ABSTRACT
Lav or lavaliere is a tiny mic that can be mounted near a subject's mouth, or the track that results. Most people think of lav and wireless as equivalent. Lavs should always be wired unless the cable will be seen or seriously limit the performer's movement. Booms can also be wireless: there can be good reasons for using a wireless transmitter with a boom or handheld mic, particularly in spontaneous documentary situations. The downside of boom mics is that they require an operator. If already hiring a sound mixer who's not too busy worrying about multiple mics, he or she may be able to double on boom. Otherwise need a separate boom op, and good ones cost a few hundred dollars a day. Professionals describe boom mics in terms of "reach"—a combination of how much noise the mic itself generates, and its directional characteristics. Low self-noise is essential so the signal can be amplified without losing any subtleties.
