I have been in India since Nov 18th shooting some documentary stuff for my church. I have never been, and it has proven itself to be overwhelming. So much traffic, so much noise, and so many smells…good and bad. On this trip I brought a Canon 7D, and a GoPro. This is also my first project using the JuicedLink DT454 audio box.
Thus far, it is a handy little box, but it’s poor design has been a problem for me. I have scratches from the sharp angles, and have dropped it twice. I have not figured out why I keep dropping it…I dunno if it is the trying to screw it on or off, or trying to be careful with the knobs. Speaking of knobs…the second time I dropped it, it landed on a knob and bent it. It happened to be the XLR-L knob which does not work anymore. And that stinks because that only leaves me with one XLR input. If they choose to make this product better, they would design the knobs to retract back into the box. Simply push the knob in and it springs out, and push it back in locking it inside the box. Avoiding damage. The LED volume meter is a nice feature, but not very accurate. It is very sensitive. But it still makes its point.
So am I happy with it? I think I am. Definitely makes shooting documentary stuff quicker. But I know for a fact I will not use it when shooting interviews, or my films.