Looking for inexpensive mixer - from Mic to mixer to Camera at DVinfo.net

David Delaney · March 31st, 2007, 12:05 PM

I want to go from the Mic (XLR) to a Mixer to the Camera - and I don't really want to fork out a lot of dough while I am working through the kinks of a setup like this. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is this route a typical way of working - mic >mixer>camera? The last question, will this improve my sound quality as opposed to going directly to the camera?

Don Bloom · March 31st, 2007, 02:03 PM

What exactly are you shooting and what improvements are you looking for over straight in to cam audio? I ask because frankly most of the time you really aren't going to get much value using a mixer with 1 mic other than perhaps tweaking the ranges a bit. Call me crazy but for A 1 mic deal I never use a mixer but then most of that is run and gun so it's impractical to use a mixer.

Will you improve the sound? If you know how to adjust a mixer then yes you can improve the sound but if you don't know how to use a mixer properly then you might do more harm than good.

Berhinger 1204 for about $140 iis a nice mixer but then there are lots of nice mixers out there.

The above is my opinion only your mileage may vary-see your doctor if you have any adverse side effects.

I'm sure other folks who have more knowledge of mixers will help out

Don

David Delaney · March 31st, 2007, 03:55 PM

Ok, I want to use the mixer for some indie shorts I have coming up. I thought it might help with the sound quality.

Don Bloom · March 31st, 2007, 04:36 PM

Like I said a mixer WILL help IF the person running it knows what they are doing-you can have fine adjustments of the highs mids and lows and really fine line the levels BUT again the person running it really needs to know what they are doing.
I've worked with a few that rally do and some that say they do. The first are a pleasure the second group, not so much.
If you find the person who knows what they are doing pay them well and keep them close. Make them a good friend.

Don

Daniel Epstein · March 31st, 2007, 07:12 PM

Best reason to have an external mixer is the knobs are much better to adjust the levels than cameras. Second best reason is low cut filters and limiters.

David Delaney · April 1st, 2007, 08:21 AM

Yes, the filters would be great to have to maybe cut out some noise from the mic.

Abe Dolinger · April 3rd, 2007, 12:49 PM

Has anybody here ever used the Twelco LP4 mixer? I've seen these for sale anywhere from 300 to 1100 US, and haven't been able to find any user opinions.

Dearl Golden · April 3rd, 2007, 01:46 PM

I recently got a Sign Video ENG-44 field mixer. Runs off AC & batteries. Ty Ford has reviewed this mixer elsewhere in the forum (search for ENG-44). Got mine from B&H, $529.00. Same price from the manufacturer (Sign Video, Portland, OR) but B&H shipping was some cheaper. Haven't put it to any real "field" tests yet, but based on Ty's review it will be perfect for my needs for a mixer for inside/outside.

Ty Ford · April 3rd, 2007, 05:10 PM

eng-44

Regards,

Ty Ford

Stephen Hall · April 3rd, 2007, 05:52 PM

I bought a Rolls 422 last fall and used it during production of a short film. Since then I've done some experimentation with it in outdoor shooting situations, as well.

It's very quiet, pretty rugged and has all the stuff I need for my current level of ability ( and thickness of wallet ! ).

It has a limiter, selectable low-cut and phantom power for each input as well as trim and pan pots for each input channel.

Someone on this forum must've gotten a bad one some time ago and the word spread, because I don't see many people lauding them in here.

But I like mine. Works for me. Wasn't $2000 ! ( more like $ 500 ).

Cheers,

Stephen H

Brian Standing · April 4th, 2007, 08:06 AM

I bit the bullet recently and got a Sound Devices MixPre (about $600-700). The mixer itself is a gem -- great sound, built like a tank, very quiet preamps, and lots of nice extras like a 20khz tone generator, switchable phantom power and a slate mike.

My only knock on it was that it chewed through brand new alkaline AA batteries in a little over an hour! (Even with phantom power turned off!) I noticed that the user guide says that the MixPre doesn't really care what voltage you send it through the DC jack -- anything from 5v to 17v is fine. So, I jury-rigged an adaptor (using a plate for a third-party battery charger) that lets me use an external Sony L-series camcorder battery. This fits very nicely into the bottom compartment of my production case, with a lead into the jack. With this setup, I can run for more than six hours, even with 48v phantom power.

Now, I love it again!

Ty Ford · April 4th, 2007, 08:33 AM

www.batterygeek.net

Ty Ford

Ralph Keyser · April 4th, 2007, 10:49 AM

Brian,

That's a little surprising. I usually get 4-5 hours out of a pair of alkaline AAs in my MixPre. Any chance you had an old batch of batteries?
Regardless, your external power solution sounds like it's meeting your needs.

Phil Kay · April 7th, 2007, 08:41 AM

I just got a Rolls MX422. Cost £440 here in the UK. We make indie films and the soundman loves it. I know the £1000+ mixer have a more rugged build quality but when it comes to sound quality I can't hear any difference.
I was told by the salesman that there are a few 'bad eggs' out there,however they test all the mixers before they go out and if you aren't 100% happy you can change or refund.

David Delaney · April 7th, 2007, 12:18 PM

What does a Pre-mixer do exactly?

