Written by StreamYard
Best Lavalier Mics For Live Streaming In 2022
Sound quality is an essential aspect of any live stream because most of your audience connects to you by listening. This takes us to the fact that a mic can make a big difference in the quality of your live stream. That's why investing in a quality mic is extremely important. And if you are looking for the best lavalier mics for live streaming, this post will help you find 12 top picks from the best of the best out there.
Before we get to them, let's first learn more about a lavalier microphone.
What is a Lavalier Microphone?
A lavalier microphone, commonly known as lapel or clip-on-mic, is a small wired or wireless mic system that’s attached to the body or clothing. You may have seen lav mics attached to the collars or ties of TV news reporters, anchors, sports announcers, and more.
With the rising popularity of live streaming, streamers are increasingly choosing lavalier microphones for their small and lightweight design. Some also use a wireless lavalier mic, which allows you more freedom in front of the camera.
Here's what you need to know if you are looking for the best lavalier mics for live streaming.
Wired Vs. Wireless Lavalier Microphone - Which one to choose?
As the names suggest, a wired mic comes with a cable, and wireless comes without it. Now, while a wired mic may create difficulties during movements, a wireless mic is a relatively advanced setup that requires a transmitter pack that's clipped to your belt or which can be put into a pocket.
Such wireless lav mic transmits their audio feeds via radio frequencies. These frequencies directly reach a receiver that a sound mixer can control and adjust. These microphones are ideal for recording and live streaming. Such a mic is discrete and unobtrusive. You can position a wireless mic close to your mouth and hide it easily so that no one notices it. It provides you with clean and clear audio for recording in any recording situation.
Besides being easy-to-use, a lavalier mic is a reliable choice to use during your broadcast.
Why use a lavalier microphone over a dynamic or condenser microphone?
- Discreet and hands-Free: A lavalier mic is discreet and its hands-free working is one of the most common reasons why many live streamers love using it for their broadcasts.
- Quality: Another reason why a lavalier mic is considered better than a dynamic or condenser mic is that a lav is highly versatile. And with the evolution of much advanced versions, lavalier mics can produce broadcast-quality sound too.
- Power: A lav mic is usually battery-operated. So, you ought to consistently have additional batteries available. It can require some investment and examination to locate the best lavalier mic for your live streaming requirements. However, always consider how long a mic requires charging before buying one.
- Convenience and comfort: With a lav mic, you can achieve proximity without microphone boom stands. These are quite large to carry around during live streaming or recording. The lavalier microphone has a fantastic feature here, which is it moves with the speaker without making them hold ENG microphones throughout their live streaming sessions.
- Size: Most of the lavalier microphones are tiny and compact, which makes them a great fit when the live streamer needs to be less conscious of the mic's presence. All they'd need is to clip the mic to their clothing to amplify their live stream's sound quality. No need to sit at a place to speak into a tabletop mic. Flexibility, guaranteed.
Buying a lavalier mic – Things to consider
Before buying a lavalier mic, consider the following:
Budget – Mainly, lavalier microphones are affordable for most people. You can easily get your favorite one without spending too much money. But, as with most of the things in the world, a higher-priced lav mic typically provides better sound quality. So, always choose whatever your budget allows. With lav mics, you get what you pay for. And to make things easier for you, we have sorted the mics into three categories: budget, intermediate and high-end.
Type – When it comes to the type of lavalier microphone, we usually look at how sound is captured. There are two types of lapel mics: omnidirectional and cardioid. An omnidirectional lav mic can detect sound from any direction. That means you can attach it anywhere, close to your mouth. Similarly, a cardioid lav mic or directional mic can capture sound from the facing direction. If you have to move around a lot, then choose omnidirectional over cardioids.
Connection – So far, we have discussed that a lavalier mic comes either as wired or wireless. The best choice depends on your setup and the purpose for which you are using it. A wireless lavalier microphone offers flexibility to move freely or rearrange your live streaming setup with greater ease. But it's more expensive than its wire counterpart.
How to use a lavalier mic for live streaming?
Step 1 – Ensure you have the proper microphone, cables, and adapters to connect to your computer.
