What Is a Lavalier Microphone?

A lavalier microphone is a small microphone that clips to your collar, shirt, or jacket so you can record your voice without holding anything. You’ll also see it called a lav mic, lapel mic, or clip-on mic. Lavs are common in interviews, vlogs, and presentations, anywhere a handheld mic or a stand would get in the way or end up in the shot.

Most lavalier mics use an omnidirectional capsule, which picks up sound equally from every direction. The mic doesn’t have to point at your mouth, so your voice stays steady when you turn your head.

Clipped to your chest, the capsule sits below your chin instead of in front of your mouth, so it picks up less of the high-frequency detail in your voice. Many lavalier mics come with interchangeable caps or grilles that boost those frequencies to compensate.

“Lavaliere” originally meant a pendant necklace. In the 1930s, the name carried over to small microphones that hung from a cord around the speaker’s neck. Neck-worn lavaliers were common on 1950s television, and the tiny clip-on condenser lavs used today arrived in the late 1960s.

A wired lav plugs straight into a camera, audio recorder, mixer, or phone. There’s no transmitter to charge, though condenser models still draw power from the device they plug into, or from phantom power over XLR. The cable keeps you within reach of whatever it’s plugged into, which works for seated interviews and fixed setups.

A wireless lav sends audio over the air to a receiver plugged into your camera, phone, or computer. In a traditional system, the mic runs a short cable to a body-pack transmitter on your belt. Newer systems build the mic into the transmitter itself, so the whole unit clips on with no cable. Wireless lavs need charging, but you can walk, turn, and film outdoors while you record.

Elgato Wave Go is a wireless mic that works as a lavalier in clip-on mode. The mic transmitter attaches magnetically to your clothing and sends audio to a USB-C receiver that plugs into your phone, tablet, or computer. In clip-on mode, EQ Shift restores the clarity lost at chest distance. For interviews, slot the transmitter into the included Smart Handle to use it as a handheld mic.

Go wired if you record in one spot, like a seated interview or a desk setup, and want nothing extra to charge. Go wireless if you move while you record: vlogging, presenting, walking interviews, or filming outside.

To try a clip-on and handheld mic in one system, take a look at Wave Go.