March 31st, 2007, 12:05 PM	#1
David Delaney Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Niagara Ontario Canada Posts: 1,121	Looking for inexpensive mixer - from Mic to mixer to Camera I want to go from the Mic (XLR) to a Mixer to the Camera - and I don't really want to fork out a lot of dough while I am working through the kinks of a setup like this. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is this route a typical way of working - mic >mixer>camera? The last question, will this improve my sound quality as opposed to going directly to the camera?

April 3rd, 2007, 05:10 PM	#9
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	eng-44 Regards, Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

April 4th, 2007, 08:33 AM	#12
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	www.batterygeek.net Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

April 7th, 2007, 08:41 AM	#14
Phil Kay Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Peel,Isle of Man(UK) Posts: 194	mixer I just got a Rolls MX422. Cost £440 here in the UK. We make indie films and the soundman loves it. I know the £1000+ mixer have a more rugged build quality but when it comes to sound quality I can't hear any difference. I was told by the salesman that there are a few 'bad eggs' out there,however they test all the mixers before they go out and if you aren't 100% happy you can change or refund.

March 31st, 2007, 02:03 PM	#2
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	What exactly are you shooting and what improvements are you looking for over straight in to cam audio? I ask because frankly most of the time you really aren't going to get much value using a mixer with 1 mic other than perhaps tweaking the ranges a bit. Call me crazy but for A 1 mic deal I never use a mixer but then most of that is run and gun so it's impractical to use a mixer. Will you improve the sound? If you know how to adjust a mixer then yes you can improve the sound but if you don't know how to use a mixer properly then you might do more harm than good. Berhinger 1204 for about $140 iis a nice mixer but then there are lots of nice mixers out there. The above is my opinion only your mileage may vary-see your doctor if you have any adverse side effects. I'm sure other folks who have more knowledge of mixers will help out Don

March 31st, 2007, 03:55 PM	#3
David Delaney Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Niagara Ontario Canada Posts: 1,121	Ok, I want to use the mixer for some indie shorts I have coming up. I thought it might help with the sound quality.

March 31st, 2007, 04:36 PM	#4
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Like I said a mixer WILL help IF the person running it knows what they are doing-you can have fine adjustments of the highs mids and lows and really fine line the levels BUT again the person running it really needs to know what they are doing. I've worked with a few that rally do and some that say they do. The first are a pleasure the second group, not so much. If you find the person who knows what they are doing pay them well and keep them close. Make them a good friend. Don

March 31st, 2007, 07:12 PM	#5
Daniel Epstein Trustee Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,267	Best reason to have an external mixer is the knobs are much better to adjust the levels than cameras. Second best reason is low cut filters and limiters.

April 1st, 2007, 08:21 AM	#6
David Delaney Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Niagara Ontario Canada Posts: 1,121	Yes, the filters would be great to have to maybe cut out some noise from the mic.

April 3rd, 2007, 12:49 PM	#7
Abe Dolinger Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 111	Has anybody here ever used the Twelco LP4 mixer? I've seen these for sale anywhere from 300 to 1100 US, and haven't been able to find any user opinions.

April 3rd, 2007, 01:46 PM	#8
Dearl Golden Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Gallatin, TN Posts: 147	I recently got a Sign Video ENG-44 field mixer. Runs off AC & batteries. Ty Ford has reviewed this mixer elsewhere in the forum (search for ENG-44). Got mine from B&H, $529.00. Same price from the manufacturer (Sign Video, Portland, OR) but B&H shipping was some cheaper. Haven't put it to any real "field" tests yet, but based on Ty's review it will be perfect for my needs for a mixer for inside/outside.

April 3rd, 2007, 05:52 PM	#10
Stephen Hall Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 51	I bought a Rolls 422 last fall and used it during production of a short film. Since then I've done some experimentation with it in outdoor shooting situations, as well. It's very quiet, pretty rugged and has all the stuff I need for my current level of ability ( and thickness of wallet ! ). It has a limiter, selectable low-cut and phantom power for each input as well as trim and pan pots for each input channel. Someone on this forum must've gotten a bad one some time ago and the word spread, because I don't see many people lauding them in here. But I like mine. Works for me. Wasn't $2000 ! ( more like $ 500 ). Cheers, Stephen H

April 4th, 2007, 08:06 AM	#11
Brian Standing Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 621	I bit the bullet recently and got a Sound Devices MixPre (about $600-700). The mixer itself is a gem -- great sound, built like a tank, very quiet preamps, and lots of nice extras like a 20khz tone generator, switchable phantom power and a slate mike. My only knock on it was that it chewed through brand new alkaline AA batteries in a little over an hour! (Even with phantom power turned off!) I noticed that the user guide says that the MixPre doesn't really care what voltage you send it through the DC jack -- anything from 5v to 17v is fine. So, I jury-rigged an adaptor (using a plate for a third-party battery charger) that lets me use an external Sony L-series camcorder battery. This fits very nicely into the bottom compartment of my production case, with a lead into the jack. With this setup, I can run for more than six hours, even with 48v phantom power. Now, I love it again!

April 4th, 2007, 10:49 AM	#13
Ralph Keyser Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico USA Posts: 287	Brian, That's a little surprising. I usually get 4-5 hours out of a pair of alkaline AAs in my MixPre. Any chance you had an old batch of batteries? Regardless, your external power solution sounds like it's meeting your needs.

April 7th, 2007, 12:18 PM	#15
David Delaney Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Niagara Ontario Canada Posts: 1,121	What does a Pre-mixer do exactly?