Building Hair Rigs for lavalier style microphones

Part 1. Building the Clip Rig – Simple Method

  1. Start with 2 or 3 Mini Hair Clips (Wig Clips, Toupee Clips).  

  1. Open the clip by flexing it against the curve and it will pop open.

  1. Place small elastic band over the tines.

  1. Close the clip to hold the band in place.

  1. From the top, push the band under the center tine.

  1. Clip is ready to mount onto the microphone. We recommend using 2 or 3 of these clips per microphone, so build as many as you need.

Part 2. Mounting the Mic to the Hair Clip Rig

  1. Using a small flat-blade screwdriver from the tine side, slide the screwdriver under the elastic (on the center tine - there will be two runs of elastic here). Note the direction we enter from in the photo.
  2. Stretch the elastic band to create a large enough space to slide the head of the microphone through.
  3. Slide the microphone into the space created (it slides in the opposite direction of the screwdriver)
  4. Release the elastic. Slide along the cable as required. Repeat to add additional Hair Clip Rigs.

Example: 3 Built Clips Attached to Microphone

Building the Clip Rig - Alternate Pro Method

For more professional results  you will want the cable to run parallel to the clip (as opposed to perpendicular in the simple method).


Construction is similar, except that you push the elastic over the first and last tines. This time we will run the cable over the top of the clip rather than the bottom, so that means pushing the elastic from the other side so that on the first and last tines there are two runs of elastic on the top of the clip.


Again, use a small flat-blade screwdriver the create a hole to push the mic through on the first time, and then repeat on the last tine – the cable lays along the clip.


The idea with these is to always have the tines pointing towards the center of the head and place them under the hair as best as possible away from any natural part to ensure that they are not visible.

Building a Clip Rig - The Broadway Method

Other folks used elastic cord to build a similar rig – it involves using elastic cord that fits through the little holes on the clip and tying it off so that it is tight enough and usually the knots are clued with nail varnish or super glue.


This video from Shure is a great resource on this method of construction and how to attach the rig to a performer.

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