Sound Devices has announced the new A20-Mini digital wireless microphone transmitter, the company’s first miniature transmitter that incorporates full remote control via the A20-Remote app as well as proprietary GainForward Architecture, internal 32-bit float recording, a worldwide tuning range of 470 MHz to 694 MHz, and more.
The A20-Mini is fully compatible with the existing Sound Devices A10 digital wireless system. The A20-Remote companion app is available on iOS, iPadOS, and Android phones and tablets with Bluetooth 5.2. The app’s interface allows users to control RF transmit frequency and power, turn the Mini on and off, start and stop recording, mute the microphone, format the media, and more.
The A20-Mini’s internal, high-efficiency 2.4 GHz antenna is designed to help ensure good Bluetooth range, while the A20-Remote app offers adjustment of transmitter settings after the unit has been placed on talent, helping to eliminate unnecessary downtime on set.
GainForward Architecture allows users to set gain, limiters, and low-cut directly on the channel of their 8-Series mixer-recorder with no loss in sound quality. Users with other mixer-recorders will also be able to adjust gain, limiters and low-cut locally via menus on the A10-RX.
The A20-Mini’s 64 GB internal storage allows for more than 80 hours of recording in 48 kHz, 32-bit float — a file format that allows users to adjust the gain of the file after recording with zero loss in headroom or noise performance. Recorded WAV files can be transferred to a computer via the A20-Mini’s USB-C port and optionally converted to standard 24-bit files using SD-Utility, the free companion app for Mac and Windows.
Recordings and RF transmission both have high fidelity with a stated 10 Hz to 20 kHz audio bandwidth, and the recordings are synchronized by the accurate 0.2 ppm internal timecode generator. The A20-Mini can be jammed via USB-C with negligible drift over a 24-hour period.
All of the A20-Mini’s circuitry is housed in a rugged and water-resistant chassis with rounded corners designed to fit well into body contours. The unit is powered by three AAA batteries or a rechargeable Sony NP-BX1 battery, with no adapters needed. Built-in charging for the NP-BX1 is available via the USB-C port. The optional PowerStation-8M accessory provides battery charging, file transfer, and timecode jamming of up to eight A20-Minis at a time.
Go here for more specifics on the new A20-Mini.