Shoot Tools: Holophone PortaMic 5.1

PortaMic''s encoder comes with Dolby Pro Logic II technology bundled in. Price: $599

If you have ever envisioned working with surround sound, you might be wondering about the price to get started. Special microphones and rigs can easily run into the thousands. An entry-level price point makes the PortaMic 5.1 camera-mountable surround microphone from Holophone a relatively painless place to start. Since the mic mounts on a camcorder, it takes some of the complexity out of dealing with a true multiple-mic surround-sound setup. The unit's six separate mic elements are arranged to correspond with typical 5.1 loudspeaker setups, with no additional mixing required. The encoded PortaMic 5.1 recordings can be converted back to six channels using the company's new D-code multichannel decoder or a Dolby Pro Logic II decoder.
www.holophone.com