Phone video sound: a lavalier mic and a quiet room
· 5 min read
Viewers will forgive a picture that is a little soft or a little dark. They are much less patient with sound they have to strain to hear. Echo, hum, traffic and a voice that sounds far away make people give up on a video even when what you are saying is useful.
Good sound on a phone comes down to two things: the microphone close to your mouth, and as little noise and echo in the room as you can manage. Neither needs a studio. This guide explains how to set up a clip-on lavalier mic, how to check it, and how to quiet an ordinary room.
Why distance matters more than the microphone
A microphone hears your voice and everything else around it. When it is close to your mouth, your voice is much louder than the room. When it is an arm’s length away, which is where the phone’s own mic usually ends up, the room catches up: the echo from the walls, the fridge, the street outside.
That is why a simple, inexpensive clip-on mic on your chest usually sounds better than the phone’s built-in mic a metre away. Moving the mic closer is the single biggest improvement you can make.
Choosing a lavalier for your phone
A lavalier is a small microphone that clips to your clothing. There are two common types. A wired lavalier plugs into the phone. Check the connector first: older phones with a headphone socket need a plug made for phones, while phones without one need a USB-C or Lightning version or an adapter.
A wireless kit has a small transmitter with the mic that clips to you and a receiver that plugs into the phone. It frees you from the cable and is handy when you move around, but it needs charging. Whichever you choose, check that your camera app actually records from it. Some built-in camera apps keep using the internal mic, so test before you rely on it.
Step by step: clip it, hide it, test it
- Clip the mic to the middle of your chest, about a hand’s width below your chin, pointing up towards your mouth.
- Keep it away from necklaces, scarves, zips and collars that might rub against it.
- Run the cable under your shirt and make a small loop near the clip, so a tug on the cable does not pull the mic.
- Plug it in, open the camera app and record ten seconds of normal speech.
- Play it back with headphones. Listen for rustle, crackle, hum and echo, and for any part that sounds distorted when you speak loudly.
- If it distorts, move the mic slightly lower; if your voice sounds thin or distant, move it up a little.
Make the room quieter
Before you press record, spend two minutes listening to the room with your eyes closed. You will hear things you normally ignore: a fridge, a fan, an air conditioner, a ticking clock, the street. Switch off what you can, close the windows and shut the door.
Put your phone in do-not-disturb mode so notification sounds and vibrations do not end up in the take. Ask anyone at home for ten quiet minutes.
Cut the echo with soft things
Echo comes from hard, bare surfaces: tiled kitchens, empty rooms, large windows. Sound bounces off them and comes back to the mic a moment later, which makes a voice sound hollow.
Soft things absorb it. Record in a room with curtains, a sofa, a rug, a bed or full bookshelves. Draw the curtains. If the room is still echoey, hang a thick blanket behind the camera or lay one on the floor in front of you. Clap once and listen: a sharp clap that fades quickly means the room is fine, a ringing tail means it needs more soft surfaces.
Recording outdoors
Outside, the main enemy is wind. Even a light breeze can produce a deep rumble on a small mic. Use the foam or furry windscreen that came with your mic, and if you have none, stand with your back to the wind or behind a wall. Traffic and voices are harder to remove later than to avoid now, so pick a quieter spot and a quieter time when you can.
A backup plan with no mic at all
If you do not have a lavalier yet, use a second phone as your microphone. Start a voice recording, place the phone close to you just out of frame, and clap once at the start so you can line up the sound and the picture when you edit. It is not as convenient as a clip-on mic, but it gets the microphone close, which is what matters most.
Questions and answers
- Is a lavalier mic worth it for phone videos?
- For anything where you speak to camera, usually yes. Because it sits close to your mouth, even an inexpensive one tends to sound clearer than the phone’s own mic at arm’s length.
- Where should I clip a lavalier?
- In the middle of your chest, about a hand’s width below your chin, pointing up towards your mouth, and away from jewellery and collars that could rub against it.
- Why does my phone video sound echoey?
- Your voice is bouncing off hard surfaces and the mic is too far away. Move the mic closer and record in a room with soft furnishings such as curtains, a sofa and a rug.
- My phone ignores the external mic. What can I do?
- Check that the connector or adapter matches your phone and try a different camera or recording app. Some built-in camera apps only use the internal mic, so always do a short test recording first.