using a field mixer

[Matthew de Jongh]

basically you need at least one xlr cable per microphone and then you need one to goto the camera.

if you are going to put the sound on different channels then you need two to the camera.

so at the very most you need 4, unless you are using more than 2 mic's

its a little pricy but one of the best mixers out there is a wendt x2.

it is very small and the sound is wonderful. it has really neat meters.

i don't have one but a friend bought it to use with his dvx and i played with it for a little while and it was neat.

i would just use the volumes in the camera and save yourself a LOT of stress.

matthew

[Jay Massengill]

I want to mention again an important point about the specific equipment the original poster is using.
Both the 416 mic and the MixPre mixer are capable of overloading the sensitive inputs of the DVX100a. This overload can occur before the recording level controls and metering come into play. So the often valuable trick of sending a single mic to two channels with one channel set lower may not actually save you.
If the input overloads, even the low channel will distort.

I'm not disagreeing with anything that's been said, there are good points to take from all of it. Sometimes simplicity is better, sometimes the greater control and monitoring available with a mixer is better. The key is knowing when to select the best plan even with the risks that it may involve versus a different plan. It's also important to recognize if a change needs to be made to improve the situation before it's too late.

An attenuator is a passive device that can be plugged between either the mic and the camera or the mixer and the camera.
They are available in different values, Shure and AT make switchable models that will also permit the use of phantom power for your mic. It will be important, unless you're always recording quiet sounds, to have one or two of these available when using high-powered outputs with sensitive inputs.

The key is good monitoring as I and others have mentioned. The DVX100a headphone out isn't very good, but it will let you know if distortion is occuring. The RCA outputs of the camera are much higher quality and either a headphone amp or a special cable back to the MixPre monitor input can be used for excellent monitoring. This cable is wired with two RCA male connectors to a single stereo mini plug. There are also wireless devices that will allow monitoring if you must keep the camera as free as possible.
These devices can have dropouts and other quality issues though.
The important thing is to monitor at all times to guard against distortion.

[Zareh Tjeknavorian]

Thanks Jay - your post should be a standard reference for similar questions in the future. I intend to print and keep this thread with me as I travel. It has been a great education and I'm grateful to you all.

I guess I may as well invest in the mixer, and use it as I see necessary, based on the pros and cons expressed here.

A more mundane question: Is the wendt 2x significantly better than the sound devices?

[Nathan Taylor]

Hi everyone.
I also am considering purchasing the mix pre.
I do alot of weddings / live stuff where audio on the run is required and the limiting function of a mixer is invaluable.
I have a sony dsr250 and a AT4073a mic.

So, if a mixer is used in a camera/shotgun setup does the audio signal pass through the mixer preamps AND the camera preamps?

If so, is there a way of bypassing the camera preamps as im guessing the mixer preamps are far superior as far as audio quality goes?

Thanks guys :)

[John Hartney]

Use mic into your mixer and line out to the camera, that bypasses the camera mic in preamp. A good mixer will have better preamps than any DV25 camera. I use a wendt 4x with an Ikegami DV7 in the field with a 416 and interiors with Schoeps m41. When you feed clean line into the camera, you lower the noise floor in cam.

If given the time and logistics, always use a high quality mixer.