Hiding a Sennheiser ME2-II Lav Mic in a Shirt and Tie

by Caleb Hill

Should you need to mic someone up with a Sennheiser G4, AVX or XSWD wireless system and conceal the included ME2-II lavalier mic, we have created a step-by-step guide to using The Lav Concealer for ME2-II in a shirt and tie. It is also available for the ME2 mic. This method requires very little time and will give you very good sounding results. This is intended as a starting point. There are always little steps you can take based on specific attire and each situation.

Step 1:

Here is the ME2-II lav mic and our Lav Concealer for it

Here is the ME2-II lav mic and our Lav Concealer for it. It is a perfect fit made out of organic rubber to act as a shock absorber. Here, we have also fitted the cable with a Cable Saver to prevent cable noise from under the shirt from reaching the capsule.

Step 2:

The ME2-II fitted in its Lav Concealer

Fit the ME2-II into the Lav Concealer. Make sure it is all the way in, with the base of the Lav Concealer resuming it's flat form.

Step 3:

Fit the Clothing Clip and Fabric Guard to the Lav Concealer

Fit the Clothing Clip and Fabric Guard in the holes in the back and front of the Lav Concealer respectively. This increases the firmness of the LC's hold on the microphone and reduces friction noise once mounted.

Step 4:

Clip the Lav Concealer to inner button seam of shirt

Clip the Lav Concealer with Sennheiser ME2-II to the inner button seam of the shirt, between the 2nd and 3rd buttons. This position (around 20 - 25cm from the bottom of the chin) is optimal for the mic to pick up the voice well.

Step 5:

Position above the button for support

Slide it down the seam to just above the button. Positioning The Lav Concealer above the button for support will result in a quieter and more stable mount.

Step 6:

Re-fasten the button under The Lav Concealer

Re-fasten the button under The Lav Concealer, so it is held between the seams.

Step 7:

Push the mic flush with the button seams

Push the mic and concealer back a little, flush with the button seams so that it is not visible from outside. 

Step 8:

Readjust the tie

Readjust the tie.

Step 9:

Tie readjusted

The tie will also prevent lines of sight to the microphone and Lav Concealer.

Step 10:

Use fur to stop tie friction noise

Sometimes, due to the movement of the tie against the chest, there could be unwanted friction noise affecting the microphone. In this case, use our Invisible Lav Covers Fur Outdoor fur pieces or cut a little Piece-A-Fur to fit behind the tie.

Step 11:

Fit the Piece-A-Fur behind the tie

Fit the Piece-A-Fur behind the tie so that the fur fibres absorb and disperse the friction between the tie and shirt.

Step 12:

The Piece-A-Fur reduces friction noise on the lav mic

The Piece-A-Fur reduces friction noise on the lav mic, increasing the dynamic range and intelligibility of your recordings.

All done!

Hiding mics step one: complete

Hiding mics step one: complete. Very glad we could help you in making sound sound better!

We have a Lav Concealer available in models for the Sennheiser ME2, ME2-II, MKE-1 and MKE-2 microphones as well as many other popular lav mics on the market. Contact your local Bubblebee dealer to get hold of them.

There are many more tools for the job out there, be sure you have everything you need in your kit box. For more tips, tutorials and tests, please subscribe to us on YouTube and don't forget to sign up here for product news, stories from sound recordists In the Wild and more.

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