For my money, I'd buy the Beach Tek DXA-8. run a search, there's been a fair bit posted,

The DXA will give you

1. The balanced inputs you need

2. 15 db of gain, That will bring the audio unput to a level where the camera preamps won't have much to do. The camera preamp is the weak point in the equation.

3. 48 volt Phantom power. This will allow you to use almost any mic. You won't have to rely on battery powered models.

4. Limiters. rather than distort, the input will be compressed. You won't lose valuable audio if the audio levels dramatically increase.

This unit will attach to the bottom of the camera the same way the other adapters do.

Hey Bryan,

Why wouldn't you use a battery-powered microphone preamp instead of an XLR box? I have never used a portable mic pre but imaging that they can handle balanced in and drive a line-level output while providing Phantom Power as well.

?

Thanks for the replies and advice. I'll add that I set up my XLR mikes originally to work with a Canon L-1. They have produced very clean audio on every mini-plug camcorder with which I've used them. Since I've connected them with only 16 inches of 3-cord wire, which was just enough to reach from their positions on the mounting crossbar, this may have limited the interference potential.

I've determined that I would need only 6 inches of 2-wire cord to reach from an XLR adaptor to the mini-jack on a VX2100.
I would attach the adaptor to the underside of the shoulder-mount rig I use, just below the lens. If I shorten the 10 or 13 inch cords that come on these adaptors and reattach them in a shielded, right-angle mini-plug, would I avoid any detectable amount of interference?

I've found some ads for "double-balanced" XLR cords and connectors, that use 4 wires. Has anyone had experience with this type or an evaluation of it?

Steve McDonald

I think this is Quad-Star cable that has the most resistance to common mode interference. I don't think most of us require that level of protection but if you are going after every little dB of S/N, then it could be important.

That said, you wouldn't use a stock Sony to record the audio in the first place.

Short bits of unbalanced wiring aren't going to noticably hurt you unless you get near a strong radio (like a police car) or something similar. Maybe right next to a motor or flourescent light might get you a little noise.

Mike
The DXA8 outputs to mic level. With most mics it will alow the on camera gain to be less than 25%. It is a battery operated unit and it does provide all of the features i listed.

The beauty of the DXA8 is it's compact, well laid out and attaches to the tripod mount.

I agree that line level would be marginally better but none of those type of units are in as small a package as the Beach. The 6" cord that connects to the mic in shouldn't cause any
interference

"How do these things manage to work without added power? I'd think that the weak mike signals wouldn't be enough to run passive adaptor boxes like these."

The passive adapters don't work well, they rely on high output mics and the camera preamp


"Would I in fact, get a better mike signal into a VX2100 with an adaptor unit, than by just using the connectors I already have for my XLR mikes?"

Do you mean running direct on an XLR to mini stereo adapter cable? The answer is the homebrew cable works and is ok for a short run.

Without a preamp you will still depend on the cameras preamp and they will give a less than perfect audio if they are set up over 50-60%

For longer runs the transformers in the adapter will isolate the cable from the Beach or Sign Video unit to the mic.

I think you need to read some back posts here and at dv.com

Small enough for my cams, Bryan? Would it work okay with my Apex?

Yes it would, but do you need it?

The DXA-8 fit on my TRV20

Glensound XLR
 

Been a while since I logged onto this site, but at least for the VX 2000 BBC is a strong proponent of the Glensound XLR adapter even without the BBC modifications. I never could get an answer from Glensound website however, so my impression is they have bigger fish to fry than dealing with prosumer clientele.

XLR adapter from PDX-10 on VX2000?
 

Does anyone know if the hot shoe XLR adapter from a PD-100 or PDX10 will work on a VX2000?

Is there a difference between the PD-100 and PDX10 adapter?

I think not, just had a look. The PDX-10 adaptor wedged about halfway so I did't push any further. But looking more closely, here's my ASCII art impression of the VX-2000 hot shoe, which is actually 8 continuous contact bars:

||||||||
||||||||

But on the PDX-10 it's split into 14 separate contact bars with empty space in the middle like this:

||||||||
|
|||||| |

Probably has to do with phantom power on the separate channels or something. The other problem would be that the PDX-10 has both a "dumb shoe" that's used to attach the XLR box and a "smart shoe" that's used for the cable from the box. So even if you could make it work on the VX-2000 you'd need some sort of external bracket to mount it.

I never used a PD-100, but I thought I read it used a mini-jack to connect the XLR box instead of a hot shoe? Personally, I have a Beachtek box for my VX-2000...

Thanks. There is an adapter on ebay for cheap and was wondering if it would do the job.

