Lectrosonics SRB

As a part of my continual audio equipment upgrade program, I’ve recently purchased a Lectrosonics SRB wireless microphone system to go with my Sound Devices 664. This is one of Lectro’s flagship products, a dual-channel digital receiver in a smaller package than their other units. They’re often used as a camera link, where the small size and light weight are a big advantage. But one of the reasons they’re so small is they have no provision for battery power… they use a powered camera slot.

My bag with the Lectro SRb installed

But their small size and light weight make them perfect for use in the bag where space is an issue, and that’s really an issue with me… see my previous posts (rants) about finding a good bag. I like to keep my wireless units protected in the bag interior, and there is simply not enough room in Petrol’s 664 bag for more than three wireless receivers and my BDS power distribution. And with these, I have to stuff a piece of foam padding to keep the 664 and receivers from rubbing together and developing a serious case of bag rash. I like to take the best possible care of my gear so that it not only operates well, but also because I’ll want to resell it at some point when it’s time to upgrade.

Compared with the 211, the SRB is quite a bit smaller and lighter even if it were only a single-channel unit.

That’s exactly how I bought my new SRB… by selling two Lectrosonics 201s through Trew’s used audio program.(Thanks, Trew Audio!) This covered a large portion of the cost of the SRB… but that’s the receiver only, not transmitters. So last week I ordered a pair of Lectrosonics LMA transmitters to go with the SRB. These are especially handy transmitters, since they can be set up to work with the older Analog 200 series receivers, or the new digital 400 and SR units. Plus they work with 9-volt batteries, and I really depend on my rechargeable 9-volts. Rechargeable li-ion batteries in AA sizes, like those required by the Lectro SMV series, are much harder to find… though I hear they’re available from a company called Eneloop.

So when my transmitters arrive on Monday, this will bring me up to six channels of Lectro wireless. Plus two fixed-freq wireless for a camera hop. That’s enough for most reality shows that want iso channels for each actor. I’ll probably trade up for another SRB when I gather the dollars together for transmitters. But for now, I have a quite a capable bag… enough to cover most situations.