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microphone Which mic is the best for filming pranks?

Hey, everyone. I was wondering which wireless mic would be suitable for my needs to record pranks? I'm thinking something like a Lavalier mic, but I'm not sure if that's a good option for this issue. Any suggestions? I need something that I can clip under my shirt, to conceal it and it would still record.

-dvdguy2
 
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Lav plus one of those mics (someone please chime in) that looks like a satellite dish that someone can hold from a distance.
 
Lav plus one of those mics (someone please chime in) that looks like a satellite dish that someone can hold from a distance.
Ah, I see. This mic (Lavalier mic) needs something to record the sound, like a sound recorder, but the one I had is too big to carry in public and do pranks with it. I'll give you an example.. from the video you'll see that they don't seem to be carrying something as big as my former sound recorder in their pocket. What could it be that they use? Are they carrying a smaller recorder or what's the deal? :)
 
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Ah, I see. This mic (Lavalier mic) needs something to record the sound, like a sound recorder, but the one I had is too big to carry in public and do pranks with it. I'll give you an example.. from the video you'll see that they don't seem to be carrying something as big as my former sound recorder in their pocket. What could it be that they use? Are they carrying a smaller recorder or what's the deal? :)
They use a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver, and then the receiver plugs into the recorder.
 
It has a transmitter to a recorder but I was talking about a lav plus a parabolic.

However I am NOT an audio pro.
 
Completely hiding lavs & transmitters without having a lot of extraneous noise such as clothing rustle, etc. takes a bit of skill.

Hiding lav/trans systems are easier when they are smaller. There are some very small transmitter units which are, however, quite pricey. The less you spend the larger everything will get and, as you get into the cheap zone, limited range and reliability.

Lectrosonics makes a transmitter about the size of a matchbox.

lect_smqv-21.jpg

It's about $1,500.

Quality lavs are equally pricey.

You can get consumer wireless lav systems for under $100. The RODE GO system is about $200 without a lav.

I did a series of audio clean-up jobs for a client who would mount a lav under the brim of a baseball cap so it was pointed at the person to whom he was talking in addition to the lav he wore himself.

IndieTalk is talking about a parabolic mic dish with a shotgun for long-distance audio recording. You may have seen some folks using these at sports events and field recording nature sounds.


universal-parabolic-microphone.jpg


An option to think about if you have someone to wield it for you.

Give us a budget and we'll cram as much as we can into it.
 
Thinking of buying this:

Rode Wireless Filmmaker Kit​


Personally I like them in the right circumstance, but they do have some significant drawbacks.

They're BIG. Like, huge big.
They're fragile. It's not quite look at them wrong and they break, but close to it.
If you're in an area with lots of rf interference, the interference with them can be unbearable and they don't have a lot of control, so they require monitoring.
The range with them is rather short.

They have a big benefit.
They're cheap.
They're usually in stock. I guess because stores can't sell them.
 
It can cost you a little more money in the long run - but if you want to be sure youre getting the right gear then you can rent it first.
Try it out and make sure it works for you.
 
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