My Favorite Lavalier Mic [And Why]

The Tascam DR-10L has been a fantastic workhorse for me over the years for quality audio recording. I’ve used it for weddings, workout videos, interviews, vlogs, and even a fly-fishing documentary (still in the works…). Bottom line, it’s awesome. Here are my reasons for loving this microphone:

The first reason I love it is the price. It's just $199, which is way less than true wireless setups that have the same recording and audio quality. Yes, you can get a RODE Wireless GO for the same price and have the wireless setup, but I think this sounds better, and I don’t really care that it’s not actually wireless.

The second reason I love it is the lapel mic that it come with. It sounds great on just about every voice, and doesn't need much in the way of EQ. Plus, the metal windscreen is discrete and works pretty well outside. If you’re in truly windy conditions though, make sure you pack a foam windscreen.

The third reason I'm a big fan of it is not worrying about RF interference. True wireless transmitter/receiver setups can run into interference issues, even indoors, but I haven't had to give that a second thought in years.

The fourth reason I recommend the DR-10L is how small and lightweight it is. It's easy to hide on a subject without it tugging on their outfit, and generally fits in a pocket. Plus, if it drops, there's a lot less force to potentially break it since it weighs so little. I’ve been able to put this on everything from shirts to workout tops to waders, and it’s always easy to make it work.

Number five is the dual-record feature. Since you can't monitor, they've installed a feature to record a safety track at -15db, just in case your level is way too hot and the signal is clipped. You can be a bit more confident in setting a high main level to get a good signal, knowing that in case your subject projects like an opera singer, you've got a backup plan.

Sixth, the battery life is great. It only takes on AAA battery, and I've had it running nearly all day straight on just one battery before. Just in case you get in a tight spot, know that this thing is probably going to go the distance for you.

Finally, it's designed intelligently. The 3.5mm mic jack is threaded, so the cable won't pull out accidentally, and the power/record button is a recessed slider switch that is nearly impossible to accidentally flip. There's very little chance you or your subject can mess up your recording on accident by pressing a button or tugging on the cable.

As always, there are some trade-offs. One main tradeoff is not being able to live-monitor your audio. This is pretty important, so be sure you're willing to trust the equipment. It’s never come back to bite me, but it’s certainly unsettling if you’re used to being able to hear everything through live monitoring.

The other is that you'll need to sync audio in post-production. It's pretty simple in most professional editing software, but if you're using something free, you may need to do this by hand. Otherwise, it’s about a two-click process to get the camera audio and recorder audio matched.

That’s it for my thoughts on the Tascam DR-10L! I love it, and if you’re looking for a solution for your church’s video needs (outside of live-streaming), I strongly recommend you take a look at this.