I use the Sign Video adapter myself, but am in the market for another vx2000 and was looking ahead for the necessary accessories.

I've been using a PD-100 XLR adapter that I got from Ebay on my VX-2000 for a couple of years now. It works great, but it is on backwards as compared to the PD-100.

I always had a feeling those PD100 adapters would work on a VX.Laurence do you have any pix of your set up? I think you could actually purchase these xlr boxes from Sony at one point in time.

They have, as far as I know, been used on 2000's almost from the start. Problem is the adapter was over $400 IIRC. Made an after-market XLR adapter box very attractive.

XLR Adapter for VX2100?
 

I just recently recieved a XV2100 to add as my A camera and so far I love it.
There is definitely a big difference between the Sony VX and the Canon GL series of camcorders.
The only complaint I have is I wish there were an easier way to connect XLR's than the beachtek adapter that mounts on the camera base.
I am suprised that Sony never made an XLR adapter to fit on the handle like the PD series or the Canon GL adapter.

Is there an XLR adapter that can mount on the handle on the VX2100 like the PD170 does?

Thanks,
Michael
LVProductions

There was one made for one of the Sony cameras, the Pro version of the 900 IIRC. I think they are still available from Sony but they were not cheap.

beahctek xlr adapter
 

Hi, i'm planning on getting the beachtek adapter dxa6 for the sony vx2k, was just confirming, the adapter goes on the base of the camcorder, right? How woudl the camera then fit onto the tripod that i have? Will this be a hassle free operation? Any users of this scenario i mentioned? thanks

The adapter boxes have tripod mount on the bottom.I've never found it a hassle with mine and using it on a tripod

thanks my next question is, what s the diff betwen the dxa8 and dxa 6? Which would be better for me? i intend to use a boom and a lav system..

Spike you can search the boards and find a lot of info on the DXA-8. The main difference is it contains pre amps and limiters for both channels. This is what i use and its great. I believe the DXA-6 only supplies phantom power with no pres or limiters. IMO the DXA-8 is the best option if you are willing to spend some more $$ and it will work with the boom/lav setup. The preamps allow the manual rec level of the VX set real low so you are using the higher quality pres of the beach to boost your mic signal not the noisy cheap preamp in the VX.The limiters will help smooth out peak overloads.

wow! makes a lotta sense now. Thanks for that Matt. Appreciate it

Adding a Sony XLR adapter to VX2100
 

Hello,

I saw that Sony's new HVR-A1U professional class HD camera (based on HC1) has a similar XLR adapter to the PDs with the exception that it's not attached to the camera, but is installed to the accessory shoe. Check this page: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation . Can someone please tell me if it's a good idea and whether it would work on VX2100? And where should I look for that item (I suspect that some repair centre)?

Thanks!

The AC1 adaptor looks identical to that adaptor on my PDX-10. I also have a VX-2000 and this issue has come up before. There's no way to use the PDX-10 adaptor on the VX-2000; the accessory shoes are configured differently. I don't know what might be different on the A1 and the VX-2100 but I serously doubt that this solution will work for you. The PDX-10 shoe has a number of additional contacts as compared to the VX-2000.

I think a Beachtek or similar adaptor will be a much more practical solution for you...

Sorry, forgot to answer you other question. Parts for Sony's pro cameras can be found here. Enter the model number in the search box and follow the links:

https://servicesplus.us.sony.biz/sony-parts.aspx

Thanks, Boyd. In such case I should really take the Beachtek. By the way, do you know where the Beachtek Phantom Power adapters take their power from? Do they have some kind of internal battery?

P.S.

As I have an opportunity right now, can someone please tell me what is the larger part coming out behind the lens on VX2100, VX2000 and XM2 too for example? I can't describe it very well, but if the lens is overally round, then some bigger element is like "added" to the right side and bottom of the lens tube. You can see it on this pic: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/images/...-review-10.jpg just in front of the focus ring.

Beachteks use a 9-V battery.
[Edit--that refers only to Beachteks that provide phantom power. The others don't require any battery.]

That is the optical stabilizer

FWIW, I found an earlier thread on this same topic:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=29598

BTW, another reason this isn't gonna work as to do with the camera firmware. When you plug the XLR box into the smart shoe on the PDX-10 (and A1 I assume) an additional "XLR SET" menu becomes active which lets you choose some specific settings.

Thank you all for the information.

I never thought that the optical stabilizer system is located there as my previous camera (Panasonic GS400) was a lot smaller and didn't have anything that big so it must have been fitted somewhere inside the small cam. The Sony's stabilizer wins Pana big time though!

