now, but I want to upgrade the lavs asap. Perfect video for that tough decision. I LOVE the Sanken the most and is leading the pack for me. I think the Tram is excellent, too, and may grab one or two in the future. But, thinking about budget and having to buy two (one for each wireless pack), I'm really leaning towards the Diety mics. I think they're excellent quality. I preferred the warmth and almost a "tube-like" presence out of the Sanken (in my opinion, anyway), but the closest to that for me was either Diety. Thanks for the video and also for turning me onto Trew Audio. Wow! They have it all! Whatever I purchase, I'll definitely use your links. Thanks, Jim!
Gracias, tienes un suscriptor mas, excelente video, saludos desde Guatemala!!
Thanks for this, was debating on what I should get, I have a few COS11 and TR50 but very interested In the Deity Pro.
Hi Brian, thank you for your comment. I'm looking to get my first lav mic as a backup audio for interviews, and as a primary audio for recording in untreated rooms/outdoors. I'd like to know your opinion between the COS11 and TR50, because I've been hesitating between the both of them recently. Thank you.
Note of warning: the 21 (the DPA adapter shown at 2:45) is not the right one for current Lectro transmitters. The DAD3021 is the right one for "UM400" or earlier txs. From "UM400a" onwards ("servo bias input" txs like the SM, SMD, etc) the DAD3056 is the right one to use. (Larry FIsher, from Lectro, dixit).
Great video ! New subscriber 👍🏽
Great to see a new video sir. I'm glad you are looking at different price points. I myself own the Diety Lav Pro and I kind of fell into the same boat where Covid didn't allow me to use it a lot. I don't know if it's my units but I don't really know if my sound quality is as good as the ones you have. Again, I should do more tests. This is also the first time I've used microdot and I've noticed that sometimes the threads can turn on the connector when the talent is wearing them. I don't know if you have this problem. But good to see you again.
Hey mate, good to know that you have the deity. Have you tested the mic yet?
@@A12Diary I have. It works great.
I'm pleasantly surprised by the Diety mics. Ive been a COS 11 user for years now. What you have done is made me want a CMIT 5U even more.
I think the COS-11 still sounds best to my ears here...great clarity but still warm enough. W.Lav Pro sounds surprisingly good even kinda close the DPA..really impressed! That CMIT at the end though...just perfect.
Wesley Ayliffe yes, CMIT is a beauty. This comparison should be shown to DP’s so they know why we fight for the boom ;)
The CMIT is such a nice mic. It has a really forgiving pickup pattern regarding the way it ‘falls off’. You can often get 3 people with it no problem using just some subtle cuing.
That was a really great Review, just what i was looking for and I am buying one from a link below Thanks Man !!
Glad I could help!
Nice video
Check out my ‘5 Basic Tips for Hiding Lav Mics’: th-cam.com/video/W-3i7Wxbtno/w-d-xo.html
So what do we all think... which Lav mic "wins"?
Hello, thank you for all your info, great video... so, we want to produce a reality show with 12 people talking in a room, which mic is the best and what we need to buy to connect them together?
@@antoniohamet6239 12 talent on mics at once is a lot to manage especially if you need them to be wireless mics (so cast are free to roam around). If they’re all sitting the whole time, you could go tethered with wired mics but that would very likely get really messy with all those cables. Coordinating 12 channels of wireless is not a simple feat and the cost of that many systems is quite an investment. I highly suggest you hire a Production Sound Mixer for a production of that scope. They will be able to source and provide(rent) the proper equipment taking into consideration the parameters of the show (# of cameras, # of cast, whether or not the mics should be hidden, are the mics being recorded to individual isolated tracks, creating a sync workflow between audio and camera files).
Tram.
Thank you
whoa the tram tr50 sounds amazing! Pretty bright but for me that is a good thing since effects like reverb removal etc. dampen the sound too
Thanks for making this, it's a great video and comparison. Would love to see how you handle micing someone for an exercise video. I had to do that myself and although we pulled it off, I'd really like to see how a pro does it. Thanks.
I recommend head-worn mics (like the DPA 4066 or 4166) for exercise if production doesn't mind it being seen. It's just going to get you the best coverage and signal to noise (as it's so close to their lips - also helps with bleed from background noise/music playback). Lavs are tough (coverage-wise) especially if they're contorting or rolling around on the floor.
Thanks for the comparison! Yeah TR-50 is not bad. It was my first mic I bought over the ME2. It sounds good, but a bit more selfnoise than the 4060's I go to normally. Good to hear that they seem to have addressed the Lectro microdot issue they had before.
What is the Lectro microdot issue? If I buy one how would I know it doesn't have it? Thank you
@@jomymatthews early reviews showed that it was hissy. Not sure how to see it, but I guess you can try it vs YPA or orginal DPA adapter to see if you have a solid exemplar
1:06 - DPA 6060
3:06 - Sanken Cos11D
4:02 - Countryman B6
6:52 - Tram TR50
8:37 - Deity W.Lav Micro
11:16 - Deity W.Lav Pro
13:33 - Comparison
Sweet! Thank you for the time stamps, Seba Sosa.
