[Nigel Lambert]

I have owned a Sony PCM D50 for quite a few years now, and just love it! I quite agree that the lack of XLR mic inputs and being confined to electret, mini-jack mics was a bit of a downer. I know that Sony make their XLR-1 adapter in order to use professional condenser mics, but it’s way too expensive what what you get. I’m a voice over artist (Papa Dolmio in those Italian pasta sauce puppet commercials etc.)and often send sound files to the States “down the line” from my home studio. I was loathe to eBay the PCM D50 and start again with a new Fostex, Tascam … or if I REALLY bit the bullet, Sound Devices 702 …because the Sony, with it’s super bit mapping, and amazingly clever limiter, is such a terrific little recorder!

Then I discovered Juicedlink, and their portable micro mixers just ticked all the boxes for me. Their CX 231 has two balanced XLR inputs, amazingly quiet mic pre’s – either 12 or 48v. phantom power, and the whole thing can disappear in a trouser pocket! What I own is their CX 431 … just the same but with four XLR inputs for the odd occasion when I record my local choir. Each channel can be potted hard left, hard right or centre. Both mixers have mini jack connection into the Sony, and 4 mics, using 200 feet or so of XLR cable, 48 volt phantom at 24 bit, 96,000 gives me up to one hour and 45 minutes with a single 9 volt PP3 battery!

The CX 231 costs about £260 – and the four channel is about £350. When recording a voice over, the combination of the virtually nil noise floor of the Sony and Juicedlink and then a Rode NT1-A studio condenser (claimed by Rode to be the quietest microphone in the world) gives me a sonic quality that is incredible. For choir recording I use two matched pairs of Rode NT 5’s, and the sound quality is terrific.

Hope some of this will be of interest.