Photo Courtesy PSC
ALPHAMIX
REVIEW
By Brandt Sleeper, MA
Media Producer & Sound Designer
President, Rising Eagle Productions, Fort Worth, TX
Adjunct Professor University of New Orleans & Art Institute of Dallas
AlphaMix
™
The PSC AlphaMix is the latest edition to the
PSC line of mixers. This ENG/EFP
1
style
mixer is relatively small (approx. 10”X7”X2”;
4.25 lbs/1.9Kg) for the amount of flexibility it
offers. One of the first features you notice on
the AlphaMix is the ability to power the mixer
from an
internally housed NP-1
. The NP-1, a
format common to ENG/EFP video cameras,
is a high capacity rechargeable battery. If no
microphones are being powered, the AlphaMix
consumes only 210mA of current which translates to a 10 – 15 hour battery life
2
. If the
operator prefers they can opt to use 10x AA Alkaline batteries instead which supply the
standard 4 – 7 hours of operating time. Nevertheless, the NP-1 compatible design is
hard to beat.
Many ENG/EFP professionals use the NP-1 to externally power other mixers. The
difference with the AlphaMix is that the battery inserts directly into the unit. Typically an
operator would have to supply a specialized adapter and carry the battery separately
from the mixer. While this is not overly impractical, PSC has had the insight to
recognize the demand for the NP-1 format and employ the convenience of housing
long-life rechargeable batteries.
1
The clarity of this mixer opens its application to location sound feature film work as well. Use of the expansion
port for a forthcoming two additional channels.
2
Battery life with all mixers is dependent upon the number of devices that are drawing current from the battery. If
several powered microphones or wireless receivers are in use, the battery life will be reduced. It is also important to
realize that battery life varies significantly dependent upon the type of NP-1 used including: Ni-Cad, nickel Metal
Hydride and Lithium-Ion.
