Serious audio capture in one compact form factor — Traxshot by Comica Audio
I’ve just fallen in love with Traxshot by Comica Audio, a compact little super cardioid microphone that covers probably 95% of my needs when out in the field. It’s now the only one I grab as I leave for a day of shooting on location.
The first question you may ask yourself is, “How can one mic do it all,” and that would be a good question to ask. Don’t you need a lav mic (or two lavs) to do an interview or podcast? Don’t you need a shotgun for action sports? And how about a second mic to pick up the crowd cheering?
The Traxshot is cleverly built with two separate mics on flexible pivots. Combine that with a selector switch and you have four distinct, and highly effective, shooting modes.
Four distinct audio mic modes
Mono mode – is ideal where you want to pick up sound in only one direction. It does a great job of blocking sound from behind the mic. Ideal for capturing one person doing a demonstration or speaking in a crowded area.
Stereo mode 1 – is 30° wide and ideal for a two-person interview where they are seated facing each other. (Think Pre-COVID times when they would typically sit close together.) It would also be my first choice when shooting a party…after this pandemic is over.
Stereo mode 2 – separates the capsule to working range 90° wide and would work for that two-person interview Post-COVID, where they are sitting 12’ apart. It’s also ideal for the pickup of sounds in nature, where you want to capture as much of the environment as possible. I can’t wait to get it to the seashore to try waves rolling ashore in stereo.
Bi-directional – if you do interviews where you are behind the camera and you are talking with the subject, this is perfect, as one mic can be pointed directly at you, while the other perfectly faces your interviewee.
Simple, efficient mic controls
Notice in that illustration above that each mode is selected by cycling through them with a simple push button next to the power button. A hi-res IPS display shows both power levels and sound pickup modes.
An audio jack on the left allows you to use either one of two audio cables supplied with the microphone. There’s both a TRS cable for typical camcorder or DSLR, and a TRRS cable for smartphones. Each has a coiled section so it fits snugly to the camera without flopping around.
Next to the audio out is a USB-C port that you use for charging the microphone, as well as for updating the firmware. I’ve never reached the limit of the battery, which is supposed to go 20 hours on one charge. But, I love that it recharges by USB, so a battery pack will do if you are backpacking for a week or so.
An audio jack on the right side allows you to monitor recorded sound through your headphones. The variable gain knob above lets you continuously adjust sound levels on the fly.
See Traxshot in action
Taking it to the next level
I’ve taken all this built-in flexibility and expanded its capabilities even more. The hotshoe mount has a ¼-20 thread fitting on the bottom. So, instead of mounting it on the camera’s hotshoe, I’ve mounted the Traxshot independently of the camera, on a spreader bar with a small ball head.
Now, I can point the camera down at a product I’m demonstrating, and point the microphone up at my face while I’m talking and standing above it.
The entire unit is built with an air-float shock absorbing design, which absorbs and dissipates vibrations from all directions. Do you do “walk and talk” selfie videos? Perfect for that.
Also included are a pair of furry windmuffs for windy days outdoors, which work in conjunction with a low-cut filter to eliminate low-level wind noise.
It all comes packed in a sturdy carry case. Furry socks, coiled audio cords, charging cord, and microphone – all fit snuggly together.
Check it out for more information and ideas at the Comica Traxshot webpage. MSRP currently is $179, and is available at Amazon.
Disclosure: Comica provided a Traxshot to us so we could prepare this review, but the opinions expressed are, and always will be, our own.