Click here for the latest Camlynx article in The Coffey Audio Files In The Field with the Camlynx Recordist Ric Creaser says: Being a work the bag over-the-shoulder sound recordist, I have always been keen to improve my working environment with better technology. Ever since we lost our independence by going to direct to video, the damn cables constantly trip me and everyone around me, especially in dicey places. I especially hate being tethered to the camera when the operator sets down the camera, with me still attached, and meanders away to enjoy themselves. I am not their guard dog on a leash. I always thought that if we can get rid of cabling from video splits, to the camera sends, then we can move quickly and put our efforts into achieving better audio. So I teamed up with a technician who recognized that Bluetooth type technology could transmit digital audio at 48k. So here we are, 4 years later, finally manufacturing the Camlynx, a stereo wireless transmitter and receiver at a fair price point. I have been using the original prototype Camlynx in my audio bag for the last year and it has become a valuable tool that I can’t live without. I use it all the time on over-shoulder jobs, but it’s also proved easy for dramas with handheld. The audio is near perfect, with no companding, so you don’t get any compression issues and the noise floor is never an issue. Camlynx utilizes a fully digital closed loop transmission system with auto return built-in. It does this with a return plug out of the transmitter, that gives you back your mixer audio, plus a “beep” if the signal drops out. Range is usually fine to about 30 feet minimum. Remember it’s main purpose is to be a cable replacement. Interiors have best range and outside, most locations are fine by line of sight within normal cable range. If you want to get out of “cable range”, make sure the receiver antenna is mounted high on the camera and you orientate yourself so you have your transmitter antenna looking at the receiver. I can always patch into the camera direct anytime. Camlynx has some other great features, like a 14 hr battery life on two “AA” batteries, with the receiver powering down to sleep mode, when you switch off your transmitter. After lunch, switch on your transmitter, and the camera mounted receiver jumps to life at the same time. You can also monitor the camera audio on the VUs on the Camlynx receiver. Camlynx is an inexpensive alternative to stereo camera links, and also gives you that all important camera return as a bonus. Camlynx does have a latency of 18 milleseconds, which is well under a frame. I have used it for everything including live to air, with no problems down the line. Nobody has noticed or has made any comments about sync, even all the way through a final mix. Recordist Marty Fay says: I have been using the Camlynx for more than ten months now, and cannot praise it enough. Bang for your buck this system wins hands down. The key features are both it's weight and its audio return (confidence monitoring). You can get a drop out if someone crosses near the transmitter, but in all honesty once you have used this system twice you know exactly how to avoid it. I joke and tell people “the hardest thing I have to do each day now is find somewhere comfortable to sit” but it truly has made that much of a difference. I no longer have a camera cable on my kit, I still have it in my bag, I never use it. The only tip is, you have to remember to remove it from the camera at the end of the day, but when you only have to go near the camera twice a day once to put it on, once to remove it, you do forget. The Camlynx is now available through your local dealer and is distributed by Grace Distribution
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