Here are 4 location sound configurations for traveling lite. The Yoga battery case powers the lav's which makes 2 of the configurations possible. This is a battery powered (1- AAA battery) electret phantom power supply only available in Europe. It can be found on Ebay. The Azden Cam-3 mixer makes it possible to separate the 2 channels going into the camera, or the recorder. The mixer is passive and has no amps. The photos should be self explanatory.

The sound check (by ear) was very good in the configurations that did not use the Sennheissers. The Sennheissers introduced their typical noise. When pre amps from the Sony PCM-M10 recorder, or the sennheissers are used, set the camera level to one click above off. The Sony M10 has cleaner sound than many larger and more expensive recorders, and is 1/4 the size. The best sound recorded to the camera was obtained by going through the M10. Having 3.5mm connectors makes it a bit more fragile. I suggest using all right angle connectors.

I found that the lavs with power supplies directly connected through the Azden Cam-3 mixer was clean enough for speech, although it does depend on the pre amps of the camera you are using which typically has some noise on the floor. I used Countryman B6's. They are one of my favorite lavs. The sound quality is excellent and they are so small I can push them through button holes. That way they are virtually invisible, and I do not have to contend with clothing ruffling. I advocate not using transmitters whenever possible such as sit down interviews. If you are fortunate to have Lectros wireless, then there is no noise issue.

What is very cool is using the mixer connected directly to the camera. The entire sound kit fits in a pocket. The miniature boom mic is a "Que Audio DSLR-Video Microphone Kit"

I did a bit more testing and it looks like some noise is being introduced by the lav power supplies. The unit itself only supplies power and has a passive volume control. My guess is that it is the 4 meter cable which is probably low quality. I will shorten the cables and report back.

I tested the mic power supplies and found almost no difference with them in, or out. I am concluding that they are not a significant noise contributer, although I still think think the cables are not very good, and i will replace them with higher quality. The cases snap open and it looks like an easy fix.