Beachtek DXA-4 XLR Adapters Bring Professional Quality Balanced Audio to Your Camcorder
"We're the missing link between professional microphones and prosumer cameras." Larry Kaufmann, Beachtek
Those of you who have read Web Video, know getting good sound is an important part of web video production. One key to getting high quality sound when using prosumer gear (the kind with a miniplug input for audio) is an adapter that lets you use professional microphonew with XLR connectors.
My favorite is the Beachtek DXA-4 with I've been using for years and which I recommended in Web Video.
But why not use an XLR to mini cable or adaptor? After all it's cheaper and lighter. I'm glad you asked.The key to high quality sound is delivering a balanced signal to your camcorder. That's just not possible unless your camcorder, like the Sony A1-U has an adapter.
The Beachtek and similar adaptors by other manufacturers delivers balanced sound to your camcorder and gives you other options including gain or volume controls that are easy to handle.
Recently my adapter needed repair. Beachtek responded to my web inquiry within a few hours with instructions for a reasonable cost repair. Few things are worth fixing these days or getting repars done is a big hassle so easy low cost repair is a big plus.
They were kind enough to ship me out a new and improved model to share with you.
The DXA-4 pictured above now has a new curly cable connector to your camcorder which clears cable clutter and takes the pressure off the connection.
You might also want to consider the DXA 6
or one of the other Beachtek adaptors with phantom power. Powered microphone adaptors make things easier and keep your microphones lighter, imortant if you're using a boom pole.
Recycling Mural
Using the equipment you have on hand can help you get started in web video.
In Chapter 1 Photographer Ken Schneiderman talks about shooting video with a still camera.Here's some footage I shot with a still camera. It's liberating to have a video camera in your pocket. But low frame rates andno microphone input mean the quality won't be the best. This was shot during a friend's garden BBQ with available light. If you listen you'll hear my "confession" at the end.
Brian Conley arrested
Ever courageous when it comes to reporting news, Brian Conley of Alive in Baghdad, was arrested in Beijing on August 20 while covering a pro-Tibet demonstration. His work with reporters around the world has been picked up by CNN and many others. Read more about Conley's web video reporting in Chapter 4.
Live From New York! Video 2.0
Rocketboom's Andrew Baron, IllDoctrine.com's Jay Smooth, and All-for-Nots producer Kathleen Grace were at New York's Video 2.0 Meetup July 28th, discussing whether web video should be called Internet TV. All three are interviewed for our Web Video book. Among the participants responding was Brooklyn Law School professor Jonathan Askin who said if we call it TV the likelihood is that it would get regulated as television, something few web video producers want. Another participant suggested if we call it TV people will compage it to television which has bigger budgets and more expensive production values. Ned Canty of the New York Television Festival http://www.nytvf.com/nytvfcommunity.htm warned that television describes the technology rather than the programs and put in a plea for a better description for web video producers' work.
I think we should just call it web video. It's short, catchy and pays homage to what make web video different the interconnections between viewers and producers characterized by the web. In a nod to Dina Kaplan of Blip.tv I agree regularly scheduled programs should be called web video shows.
Tune in to Video2.0 for video of the panel which includes a discussion of the burnng question is anyone making money on web video and how. But let's cut to the chase here few are making money and as All-for-Nots producer Kathleen Grace said breaking even is more difficult for dramatic web show producersworking with actors and using multi-camera production.
Rocketboom's Andrew Baron, IllDoctrine.com's Jay Smooth, and All-for-Nots producer Kathleen Grace were at New York's Video 2.0 Meetup July 28th, discussing whether web video should be called Internet TV. All three are interviewed for our Web Video book. Among the participants responding was Brooklyn Law School professor Jonathan Askin who said if we call it TV the likelihood is that it would get regulated as television, something few web video producers want. Another participant suggested if we call it TV people will compage it to television which has bigger budgets and more expensive production values. Ned Canty of the New York Television Festival 
