A friend and I are going to being shooting a short soon and are looking at this setup (FX1+Beachtek DXA-4+Sennheiser G2 lavs). And I would like to know if there are any issues using something like a wireless lav setup (the G2) with a beachtek adapter on the FX1.

Why not the z1? Because these are rentals for a short film that will double as a test. Here in Canada at the store I'm renting at it goes like this:

FX1 200cad a day
Z1U 250cad a day
Beachtek DXA-4 10cad a day
Sennheiser G2 wireless kit 35cad a day

So basically FX1+Beachtek+G2=245
vs
Z1u 250 alone
it's a no brainer.

I just want to know if there will be any issues using the fx1 setup, is there any benifit to be gained from having the Z1's internal XLRs?

If not and this tests well all the way through to the post workflow, then I'll probably buy that exact same setup (fx1+beachtek+G2).

In canada an FX1 is $4999 and a Z1 $6599 when you factor in the 15% tax it's a HUGE difference (almost 2grand diff) so I'm hoping this can work well, if so it's independant feature time!

Look at your total cost though...

FX1+Beachtek+G2=245
Z1U+G2=285 (Beach not needed)

Only a $40 a day difference and the Z1U does have some signifigant advantages over the FX1

Also are you going to use two G2 lav systems together or will you use one wireless lav and something else for ambient or boom-mic pickup?
If you're using one wireless lav and something else to go with it, it's important to have phantom power available. You can run an additional mic on internal battery power, but that limits your choices of available models.

I've already got another mic to use on a boom that runs off the battery. So thats not really a problem.

Another reason why I'd rather test the fx1 setup(if it works) is because it will cost me a lot less to buy if I decide to buy it for myself later. For the $1840cad a price difference between buying the FX1 and the Z1U I could get the beachtek and the G2 system.

So is there any issues running a wireless lav setup off a beachtek?

There's no issue w/ running the Sennheiser Evolution G2 with any of the BeachTek's. The production company next door runs the same scenario all the time with a ME66/K6 and DXA-4P.

I think I finally found a set-up I like. I use the BeachTek DXA-8 with the G2 wireless MKE2-EW gold lav and Sennheiser MKH416, sounds great!

BTW, BeachTek recently released the DXA-FX specifically for the FX1. http://beachtek.com/dxafx.html

Awesome, thanks for the confirmation Guy! If it sounds and looks as good as I'm expecting I'll hopefully be an FX1 owner soon!

just remember: with teh beachtek you have to turn up the chanel that you aren't using too.

I use the same setup. My beachtek arrived the evening before I had to leave at 5am for a shoot - it looked simple enough so I just did what seemed natural to me (turned down the unused chanel to avoid unneccesary noise).

I'm not going to try to explain it, but it affects the volume of your other chanel.
I shot eight hours without doing this. Worst mistake I've made in eight years of interview shoots. Audio levels were horrible.

I think the manual talks about it.

Or someone more knowlegeable can set the record straight.

just remember: with the beachtek you have to turn up the chanel that you aren't using too.

I use the same setup. My beachtek arrived the evening before I had to leave at 5am for a shoot - it looked simple enough so I just did what seemed natural to me (turned down the unused chanel to avoid unneccesary noise).

I'm not going to try to explain it, but it affects the volume of your other chanel.
I shot eight hours without doing this. Worst mistake I've made in eight years of interview shoots. Audio levels were horrible.

I think the manual talks about it.

Or someone more knowlegeable can set the record straight.

I would not leave an empty channel with a BeachTek or any audio recording device. Use it to your advantage. Record in mono mode so the same mic is recorded to both L and R. Now turn one channel down lower and use it as a safety so you have backup audio in case things get loud and clip. Ya never know when the talent might start screamin'

I believe the empty audio channel is something that goes back to the analog days. Maybe someone else could chime in, something about it bleeding over to the good channel?

BTW, there's still a few factory refurb FX1's at Sony Style.com for $2499 http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=HDRFX1%2FBSTOCK&Dept=cameras&CategoryName=dcc_outlet_camcorders

i have a fx1 and a pair of g2. I decided that a field mixer was a really important component and wanted something more robust than just a passive transformer so instead of a beachtek i got a mix-pre. At the moment the mix-pre is my favorite piece of gear. Its like a little magic box that makes everything that touches it sound better. The limiters are incredible (basically impossible to clip) and the preamps are stunningly quiet. I send to the fx1 via line level and so far it seems like the only chance for distortion is on the transmitter side of one of the g2s.

Now, the mixpre cant hook to a camera without a hack, but in my case i bought a belt pouch to mount it in and think its a really nice solution. Thinking of getting a roland r-9 as a backup recorder to also sit in the bag.

Anyways, when it comes to renting, i'm not sure i would have an opinion, but when it comes to buying, i am positive that the upgrade from the beachtek to the mixpre is worth every penny i paid.

2cents,
-a

the beachtek dxa-8 isn't a passive transformer, but an actual preamp. not as good a preamp as the mixpre's, but a lot better than the passive transformers (the other beachtek models) running into your camera's crap preamps.

this dude
http://www.gregjwinter.com/modification2.htm
will modify a mixpre to mount on a camera. i believe the way he does it is semi-permanent- like taking it off involves a lot of unscrewing.
but it's the best way to get the best camera-mounted preamp that's available. he does a mod on the vx2000/pd150 that bypasses the vast majority of the camera's crap circuitry. not sure if he's figured it out for the hdv models, but i bet there's not much difference in the audio section.

I would not leave an empty channel with a BeachTek or any audio recording device. Use it to your advantage. Record in mono mode so the same mic is recorded to both L and R. Now turn one channel down lower and use it as a safety so you have backup audio in case things get loud and clip. Ya never know when the talent might start screamin'

I believe the empty audio channel is something that goes back to the analog days. Maybe someone else could chime in, something about it bleeding over to the good channel?


We shot a short film a while ago using a FX-1 with the Beachtek and a small Pearl TL66 mike, worked fine. I did just what Guy said, took a Y-cable (don't know if that's the proper english term for it) from the eng mixer which happened to be mono and connected the two ends to the Beachtek. Then took one channel down about 6dB. That actually saved me from clipped audio when one of the actresses screamed in one take.