Shure Announces SLX-D Portable Digital Wireless Microphone System

Good news for on-the-go content creators, journalists, and videographers—Shure has expanded its rock-solid SLXD rackmount wireless microphone lineup to include a portable, camera-mount single-channel receiver and a plug-on transmitter for any XLR microphone. Now you can put the SLXD’s tried-and-true technology to work in the field. And with versatile powering options for bag users, intuitive set up, high spectral efficiency, leading digital-audio technology, and a rugged, durable design, you can record professional-sounding audio directly to your camera.

System Performance

With a 118 dB dynamic range, 24-bit digital sound quality, and industry-standard mic options, the SLX-D portable systems leverage Shure’s renowned audio expertise to help you deliver content that sounds professional and holds its own in today’s competitive media scape. And just as critical to working pros, the SLXD is reliable. Unlike many digital wireless systems that operate in the crowded 2.4 GHz frequency range where they have to compete with Wi-Fi and other devices, the SLXD operates in the UHF band, with far fewer potential sources of interference. It’s also easy to use; the auto scan compares more than 1,700 possible frequencies to find a clear channel for your wireless transmission, and the transmitter and receiver easily sync to the same frequency via infrared. In addition, the SLXD is expandable for film shoots and larger productions, allowing you to run up to 32 systems at one time.

SLXD5 Portable Single-Channel Receiver

Component-wise, the big news now is the SLXD5 single-channel receiver, featuring a slim and durable metal chassis with an easy-to-read OLED screen and a mount for your camera’s cold shoe. It’s powered for up to 5.5 hours by a pair of AA batteries, but if you use Shure’s SB903 rechargeable battery instead, the remaining operating time is displayed in hours and minutes.

Two antennas on a single-channel receiver means that both can be trained on one transmitter for added reliability, and Shure’s predictive switching diversity technology monitors the RF signal to predict when a dropout will occur and seamlessly switches to the other antenna before it happens. The adjustable antennas are smartly mounted on the front of the unit, so the receiver can not only be camera-mounted, but also used in professional audio bags. Bag users can even avail themselves of the SBC-DC-903 battery eliminator, which enables powering via the mixer battery.

Busy professionals using multiple systems at once will appreciate the Multi-Mic Mode; this allows you to scan and create a list of clean frequencies, which you can then send to the other receivers via infrared. Now, each receiver on set will sync to the appropriate transmitter at the touch of a button, and settings on the transmitters like the input gain and high-pass filter are instantly recalled. Multi-Mic Mode makes channel allocation much easier and efficient since the receivers aren’t all auto-scanning and competing for open frequencies.

A pair of 3.5mm outputs is provided; the first one connects to your recording device and can be switched from a mic-level output level for cameras to a line-level output if you’re plugging into a mixer or similar device. The second output is a headphone jack; and with Multi-Mic Mode, you can even monitor different transmitters in the headphones without interrupting the main transmission that’s recording to your camera—a pretty useful trick on multi-camera shoots.

SLXD3 Plug-On Transmitter

Of course, the bodypack and handheld mic transmitters originally introduced with the SLXD rackmount systems work perfectly with the new camera mount. But in addition to those, Shure is introducing the SLXD3 plug-on transmitter, which allows you to incorporate the XLR microphone of your choice, including handheld and shotgun microphones. A couple of standout features include optional 12 or 48V phantom power for condenser mics and a secure XLR twist lock (ported over from Shure’s flagship Axient plug-on transmitter) that ensures your mic doesn’t disconnect at an inopportune moment. In addition, the RF output level is adjustable, so you can juice up the transmission power to overcome interference or maximize the distance if you need to, but keep in mind this comes at the expense of battery life. The maximum transmission range is about 330 feet, line-of-sight.

A Wide Variety of System Configurations 

Shure offers these SLXD portable systems in various configurations:

• SLXD15 Portable Digital Wireless Bodypack System with SLXD1 bodypack transmitter and SLXD5 portable receiver (no microphone included).

• SLXD15/WL85 Portable Digital Wireless Bodypack System with SLXD1 bodypack transmitter, SLXD5 portable receiver, and WL185 omnidirectional lavalier microphone.

• SLXD15/DL4B Portable Digital Wireless Bodypack System with SLXD1 bodypack transmitter, SLXD5 portable receiver, and DuraPlex DL4B omnidirectional lavalier microphone.

• SLXD15/UL4B Portable Digital Wireless Bodypack System with SLXD1 bodypack transmitter, SLXD5 portable receiver, and UniPlex UL4B cardioid lavalier microphone.

• SLXD25/SM58 Portable Digital Wireless Handheld System with SLXD2 handheld transmitter with SM58 legendary cardioid dynamic vocal microphone and SLXD5 portable receiver.

• SLXD35 Portable Digital Wireless Plug-On System with SLXD3 plug-on transmitter and SLXD5 portable receiver.

Of course, the components are available individually, so you can expand your setup as needed. The ergonomic bodypack offers a TA4M connector to accommodate a wide range of lavalier options, while the handheld microphone transmitters feature a modular design, so you can simply screw on an alternate mic capsule if you need a different pick-up pattern or sound signature for a specific application.

We hope that gives you an idea of what these new SLXD portable components are all about. If you’ve been looking to bring Shure’s legendary audio quality and reliability to your wireless in-camera recordings, the SLDX5 receiver is the answer. And if you’re ready to incorporate your favorite XLR mic into this powerful wireless system, the SLXD3 plug-on transmitter has you covered.

Got any questions or comments? Let us know in the Comments section, below. For more information about Shure’s new products, please visit their product pages.