I chose the juicedLink DT454 because I am, for the most part, a one-man band. As well as being director, cinematographer, production designer… I also have to be the on-set sound engineer. I’m a video/film guy, I’ll admit that, sound has always been an issue for me – but despite this I still try my best to get as decent quality audio as I can. I can’t use an external audio recorder as there is usually no one to handle it, not to mention that the second record button will probably be forgotten during the course of the shoot. So when I switched over to the DSLR revolution I went the route of external XLR amplifiers. During my research I discovered that the juicedLink DT454 was my best choice and so made the purchase.
I’ve decided to give an in depth review of my purchase...
I’ve decided to give an in depth review of my purchase...
1. The device
The DT454 was primarily designed for use with video-capable DSLR cameras, although it can be used with most camcorders. It is a battery-powered, portable, external microphone amplifier/mixer with a 3.5mm output specifically tailored for the microphone input on your camera. It also offers AGC (Automatic Gain Control) disable options which dials down the onboard automatic amplification that many cameras without manual audio control perform. Although this feature is rather redundant for many Canon DSLRs because of the new Magic Lantern hack, which provides full audio control, none-the-less, it is still necessary for some other camcorders and DSLRs. It provides two balanced XLR inputs with Phantom Power, the option of either ‘LO’ or ‘HI’ microphone amplification, along with headphone amplification and monitoring.
2. Sound quality
Generally any recorded audio requires some level of noise removal, that’s the nature of sound - there will always be noise, even if almost nothing. As such, one shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that the DT454 will not generate any noise. You will still need to make use of noise removal software (I use the Sony Noise Reduction plug-in which works wonders. You can also use Audacity’s own free noise removal plug-in).
There are two amplification options on the DT454: ‘LO’ (low) and ‘HI’ (high). Although it is recommended that you use the ‘LO’ pre-amp setting you’ll probably find that it doesn’t work too well with most microphones and so the ‘HI’ settings should rather be used. Unfortunately this results in a lot more noise than ‘LO’.
The AGC (Automatic Gain Control) disable feature is great but it does lower the audio level for some reason. There are two options here: ‘Tone’ and ‘Noise’. I’ve found that ‘Tone’ gives you almost double the gain (that is inputted to the camera) when compared to the ‘Noise’ function. Of course, if you don’t require AGC Disable then the input volume is much higher. If you have a Canon DSLR (550D/t2i/60D) visit the Magic Lantern site for hacked firmware that will improve your sound quality 10 fold, in fact, I am rather impressed with just the onboard microphone now (in comparison to how it originally sounded).
The DT454 was primarily designed for use with video-capable DSLR cameras, although it can be used with most camcorders. It is a battery-powered, portable, external microphone amplifier/mixer with a 3.5mm output specifically tailored for the microphone input on your camera. It also offers AGC (Automatic Gain Control) disable options which dials down the onboard automatic amplification that many cameras without manual audio control perform. Although this feature is rather redundant for many Canon DSLRs because of the new Magic Lantern hack, which provides full audio control, none-the-less, it is still necessary for some other camcorders and DSLRs. It provides two balanced XLR inputs with Phantom Power, the option of either ‘LO’ or ‘HI’ microphone amplification, along with headphone amplification and monitoring.
2. Sound quality
Generally any recorded audio requires some level of noise removal, that’s the nature of sound - there will always be noise, even if almost nothing. As such, one shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that the DT454 will not generate any noise. You will still need to make use of noise removal software (I use the Sony Noise Reduction plug-in which works wonders. You can also use Audacity’s own free noise removal plug-in).
There are two amplification options on the DT454: ‘LO’ (low) and ‘HI’ (high). Although it is recommended that you use the ‘LO’ pre-amp setting you’ll probably find that it doesn’t work too well with most microphones and so the ‘HI’ settings should rather be used. Unfortunately this results in a lot more noise than ‘LO’.
The AGC (Automatic Gain Control) disable feature is great but it does lower the audio level for some reason. There are two options here: ‘Tone’ and ‘Noise’. I’ve found that ‘Tone’ gives you almost double the gain (that is inputted to the camera) when compared to the ‘Noise’ function. Of course, if you don’t require AGC Disable then the input volume is much higher. If you have a Canon DSLR (550D/t2i/60D) visit the Magic Lantern site for hacked firmware that will improve your sound quality 10 fold, in fact, I am rather impressed with just the onboard microphone now (in comparison to how it originally sounded).
