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

High quality addition to your audio/video production kit
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.

Does what it says it does.I used it with a shot gun mic with phantom power and a regular lapel mic with transmitter. This does a great job if you use for interviews.Save $$ on getting a digital recorder.

Me ha encantado todo de este aparato quizás un poco pasado de precio pero de calidad exuberante un 9 de mi parte si le doy diez no lo mejoran así que un 9 el envío tardo un poquito pero no demasiado.

Purchased for a specific project. This is a 4- channel (2 stereo input) pre-amp and mixer designed for cameras.Pros: easy to use. Can wire 4 mics at a time. Flexible inputs (phantom power, +3V switch for electret mics, etc.). Solid all-metal construction. Great features.Cons: You can’t adjust relative volumes of input 1 and 2. There are only L/R volume knobs. The 1/4″ tripod mount bolt at the top wasn’t properly threaded so I couldn’t get my camera flush with the rubber top. I had to Dremel the threads down. I should not need to do this. Bad luck I guess/poor QC. I was able to get it working. Also there was lots of noise on one channel I was able to eliminate by just switching my lavs around. That should not be. The preamps are a bit noisier than I’d like, but you get what you pay for.Summary: useable, with a few problems.