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Audio and video equipment can get expensive fast, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money to get started. When I started recording videos for events and weddings I knew that I needed to upgrade my audio. After doing lots of research I found the solution that I have been using for over 5 years! This is the best lavalier mic kit for video production under $200.
Don’t Break The Bank
Whenever I am looking for new gear I am a firm believer in high cost doesn’t mean best option. That is why I always do extensive research on a piece of equipment before I ever consider buying it. The first time I got hired to video record a wedding I knew I had to figure out a lavalier mic solution that didn’t break the bank and still sounded good. Especially because you can have the best video content but if the audio is bad it can be a dealbreaker.
A Cheap Solution
After conducting my research many years ago I made a decision that I have been happy with for a long time and continue to use today. The foundation of this kit is an audio recorder, specifically the Zoom H1n Portable Recorder. They updated the design slightly in 2018, but the device does the same thing as before, record audio. A Zoom H1n recorder goes for around $120 new on Amazon.
The next part of the kit is a 3.5mm lavalier mic that can plug into the recorder and be placed on your subject in the video. The nice thing about having an external recorder is that you don’t have to worry about interference with a wireless lav system. Personally I have been very happy with the Giant Squid lav microphone. It has held up nicely over the years and still continues to provide great audio when paired with my Zoom H1n.
And the last piece to any kind of media kit is a way to store the memory. Like most small devices the Zoom H1n takes a micro SD card to record onto. I typically put a 16GB SanDisk micro SD card in mine since audio files aren’t usually very big. 16GB gives more than enough storage for a couple of events and they are very inexpensive. You can usually get them for under $10.
Simple & Effective
Putting these three relatively inexpensive components together can drastically improve your audio quality whenever you may be working with a moving subject, like a groom or presentation speaker. Like I mentioned above I have been using this simple setup for years now and it still works great. At some point I may upgrade my kit to include some wireless options, or just duplicate the setup so I have the option to mic more people. If you are looking to expand your audio equipment then by all means this is a great place to start. If you want to support the blog then please use the affiliate links in this post, otherwise there are lots of places you can get these outside of Amazon.
Now that you know what to get, it’s time to get out and start recording some video with better audio. If you are curious about other equipment we have used in the past and recommend then head over to these posts to check out more gear! And as always get out there and keep Seeking Discovery and always Explore Every Day! Check back soon for our next adventure and tips to photography, videography, and travel.