That's probably the case with those PDX and A1 adapters... It's unfortunate that Sony has not made a similar adapter available for the VX series, but if they did, then they would have probably lost quite a few PD sales.

I think I should just go for the DXA-4 adapter as I'm not very sure if I need the Phantom Power at all. For example, I used a reporter microphone in the DXA-2S I had on my GS400 and the microphone worked perfectly without any extra power.

Does someone know that if I buy the Sennheiser MKE300 shotgun, will it work with DXA-4 or will it require phantom power?

Thanks!

The MKE300 has a mini plug that can go directly into the cam's mic jack or into the auxilliary input of the DXA-4.

Be advised, however that the Rode Videomic is reported as far superior to the MKE300. I don't have an MKE300 but I do have the Rode and it's a joy to use when I want a cam mounted mic--a huge bang for the buck.

Neither mic requires phantom power--they take batteries. BTW, one of this site's sponsors, B&H, provides a public service for all the world--their online catalog is virtually an encyclopedia of audio and video equipment features and specifications:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com

I have an MKE300 mic and it's a very ordinary mic for quite a lot of money in my view. Fine for feeding a Minidisc though. The 'D' version (even more money) will be needed if the mic is anywhere near the VX2k. Go for the Rode I say.

The DXA-4 Beachtek is purely passive, but allows a variety of inputs in mono or stereo. It's well built, quiet and is made in heaven for the VX2k, 2k1 and FX1.

The lump alongside the front element of the PD170 and VX2k1 is indeed the housing for the VAP electronics and activation mechanism. The Panasonic GS400 (as well as the FX1, MX500, TRV900, PDX10, DVX100 and so on) all use internal vibrating elements to stabilise the image. The VX/PD and Canon XM2, XL2 etc all use the VAP (vari-angle prism) mechanism that's fitted in front of the zoom's front element.

This VAP technology seems to be fading now. It's bulky, noisy, costly, uses lots of power, and has more inertia that the vibrating element principle. It also holds converter lenses away from the zoom's front element - not a good idea at all. The FX1 has shown how you can assign different 'powers' to the OIS, so this is the way forward. No more nasty cancerous growth lumps on the side of our lenses any more, either.

tom.

Thanks!

I thought that the MKE300 is the best, but I was wrong then.

In order to get the Rode VideoMic placed correctly, I will probably have to buy something like this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search I think. However, it's very expensive and even more than the microphone itself so I would be glad if you could point me to something similar, but cheaper.

No, you don't need to buy a mount at all. The Rode VideoMic comes with a built-in shock mount. It's ready to slide into the camcorder's accessory shoe. The electrical configuration of the shoe doesn't matter. The mic only uses it for a mechanical mount. All you have to add is a 9-V battery.

Yep, I actually had the Rode VideoMic for a few days when I hadn't sent my GS400 with accessories to the new owner yet and then I tried the microphone to my VX2100. The problem is that the shock-mount is so big that it basically covers a great part of the handle including the buttons (REC, ZOOM) and therefore I will not be able to use the VideoMic on my camera, at least not without some additional mount which takes it a bit away from the handle. Any ideas? Maybe some VX2100 + VideoMic owners can comment on it?

Thanks!!

I would be one of those. I can still use the handle's zoom rocker and start/stop switch, but if you need more room then
This:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search
Plus this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search
would give you more room under the shock mount.

Or this one, which mounts to the cam's tripod mount, can take the mic off to the side and then optionally be mounted to a tripod itself. I have one of these and like it a lot.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

Very interesting, especially the last one! Thanks! By the way, how long it approximately is?

The center of the top mounting shoe of the bracket will be 3-1/4" to the side and 4-3/4" up from the cam's tripod mounting hole.

Thanks, Fred. I hope I can acquire that thing when I will be re-buying the VideoMic.

VX2100 Phantom Powered XLR Hotshoe.
 

I have a VX2100 and looking for phantom powered XLR unit that pulls its power from the hotshoe and in turn from the camera battery.

I don't like the Beachtek, and don't want to worry about additional batteries or power supplies.

The Sony PD100 has this XLR unit as shown here:
http://www.vip26.com/pd100.jpg

and the schematic diagram for this unit can be found here:
http://www.vip26.com/A7094044A.pdf

and is a separate part that can be purchased from Sony Professional Parts for around $200 bucks.

Question is: If anyone has tried this and or knows if there is compatibility here, far as drawing the VX2100 power to this unit via the hotshoe as it does the PD100? I have read on serveral posts now that this XLR unit works on other Sonys?

-Jason