For me minimal rustle and hiding is the most important factors. The B6 is lacking in the highs but they are appearing really cheap on the second hand market right now.
Nice review. Tram sounded pretty good!
I found the OST lavs mix well, too, with a little high-freq kick. Bummer you didn't have one handy!
Stefan Chakerian thanks Stefan. Yeah, no OST’s nor MKE2’s to compare unfortunately.
Nice! That Tram really sounds awesome but the best is still CMIT5!
It sure is!
its interesting what you said about the countryman as there are a few people who use that for just picking up exhaust sounds on a car with it mounted outside of the car, because it can pick up the higher DB levels.
Well... with enough wind protection anything will work. Perhaps the exhaust is so loud they don’t notice the wind?
@@HubLocationSound actually I've seen some stuck in between the panels because how small they are without windshields 🤷 but I think they are pretty clean for what they are
Benefit if dude address Tram is you can face it backwards but mount the windscreen per usual. Doing both of those things really helps fight wind noise when using unhidden.
It's the lav and distance but mainly it should be about the bit rate and KHz so you can have tons of flexibility in post to bring up the lowest and super high clipped audio files back to normal levels.
Excellent, thank you for the knowledge. And thank your kids for being quiet. ;)
Absolute legend. This was the exact video I was looking for, needed microphones that could be easily hidden with high quality around the studio.
The cos11d and countrymen both seem very appealing, can we use these with the wireless transmitters from DGI and Road?
Cheers
I do own some TR50s. They're pretty good for heavy clothing layers and dark sounding voices.
Overall they're great, just be mindful some PFX sounds will be a bit too bright and crunchy.
Anyone know how to get the Deity Pro into a Rode wireless go?
You can’t just plug it in?
I like the Sanken
Wow, the w.lav pro sounds really close to the dpa (my winner here), just a pinch more noise and less brightness, but for the price is quite amazing actually!
Hi Jim, enjoyed your video - a very clear and practical comparison of these mics. I come from the classical recording side of audio but am slowly getting into film/video audio. Just wondered, do you have any experience with the DPA necklace mic, say compared to the 6060 lav? Appreciate it´s a somewhat different approach to micing up speech. The necklace is absolutely not concealed but rather thought of as jewelry (!) I find it quite good, especially when you can get the capsule to actually be in contact with the skin. Then it´s pretty much right over the vocal chords I guess! Visually my experience is that women are more comfortable about using this, understandably.
Have you done a video on the best transmitters to pair these mics with? If not can you do one on the best transmitters and or how to properly pair a mic to a transmitter?
excellent video as always Jim! What's your goto DPA mic for most situations? 4060/6060, or the 4061/6061? Do you often need the higher SPL mic? or is 6060 just fine enough?
deity sounds really good. I use dpa 6060s and 6061s but would consider trying deity for a fraction of a cost
Sanken Cos11D FTW
Agreed on the TR-50 but flatter mic can be equalized to match. regarding the deity micro I read that it starts hissing when sweat makes its way in the capsule.
I've used a Sony ECM-77B pretty much my whole career (31 years as of this writing). It's been an industry standard at least in broadcast, not sure about film or corporate (but I've always loved it). I don't hear too much about it these days, with the Sanken COS-11D pretty much being the industry darling now. I'm wondering how people feel about the 77 compared to the Sanken.
ECM 77B is tha shit
@@Midash2k I used the ECM77 from 1985 for about a decade and loved it. But on a lark I asked my boss to get me a Tram TR50. I never looked back. I don't appreciate the strain relief on the Tram - if a reporter twisted the cable around on the clip and I figured the 'lifetime' of my TR50 was around 5-ish years. I still think for getting sharp clean audio for TV News, nothing beats the higher end punch from the TR50.
Tram TR50 sounds great
Great Diety Mics!
I was surprised to hear how they stacked up. Definitely a worthy contender and made me second guess my B6's.
So far I'm most impressed with the TR50.
Edit: I closed my eyes near the end and just listened, and every time it was the TR50 that made me pay attention as well as the Schoeps CMIT5U.
Tram was the brightest by far.
@@HubLocationSound true
I'm listening avidly to this review with earbuds in my ears as instructed, and was half way through before it occurred to me that as a retired engineer, and 72 years old, I have bugger all hearing above 10kHz, and precious little even above 8kHz. As such, I actually preferred the Countryman, and didn't like the boom mic at all! Oh well. At least I don't need to waste megabucks on high end HiFi, because it would be entirely wasted on me.
Would love love to see the placement on these mics please
The placements are shown 00:20 - just 3 mics stuck side by side to the inside of the shirt using a strip of moleskin to each side of the placket.
