Videomaker Magazine Review - January 2005

Test Bench: Studio 1 XLR-MIX Pro

by Brian Peterson
Videomaker Magazine January, 2005

Lightweight with a Punch
Studio 1 XLR-Mix Pro XLR Audio Adapter

We ran into a problem here at Videomaker: we needed to mix a couple of microphones with a line source and output a mic-level signal to our camcorder. A couple of microphones and one line source. We find that a 10-channel mixer is overkill and way to big for our camera bag, not to mention that we'd rather not have to power the device. This seems like a simple problem, but we couldn't find any particularly simple solutions.

At least not until we found the new Studio 1 XLR-Mix Pro. This mobile mixer is no bigger than a soda can and is capable of mixing up to three sources down to one XLR output and requires no power. It even comes with a belt clip.

During our tests the Studio 1 XLR-Mix Pro did not introduce any perceptible noise and there was no audible drop in signal power or quality. Unlike a full-featured powered mixer, the XLR-Mix Pro avoids introducing noise by not including any amplification. The three audio level adjusting knobs are only attenuators and they will not increase the level of a signal. The mixer is fully shielded from EMI and RFI and critical components are further wrapped in shielding material.

This little box was designed with us (or event videographers, we suppose) in mind. The locking balanced Neutrik XLR input jacks are top quality. The two Auxiliary 1/8-inch jacks let you plug in other sources, such as a wireless microphone system or line-level source. Channels one and two have independent mic/line level toggles and the box has a handy ground lift switch to deal with electrical hum from AC powered equipment in your mix. Finally, three audio level control knobs let you perform some basic mixing.

While there are 4 input jacks, only three can be used at one time. The XLR-Mix Pro can be a shoot-saving solution in other applications as well. If you put on solo presentations at conferences or trade shows, you'll find the combination of inputs, level selectors and attenuators can be just the solution to get your microphone and the output from a laptop to the house's sound. Studio 1's XLR-Mix Pro is an affordable well-designed mobile mixer in a robust small package.

Brian Peterson is a Communications Director with the American Lung Association and has more than 14 years of broadcast video production experience.