Rigging a Beachtek DXA-2T so it can be monitored?

Hi guys,

This is driving me mad. I hate using on-camera recording, even on our Z1s, but for run and gun stuff that we have to occasionally do on our DSLRs, it's a necessary evil.

I have a Beachtek DXA-2T kicking around, but I had disregarded using it with a DSLR, as it has no onboard headphone output for monitoring. My question is, can the Beachtek be rigged to split the output reliably from the 3.5mm output, so one connection goes to the camera, and the other to a pair of headphones? I know it's possible, but is it going to throw off the reliability of the signal from the Beachtek to the DSLR? I remember from back in the headphone splitter days (sharing an MP3 player with my girlfriend on a plane for example), that it would significantly reduce the volume to each headphone.

Any views on this would be great. Thanks in advance.

Ken

dang!

Oh well, looks like I'm going to have to just buy a better beachtek.

Thanks for the help/.

The audio implementation of DSLR cameras is quite substandard; after all, it's a still camera being co-opted into video usage.

More and more it is becoming standard practice to treat a DSLR as a film camera and using a separate audio recording system. So instead of spending $300 to $450 on a one-trick-pony unit like the Beachtek or juicedLink get a decent low-budget digital audio recorder; currently popular are the Tascam DR-40 or DR-100mkII. The Zoom H4n also has a following. If you want to splurge a bit the Fostex FR-2LE, Marantz PMD-661, Roland R-26 and Tascam HD-P2 are all nice entry level pro recorders in the $500 to $700 range.

Syncing is fairly easy as you have the camera audio as a guide, and softwares like PluralEyes partially automate the process.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven't done your job right.