Great video! Really informative and funny dude :)
I've got some B6s that seem to have way higher noise floor than what was in your video. A blue band low-sensitivity one and normal. Compared to some Sony ECM88s and Sanken Cos11s I have, they sound almost like knock-offs... Decent quality audio, but such a high noise floor! Have I just bought some knock-offs or is this something that can be sorted?
Thanks, Max! Low/Reduced sensitivity mics inherently have a higher noise floor (self-noise/hiss). That's the trade-off, unfortunately. The B6 shown here was a normal sensitivity version.
As someone who would like to upgrade my sound production for lav circumstances, this video is fantastic. Thank you!
(By the way, to my untrained ear, I was really impressed by the sound of the W.lav Micro, although the presence of the TR50 is also very interesting... What are your overall summary assessments?)
I’m having a hard time embracing the DPAs (and I now have 4). I think because they’re a more “detailed” mic, I hear more details that I don’t want to hear. Like... I feel hyper aware of clothing noise and just general background noise with the 6060’s. It doesn’t really seem to be an EQ thing either (I thought maybe they were just brighter compared to my go-to COS11D). But if I had to compare it to large diaphragm Studio Mics... it’s akin to the difference between recording a singer on the Shure SM7B (dynamic mic) versus tracking vocals on a Neumann U87 (condensor mic). They both sound “good” but the U87 picks up so much more detail in the voice (spit, fry, lips). What’s forgiving about the SM7B (on some vocalists) is that it doesn’t pick up as much detail resulting in a smoother capture. Since this video, I still find myself reaching for the COS11D. The Deity’s were a pleasant surprise to me as well.
Bonjour. Svp est ce cela peu fonctionner avec un smartphone ou tablette svp ?
Dude, awesome video!!
Your subscriber count will definitely skyrocket as time goes on...the content is too good for it not to skyrocket.
I really like your branding, and the audio sting that you selected. It works great.
If you haven't done so already (and I'm about to search your channel) I'm very interested in seeing what you do in post-production. It would be cool to see how you go about treating the audio with the EQ & Compressor. To see how you go about creating a pleasant dialogue. The icing on the cake would be if it's done in Premiere Pro......but, beggars can't be choosers. ha
Take care, Jim!
Finally a helpful review! thanks a lot!
Quick question here, would they sound a lot worse recorded directly to the camera without the Sound Devices 688?
...in regards to the noise floor
It depends on the cameras audio engine. DSLR’s typically have a hissy noise floor. Higher end cameras (usually ENG style) sometimes have better audio engines (like FS7, C300, ARRI) but not always (RED cameras have notoriously noisy audio inputs as they’re similar to DSLR’s in that department- unbalanced inputs).
@@HubLocationSound Thanks for the help...
Btw you've recorded on sound devices 668, is there a point in comparing zoom h1n or any other type of that kind to the clarity of your device?
Not sure if I should also invest in a portable sound recorder or just used my never used before zoom h1n, or even better record via UA Apollo...
This was very helpful. Thank you. Do you have any videos about how to hide lave mics and the accessories you would need for this? Would you recommend any of these mics over any of the others when it comes to clothing noise?
The B6...oof those mids...reminds me why i haven't used mine since I got COS-11's.
Yes, a startling difference when you hear them back to back. It’s funny... if I did the whole video using a B6, we wouldn’t know what we were missing.
Great video, Jim! New subscriber here :) - As far as you know - could the Deity Lavs (micro and pro) pair / work with a any transmitter - as long as the connections ( locked 1/8") are compatible? Specifically hoping to pair the Deity Lav Pro with a RodeLINK transmitter / receiver... THANKS!
Hey Jim, thank you for this video! Question for you - what mic pack would you recommend for the sanken cos-11d?
СПАСИБО!
Tram has the best sound. The sound comes out so clear. Without seeing which mic was being used when you switched mics, the Tram stood out as the clearest to me.
It’s certainly the brightest.
Which mic would you recommend that can be used w/o processing that is wired FOR zoom, video interviews and vlogs? How can these be connected to a PC?
Can one use the Deity micro or something like the Sennheiser ME 2 with the DJI wireless mic? Sorry for the noob question, but I'm not sure how it works with power/compatibility. Thanks for your great videos!!
I've seen some users report (RF interference) issues using the Rode Pro Lavs with the DJI Mic system. I've seen others say they've used Deity, Sanken and Countryman lavs successfully with the DJI. If you get a Deity Micro, make sure it has this connector included: amzn.to/447oNqb
I'm so curious what the Rode Lavalier Vs the Rode Lav Go sound like in comparison. Can't find a video online of it.
Man this is really helpful. I have been using a tascam DR10L for filming weddings. But now that I’m doing higher end commercial brand projects, I realized I NEED to be monitoring the audio during the shoot. So I have a mountain of stuff to learn. Is there any way I can pay you like $50 to have a zoom call so you can help me understand the basics of this? Maybe like a 12 minute zoom call?
Or I could just email you a few simple questions If that’s easier?