Audio
October 19, 2025
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In this week’s episode, we answer the question, “How do I power my audio recorder for longer than with the internal batteries?” One option is the CORE SWX Snap Mighty battery system. This unique battery can be expanded in realtime by literally just snapping another Snap battery to your existing battery. And you can hot swap batteries and power your sound recorder all day long.
If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX. See our school website for more info!
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Gear used or mentioned in this episode (the links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases):
CORE SWX Snap Mighty with USB-C cable
CORE SWX Snap Mighty with DC barrel cable for Blackmagic Camera ProDock
CORE SWX Powerbase Edge Snap (has additional outputs and features)
The outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.
Copyright 2025, Curtis Judd
What use does this battery have for sound or video people? Full disclosure, Core SWX sent this battery to me free of charge and hasn't reviewed this video prior to posting. This is the Core SWX Snap Mighty, an affordable 45Wh cine battery with USB-C PD up to 65W, two P-Tap outputs, and two DC barrel outputs.
For powering pro-sumer audio recorders: with a Rode NT1 phantom powered, set to 32-bit float, the Snap Mighty powered a Sound Devices MixPre-3 II for 7 hours 2 minutes, and a Zoom F6 for a whopping 15 hours 41 minutes (a topic for another video on why the F6 is so much more efficient). You can also power other sound-bag gear like a wireless receiver with the right cable.
You can snap multiple Snap Mighty batteries together magnetically (up to three) to extend runtime and hot-swap them with no extra cables — the pack with the highest charge powers the device first, then once balanced they discharge simultaneously, letting you swap in a freshly charged battery without powering down your recorder. When stacked for charging, intelligent charging tops up the lowest-charge pack first, then brings them all to full. You can also charge via P-Tap, though only one battery at a time even when stacked. A four-stage LED gauge on both corners shows charge level and which battery is actively discharging.
They're temperature, current, and voltage protected, and compatible with Core SWX's Power Base Edge Snap batteries (reviewed previously) if you want extra features. The kit includes a short USB-C cable and a magnetic quarter-20 mounting plate; there's also a kit with a cable for the Blackmagic ProDock. One year warranty, priced at $139 USD.
A couple of minor cons: charging takes about 90 minutes for a full charge (not as fast as high-end dedicated cine battery chargers), though that's a non-issue given the long runtimes on audio gear. Stacking doesn't work for charging via P-Tap — only the directly connected battery charges. And the included cable is fairly short, though any quality 65W-rated USB-C cable works as a substitute. Get out there and make some great sound, and we'll talk to you again next week.
