FX1 + Beachtek DXA-FX + Shure Lav
 

My very first shoot coming up (and thus my first post).

Interview style shoot with two subjects seated. I'm planning on using wired lav mics to keep the cost down and heard Shure are excellent and very dependable. I'm also planning on buying a Beachtek DXA-FX adapter to plug the mics into. My question is, do I have to get a mic with a power supply, pre-amplifier, or power module or does the DXA-FX supply all the power the mic needs?

Cardioid, Super Cardioid or Omni? (Seated subjects talking to one another in the same video shot)

Thanks! Great forum!

Most Shure lapel mics need phantom power. The DXa-FX does not supply the power. BeachTek makes another product (DX10a) that does supply the power for the mics. I have several Shure omni body pac wireless microphones. I think they sound great. Omnis provides good coverage for most speakers, but you have to watchout for feedback if you are also feeding house sound in a live environment. I just recorded a project and the speaker decided to pull out a drum, held it against her chest and started banging, I faded her distorted mic and used the mic on the speaker seated next to her, the drumming came out great. You never know in live recording! Another advantage to Omni.

I don't think it can supply phantom power. But I've never heard of a wireless lav needing it. Wouldn't any lav kit be powered by batteries?

I should of said "Most Shure wired lapel microphones need phantom power". In response to his question about pattern, I mentioned my wireless Omni microphones. In any event it is disapointing that the DXA-FX does not have phantom power. It seems like Beachtek missed on that one. Or you could also use a dynamic Shure wired omni that does not need power.

I figured I'd keep the cost down if I went with wired versus wireless.

I would choose the Shure MX183. It has a supply included. It is around 200 dollars. You will love the sound of Shure Omnis. And the are rugged and dependable. Low noise and warm sound. Good Luck in your choice.

A friend suggested the WL-184 with the MX-1BP battery pack. I'm going to give it a try.

Thanks for the recommendations!

Frustrating! With the Shure WL-184 (supercardioid) on the FX1, I have to have the manual audio dial set to 5 or higher to really pick up the interview subject. When I do that, I get alot of background hissing! I've also tried to adjust the DXA-FX amps with no luck. Brand new batteries!

It seems that the mics have to be nearly directly in front of the mouth of the interview subject for me to achieve a decent level of sound.

The WL-184 is connected via a wired battery pack (MX-1BP).

Thoughts?