Comica CVM-AX3 Audio Mixer, Dual XLR/3.5mm/6.35mm Mic Preamp 9V Phantom Power with Real-time Monitor for Interview Guitar Recording Canon Nikon DSLR Camera Camcorder

The media could not be loaded. I'm finally recording the movies and documentaries I've been talking about for years - on my smartphone! Why? Because I can! I've been looking for a camera/smartphone audio mixer for situations where I have interviews and/or two individual actors who need to be mic'ed separately. Sure, I can use my Zoom and record audio separately, but that's an extra step in post. I'm trying to streamline the process. The Comica CVM-AX3 is a dual XLR/3.5mm audio mixer for shooting videos with almost any smartphone, camera or camcorder. It worked great with my two mics and various configurations. The unit itself is a nice heavy design that feels rugged. They do warn you to avoid moisture and drops, but that's common sense. You don't want your microphones in that mess either. Comica has finally provided an affordable, 9V battery operated, compact audio mixing solution. It's got real-time monitoring (3.5 mm headphone jack) too, and that's a huge help for WYHIWYG (what you HEAR...). Fairly low noise floor, nice gain, 48V phantom power built-in. Comica says running this unit with phantom power lasts up to 6 hours on a single 9 Volt battery - or up to 40 hours without phantom. The price is right too - plus this unit will save me hours of post production and ADR time. If you're Universal Studios (and you have their budget), you may want something a little more capable. I wasn't expecting a lot, but I'm impressed. But if you're small and nimble, like my company, the Comica will do the trick. Check out the video and hear for yourself.

The media could not be loaded. Comica AX3 Audio MixerShort Review: high quality addition to anyone who is looking to add mixing capability and/or professional XLR microphones to their DSLR or mirrorless camera. Good mic preamps.Long Review: (BEST TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO TESTS WITH HEADPHONES)1. Build quality – all metal construction makes this a durable product. Inputs, knobs and connectors are all high quality. Cold shoe on either side of the unit add to expandability of your kit.2. Sound quality – I’m not an audio expert but I do have 15 years experience creating video productions and have learned a little about audio production along the way. The main test for me was the quality of the mic preamps. This is typically (but not always) a shortcoming on my most DSLR’s and mirrorless cameras. The advantage of the AX3 utilizing a 9V battery is – in addition to supplying 48V phantom power to most condenser mics – the ability to add gain to your signal before entering the camera. Compare this to passive mixers which lack battery power. They can reduce the gain but not increase it. The advantage the AX3 provides is you can input a hotter signal into the camera meaning you can use lower gain levels in the camera itself. This in turn, will mean less preamp hiss in your finished product.3. Features – I already mentioned gain control and phantom power. You can also use professional shot gun, condenser mics and other high quality audio mic with balanced XLR inputs. Balanced means you don’t have to worry about RF or other interference on longer cable runs. In addition to XLR inputs you can input ¼” or 3.5mm. It’s a two channel mixer but there is an AUX input on the rear that I believe can be used to mix an additional audio source, but I didn’t try it so don’t quote me on that. And it will still be only two channels in your camera. There are line/mic input settings on both inputs as well as the phantom power on Input 1 and 3V option (which I’ve never used) on Input 2. Also, you can monitor your audio via a headphone jack on the back of the unit. This is helpful for cameras that don’t have their own headphone jack. You won’t hear audio levels inside the camera but you can monitor the sound out of the mixer which is better than nothing. Also, even though the XLR/ ¼” inputs are tied to “Input 1” on the front of the mixer, each input gets its own channel. So you can have two XLR mics and each will get their own channel. I didn’t try to add a 3.5mm input while using both XLR inputs so can’t comment on mixing multiple sources into the two channels. I also can’t comment too much on battery life except to say it seems pretty good. I used it for a corporate video shoot that lasted about 3 hours and I didn’t have to change the batter (but there’s no way to know how much battery is left.)4. Cons – actually there’s only two things that I was slightly put off by. First, as other reviewers have noted, the top of the AX3 where you attach your camera has a rubber pad on it. I’m guessing this was intended to put a little isolation between the camera and mixer (that’s just a guess), but because the rubber is on the soft side, it makes for a “soft” connection between the camera and mixer. That is, there’s some play between the two and it’s not possible to get a “firm” connection. In practical terms, this isn’t really an issue unless possibly you’re trying to shoot handheld or on a gimbal. I would only use a mixer like this on a tripod so it’s not a big deal. Second, I was hoping for a little more input gain. I demonstrate the amount of gain you get my video review, and it’s not insignificant. But I was hoping for a little more. That said, the preamps seem pretty clean so there’s no reason not to use max gain on the AX3 if you need it.Conclusion – I’d highly recommend this unit to anyone need to mix audio or who needs to add professional XLR input capability to their DSLR or mirrorless camera. It’s also useful for cameras which lack headphone inputs.

The media could not be loaded. Let's get to the nuts & bolts of this thing. You are looking to up your sound quality but at an affordable price; the Comica CVM-AX3 was designed and priced for you, the filmmaker on a budget looking for stellar audio! Now, in keeping a preamp/mixer (yes this is BOTH a PreAmp and Mixer) under $100 comes with some sacrifices like LCD level indicators, volume control for the headphones, and 2-channel vs. 4-channel - BUT, and this is a big BUT - as mentioned, this is a sub-$100 PreAmp AND Mixer. Comica focused on the electronics quality over some of these frill features. Again, the purpose of the preamp/mixer is to get better quality sound, right?I'm not one for unboxings or listing out all the features, those you can see online. I want to talk about functionality and will this benefit your filmmaking, or just make you more frustrated?I want to point out the old saying "crap in crap out," and this goes with just about everything in the filmmaking and photography world (and crosses over to a lot of other areas as well), but it holds especially true in respect to sound and audio quality. So don't expect any preamp/mixer to produce Oscar Winning audio with $20 microphones, but it will be better than that same mic direct to the camera! Better yet, adding a decent budget mic to the CVM-AX3 and you get some great audio that takes little or no post-processing to use in your film or YouTube video.I did run several mics from $20 to $350 through the CVM-AX3, and I was pleasantly surprised at the output I got. Here are some tips that I use with any preamp/mixer.Remember the Rule of Halves: If your recording from the preamp/mixer to your camera, set your camera's Mic Input to Manual and set the Sensitivity to Half. If your Camera's scale is 1-20, set it to 10, if it's just a scale, set it in the middle. Now set the L/R Gain Controls on the preamp/mixer to the Middle position.Plug in your favorite mic and check your audio levels. If your camera has them, look for an "indicator" like a green dot, or a change in color (white to yellow) or even numbers like -24, -12, etc.. The "safe zone" industry standard for all things audio is -12dB and all these indicators will change at that -12 mark.I personally collect all my audio at or just below this -12dB mark. So speak into your mike as you will be speaking when recording and check your levels. If they are too high, lower the sensitivity in your CAMERA first by 1 or 2 positions and then reduce it on the preamp/mixer 1 or 2 spots until you get to the desired -12dB range.If your audio is too soft, use the gain controls on your preamp/mixer to increase the input to the desired -12dB mark.Following this rule will give you the best quality audio in combination with all the gear that is involved!