Step 2 – Connect your microphone to your computer. Select the microphone as a default recording device.
Pro Tip: Before you begin, check out this video from RØDE to understand how to connect a mic to a laptop or a phone:
And, hey, if you're more of a reader, then here's a detailed resource that can help you understand how to use VideoMics, Wireless and Lavalier Mics with Computer or Mobile Device - again from RØDE!
Step 3 – Using StreamYard, select the audio source to which your microphone is connected. Enter the name of your stream, address, port, and password. After that, add and save the settings. Stream information settings are optional.
Step 4 – Now, set your microphone level using the volume controls for comfortable listening. If there is any distortion, reduce levels until the signal is clear.
Step 5 – And that's it. Use the internet and start streaming!
12 Best Lavalier Mics For Live Streaming
Here are the top 12 lavalier mics you can get your hands on if you are a live streaming enthusiast. But don't miss the categories!
Let's begin with the budget-buys
The Best Lavalier Mics – Budget Buys
Type: Wired | Polar pattern: Omnidirectional | Frequency response: 65Hz-18KHz | Price: $19.95
If you want one of the best lavalier mics for live streaming for less than $20, then the Boya BY-M1 is your mic.
This clip-on mic works well with smartphones, DSLRs, camcorders, audio recorders, and computers. Its omni pickup pattern offers full, 360-degree coverage, which means incredible sound quality. The perfect choice for a budget mic with low handling noise, this is a must-have in every beginner's rig.
Type: Wired | Polar pattern: Omnidirectional | Frequency response: 50-18,000 Hz | Price: $29
The Audio-Technica's ATR3350iS is a newscaster-style omnidirectional lavalier microphone equipped with a tie clip, LR44 battery, and foam windscreen. If you are not new to the mic industry, you'd know that Audio-Technica's mics are a notch above the rest. And this one will prove to you why.
They say it's engineered for intelligible, accurate voice reproduction, and we couldn't agree more. With a low-profile design and omnidirectional polar pattern, it assures minimum visibility and full coverage too.
Type: Wired | Polar pattern: Omnidirectional | Frequency response: 30-18,000 Hz | Price: $35
Another great budget buy, this one from Azden comes with a lock-down connector. While many choose it for its simple design and ease of use, the clear speech capture it offers is a welcoming surprise at the price point.
Like most of the microphones on the list, this one too comes with an omnidirectional polar pattern, which means you get good quality sound without background noise.
Type: Wired | Polar pattern: Omnidirectional | Frequency response: 40-16kHz | Price: $29.99
Looking for more than just a lavalier mic? Here's a complete kit to get you started with live streaming. This lightweight and discreet mic with plug-and-play functionality doesn't need batteries to work. And you don't even need to go through the hassles of app downloads or complicated settings to set it up.
Featuring an omnidirectional polar pattern, this microphone also comes with a 9.8ft (3m) extension cord, a mini USB adapter, a TRS (2-ring) adapter, an extra clip, a fuzzy windscreen, and a drawstring pouch to carry the kit without any hassles. Plus, there's an e-book that newbies in film directing can use and learn from.
Type: Wired | Polar pattern: Omnidirectional | Frequency response: 45-20,000 Hz | Price: $69
Want one of the best lavalier mics for live streaming, which is sleek and stylish as well? This condenser mic from Shure could be your pick. It's an omnidirectional microphone that offers an exceptional signal-to-noise ratio and features RF interference protection, high SPL, and windscreen.
You can use the free ShurePlus™ MOTIV™ iOS app to edit your recordings and share your sound files with ease over text, email, and other file sharing options.
Type: Wired | Polar pattern: Omnidirectional | Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz | Price: $79
A popular choice amongst live streamers for its broadcast quality sound, the RØDE smartLav+ is a discrete 4.5mm miniature microphone. This professional-grade lavalier mic with TRRS jack features a 1.2m (4 ft) long Kevlar® reinforced cable.
Its durable mounting clip with in-built cable management and omnidirectional polar pattern makes it an excellent fit for live streaming. This mic also comes with a foam pop shield which ensures that wind noise and vocal plosives are minimized.
