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DIY Electret Lapel Microphone

If you want to produce high-quality videos for Internet distribution, are involved in a local theater with a limited budget, or have any other need for expensive audio equipment without the means to purchase it, you can easily create your own lapel microphone for pennies on the dollar -- contrasted with what it would cost to buy one at a store. You don't even need any special audio or electrical skills to make one; anyone can do this.

Things You'll Need

  • Wire stripper
  • 2 audio cables of 3 feet each
  • Sound sensor
  • Microphone with an audio jack
  • Electrical tape
  • Safety pin
  • Aluminum foil
  • Electronic or tape-based recorder with a microphone jack
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Instructions

    • 1

      Use the wire stripper to strip a quarter-inch from the ends of each of the two audio cables. To prevent shock when dealing with electronic items, remember: nothing should be plugged in or connected to power until your project is finished.

    • 2

      Take the stripped ends of the two audio cables and twist the exposed metal interior wires to the metal wire protruding from the sound sensor.

    • 3

      Slide the non-stripped end of each audio cable through the hole in the electrical post of the microphone's audio jack.

    • 4

      Wrap a piece of electrical tape around one of the bare wires of the audio cable where it is twisted around the sound sensor wire. Do the same to the other audio cable wire. Do not tape the two pieces of bare audio cable wire together where they're touching; if you do, the microphone will short out.

    • 5

      Wrap a piece of aluminum foil around each piece of electrical tape.

    • 6

      Cover each piece of aluminum foil with a double layer of electrical tape.

    • 7

      Stick the safety pin through the electrical tape on the sound sensor to turn the sound sensor into a lapel pin.

    • 8

      Plug the audio jack into the voice recorder and turn the voice recorder on.

    • 9

      Pin the sound sensor to your lapel. You are now ready to use your homemade lapel microphone.

Film Production

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