3. Other features and components
The monitor on the DT454 is not too reliable. There is a level meter on the DT454. It’s not really accurate, doesn’t extend far enough, and uses an old system of LED lights. It often peaks even though the actual input sound is still perfect (no clipping). Basically it’s only there to confirm that there is sound being received into the unit. Magic Lantern provides a monitor as well, which is a lot more accurate.
The powering options are also something odd. The unit uses a 9V battery (Alkaline recommended) and has no AC input option at all. I’d think that a rechargeable solid state battery would be provided, although from a standard Alkaline battery I got 11 hours of use – which is still very economical.
The XLR inputs are fantastic. There are two balanced inputs both of which support Phantom Power, although I wouldn’t recommend using Phantom Power as it drastically reduces battery life.
The headphone output can be rather noisy, but helps for basic monitoring.
There is also a playback headphone amplification function (‘Playback Monitor’) whereby you plug the output from your camera into the unit to hear the audio you recorded through your headphones. This is a great feature just to ensure sound was recorded into the actual camera but becomes rather useless when using it on a Canon DSLR with an HDMI screen/or no screen at all (as the display is disabled while using composite output). Using Magic Lantern changes this a bit, as it provides the ability to monitor audio though headphones directly from the camera (although this should be disabled if you want to monitor on an external screen as HDMI is not available).
The powering options are also something odd. The unit uses a 9V battery (Alkaline recommended) and has no AC input option at all. I’d think that a rechargeable solid state battery would be provided, although from a standard Alkaline battery I got 11 hours of use – which is still very economical.
The XLR inputs are fantastic. There are two balanced inputs both of which support Phantom Power, although I wouldn’t recommend using Phantom Power as it drastically reduces battery life.
The headphone output can be rather noisy, but helps for basic monitoring.
There is also a playback headphone amplification function (‘Playback Monitor’) whereby you plug the output from your camera into the unit to hear the audio you recorded through your headphones. This is a great feature just to ensure sound was recorded into the actual camera but becomes rather useless when using it on a Canon DSLR with an HDMI screen/or no screen at all (as the display is disabled while using composite output). Using Magic Lantern changes this a bit, as it provides the ability to monitor audio though headphones directly from the camera (although this should be disabled if you want to monitor on an external screen as HDMI is not available).
4. Build quality
The build quality of the device is fantastic, probably the best out of all my gear. Its rugged metal casing protects it on the harsh film set.
5. Ease of use
Just like with most new gear it takes a few tests and playing around before you feel confident to work with the DT454. The manual is a must-read especially after taking a look at the switches on the underside of the unit. It may have been easier for beginners to control the device with a little LCD screen and a menu, nonetheless the device offers multiple configurations. If you don’t understand the basic principles of audio then this may not be the best device for you, although the same could be stated for the other options available for audio recording.
The build quality of the device is fantastic, probably the best out of all my gear. Its rugged metal casing protects it on the harsh film set.
5. Ease of use
Just like with most new gear it takes a few tests and playing around before you feel confident to work with the DT454. The manual is a must-read especially after taking a look at the switches on the underside of the unit. It may have been easier for beginners to control the device with a little LCD screen and a menu, nonetheless the device offers multiple configurations. If you don’t understand the basic principles of audio then this may not be the best device for you, although the same could be stated for the other options available for audio recording.
5. Purchasing experience and after sales support
The purchasing experience at the juicedLink site was a breeze. The item arrived quickly and was well packaged. The response to emails was not slow (not entirely fast either) and was helpful. The manual must be downloaded from the site, which is a bummer, as I would have expected a nice printed copy with my purchase.
The purchasing experience at the juicedLink site was a breeze. The item arrived quickly and was well packaged. The response to emails was not slow (not entirely fast either) and was helpful. The manual must be downloaded from the site, which is a bummer, as I would have expected a nice printed copy with my purchase.
Some users may find the underside of the DT454 too complex.