Comments

MUTTLEY wrote on 8/10/2007, 2:42 AM


Can't say for sure but I know that on American Chopper they tape lav's them on the inside of their shirts, saw it on one of their "Behind The Scenes".

- Ray
www.undergroundplanet.com
ushere wrote on 8/10/2007, 2:48 AM
i have friends on stage and they have them in their hair, or taped inside of clothing. thought either way would have induced noise, but apparently not......

leslie
rs170a wrote on 8/10/2007, 5:54 AM
Spend some time browsing the R.A.M.P.S. (Rec Arts Movies Production Sound) newsgroup and you'll discover that there are all kinds of techniques & tools for hiding mics as well as lavs designed to be hidden.
The Ricsonix PIN-MIC is one example.

Mike
rs170a wrote on 8/10/2007, 5:58 AM
thought either way would have induced noise, but apparently not......

When you become a member of the top secret very exclusive fraternity of TWKHTHM (those who know how to hide mics), you'll find out how it's done.
Otherwise you'll just have to suffer like the rest of us mere mortals :-)

Mike
ken c wrote on 8/10/2007, 6:34 AM
lol Mike, that sounds like a Monty Python acronym... TWKHTHM...

-ken
DGates wrote on 8/10/2007, 3:21 PM
They may have used something like a Pin Mic that can be hidden in a button on the shirt.
busterkeaton wrote on 8/10/2007, 3:29 PM
The mics are hard to spot, but the transmitters are usually pretty easy, a lump in the small of the back.

craftech wrote on 8/10/2007, 6:13 PM
There are lots of ways to hide hair mikes. Flesh colored ones are usually the base, but often they are colored with everything from plastic dyes to markers depending upon the actor. Even the wires are colored. This is a pretty good description of how it is done.

The body packs are easier to hide on the males than on the females depending upon how they are dressed. Dancers who sing will sometimes just wear headsets. So do certain cabaret type performers in some musicals such as Smokey Joe's Cafe. For shows like Riverdance they routed the lavalier cord down the legs of the lead dancers and placed the mike near the shoe to pick up the sound better.

John
DrLumen wrote on 8/10/2007, 6:16 PM
NOBODY expects the TWKHTHM!

So you think you are strong because you can survive the soft cushions. Well, we shall see. Biggles! Put her in the Comfy Chair!

Just so I understand. the ease of hiding a microphone is directly proportional to the size of the microphone?

intel i-4790k / Asus Z97 Pro / 32GB Crucial RAM / Nvidia GTX 560Ti / 500GB Samsung SSD / 256 GB Samsung SSD / 2-WDC 4TB Black HDD's / 2-WDC 1TB HDD's / 2-HP 23" Monitors / Various MIDI gear, controllers and audio interfaces

Coursedesign wrote on 8/10/2007, 6:41 PM
As in some other circumstances, size isn't everything :O).

Size matters if you need to put a lav on an eyeglass frame for example. In that case, a Countryman B6 is infinitely preferable to a big ugly Tram TR-50 say.

If you're hiding the mic inside clothing, it doesn't really matter. The classical method for this is with "sticky triangles," as I have condensed in the following:

To eliminate cable noise, form one or two complete loops of the cable just below the mic capsule. The loops should be around one inch in diameter.

[Adapted from http://www.equipmentemporium.com/Lavarticle.htm.]

David Settlemoir wrote on 8/10/2007, 8:15 PM
Or you can use Rycote Undercovers

David
rs170a wrote on 8/10/2007, 9:22 PM
Course, I'm going to have to report you to TWKHTHM for revealing trade secrets and let them deal with you :-)

In all seriousness, thanks for sharing that info.
On a side note, I met Fred Ginsburg (of Equipment Emporium) at a conference a number of years ago and found him to be a genuinely nice person who was more than willing to share any information anyone needed.
I've had his website bookmarked for a very long time.

Mike