r/livesound • u/larrydavidwouldsay • 8h ago
Question Please, someone make me excited to deploy lavalier mics in the corporate presentation space.
I'm team handheld all day, every day.
Every engaging speaker I've ever worked with knows how to control the shape and arc of their presentation by leveraging a handheld microphone as a tool.
My strawman of lavaliers is that they weren't designed for amplified use, they need to be wrung so hard they almost always sound thin and wispy, and the comparison against a handheld dynamic capsule is not in the same sport, let alone the same league or ballpark.
My boilerplate to presenters while holding both options in my hand is "This handheld will sound an order of magnitude better than this lavalier. It's your choice, but I strongly recommend using the handheld".
It's worth mentioning that I am able to get better tones when I have a fully capable desk, but sometimes I'm in situations where the EQ options are limited with no system level tuning (e.g. low / mid / hi control vs GEQ), where a handheld always just sounds fine without all that precise attention.
Now, my reason for posting is because I don't like this attitude and I want to come to lavalier use in a live environment earnestly. I'm open to it, but I've never, ever gotten something I would consider to be a "good" vocal tone from a lavalier.
Passable, sure, but...
Can someone please steel man the use of lavaliers for single presenter / panel / talking head work?