Well, as evident by its name, it's a smart pick for a lavalier mic. No need for cables or bulky equipment. Only quality sound for a reasonable price.
The Best Lavalier Mics – Intermediate Buys
Type: Wireless | Polar pattern: Omnidirectional | Frequency response: 2.4GHz | Price: $249
Don't go by its tiny size. This wireless microphone delivers impeccable sound. The Saramonic Blink 500 B2 has two clip-on wireless transmitters with built-in mics, two professional lavalier microphones, and a dual-channel receiver. So you can put mics on two separate people and receive crystal-clear professional sound quality on both.
With the -M1 professional omnidirectional clip-on lavalier microphones, these transmitters work great as traditional bodypack transmitters. They come equipped with easy-to-operate gain buttons to raise or lower the levels, intelligent LED displays, and multiple mounting options. And the internal Lithium batteries give five hours of use too. Perfect for those long live broadcasts.
Type: Wired | Polar pattern: Omnidirectional | Frequency response: 50-18,000 Hz | Price: $129.95
Sennheiser microphones are known for their quality built and performance. And the ME 2-II tells you why. Designed for use with evolution Wireless SK bodypack transmitters, this one is a small omnidirectional clip-on mic with high speech intelligibility.
As with other omnidirectional mics, the Sennheiser ME 2-II excellently eliminates background noise, giving crystal-clear audio. If you're looking for a tiny mic that works great and attaches quickly on any clothing, this one is a great buy. In fact, it's so powerful you sometimes forget how small it is. But, hey, for $129.95, it's a hard-to-miss deal for sure.
Type: Wired | Polar pattern: Cardioid| Frequency response: 100-14,000 Hz | Price: $139
Now, this is something for the live streamers as well as the guitarists out there. The Audio-Technica PRO 70 is a miniature condenser microphone that features a full-sounding pickup, a clothing clip, and a guitar mount. With all things awesome, it delivers natural-sounding audio when used as a clip-on lavalier. Besides, it excellently picks up the sound of acoustic guitar.
So, if you are a live streamer who loves playing guitar or vice versa, then this microphone is all you need. Furthermore, its low-frequency roll-off switch ensures reduced pickup of room noise. And it operates on battery or phantom power.
The Best Lavalier Mics – High-End Buys
Type: Wireless | Polar pattern: Omnidirectional| Frequency response: 50-20,000 Hz | Price: $299
The Wireless GO II's claim to fame is its small size and wireless mechanism. It's compact yet versatile enough to enhance your live streams' performance with great audio. With a dual-channel receiver and two transmitters, it can record sound from two sources simultaneously.
Apart from its easy compatibility with cameras, mobile devices, and computers, its extended range, improved transmission stability, and on-board recording functionality with over 24 hours of internal memory makes it the perfect wireless microphone system.
Type: Wired | Polar pattern: Omnidirectional| Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz | Price: $379.95
Here's a mic crafted to make your live streams easy with its exceptional tech.
Firstly, it has a special ultralight Umbrella Diaphragm, which makes it moisture-resistant. Secondly, the Sennheiser MKE 2-EW-3 Gold boasts an accurate frequency response that delivers natural, uncolored sound.
Then it also has two additional sound inlet caps to change the high frequency as required. Besides, there's a stainless-steel reinforced cable that gives maximum strength and low contact noise. While this one from Sennheiser comes at a premium, its fantastic features add to its value.
Type: Wireless | Polar pattern: Omnidirectional| Frequency response: 516-558 MHz | Price: $599
Another high-end lav mic from Sennheiser, the EW 112P G4-A is wireless, which makes it perfect for those outdoor live broadcasts.
Apart from the excellent sound quality that it offers, it's also a good choice for its simple mounting and ease of use. With a range of up to 100 meters / 330 feet and up to 8 hours of operation time, it's almost always ready when you want to stream live on your favorite platform.
Conclusion
Lavalier mics have become a popular choice for live streams and interviews. Get the best live streaming experience and stable voice quality by choosing one of the best lavalier mics for live streaming. And if you want to choose a USB mic, here's a post listing the 17 best USB mics for live streaming. Read on!
