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Sound Devices Mix Pre-3 and Mix Pre-6


afewmoreyears

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7 minutes ago, Mobilemike said:

My impression from reading the manual was that, yes the pots default to volume to the mix bus and not gain, and there is no gain control in "Basic" mode. 

In "Advanced" mode however, there seems to be gain adjustment as normal, along with limiter control. 

I would also be curious if there was a quick way to set the pots to "gain" mode, or a way to change that to be the default if I want to ride the gain going to my ISO's. 

-Mike

Thanks Mike.  I believe you're right.  In my haste I missed that portion in the text of the manual.  That sets my mind at ease a bit.  Really curious to hear what they've done with the pres and a/d for these.   

 

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from all what I can see, in the advanced mode gain just works as any normal recorder:

ADVANCED MODE -
For more complex situations requiring individual channel-to-track recording, soloing, channel linking and extended gain functionality and limiter bypass.

and
 

"Channel
Gain
Sets the sensitivity of the input. Generally, the Gain should be set so that the loudest parts of the audio signal just touch the red segments of the meters."

 

but then again there's this part in the manual:

In Advanced Mode, the MixPre-3 is configured as a five-channel recorder with user-selectable 44.1, 48, and 96kHz sample rate and 16 and 24bit depth.
The LR mix tracks may be recorded as well as each of the three channels as individual isolated (ISO) tracks. Audio for the ISO tracks is recorded “prefade” meaning before the channel knob gain, so any changes that are made there will only affect the LR mix and have no affect on the recorded ISO track levels. This is particularly useful for post-production audio processing where it may be desirable to remix of the tracks at a later stage. 

my hope is that the "channel knob gain" is a typo and they actually meant "channel knob fader" - maybe somebody will clarify at NAB.

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Pardon my ignorance, but what are the downsides of having a combo input?
I know it doesn't necessarily matter if the sound quality is there, but does anyone else think that this looks sort of like a toy? I have always loved the rugged look and feel of Sound Devices products (I have a 744t that I adore), but this looks like a step in another direction.

Seems to me like you asked and answered your own question ;)
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12 hours ago, josephboyle said:

Pardon my ignorance, but what are the downsides of having a combo input?

I know it doesn't necessarily matter if the sound quality is there, but does anyone else think that this looks sort of like a toy? I have always loved the rugged look and feel of Sound Devices products (I have a 744t that I adore), but this looks like a step in another direction. Maybe it is trying to be less intimidating for more inexperienced users?

I personally have never had an issue with combo inputs and haven't heard of anyone ever having one. So I honestly don't get why people complain. 

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I personally have never had an issue with combo inputs and haven't heard of anyone ever having one. So I honestly don't get why people complain. 

It's not a complaint. Like I said by quoting someone else, they always feel decidedly prosumer to me. Probably nothing wrong with them technically.
But it seems like SD is marketing this towards prosumers anyway, so it's a good fit
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32 minutes ago, Constantin said:


It's not a complaint. Like I said by quoting someone else, they always feel decidedly prosumer to me. Probably nothing wrong with them technically.
But it seems like SD is marketing this towards prosumers anyway, so it's a good fit

Personally I prefer to use XLR, but it is possible to make a quite low profile RA TRS and because the connector can rotate it's 'self orientating'™.  Interesting they only put combos on the mixpre-6 and not the 3.

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3 hours ago, daniel said:

Personally I prefer to use XLR, but it is possible to make a quite low profile RA TRS and because the connector can rotate it's 'self orientating'™.  Interesting they only put combos on the mixpre-6 and not the 3.

Great trademark, Dan. I'll use it if I'm allowed?

The whole thing does look a bit like a toy, like the tascam and zoom products it will rival. But a great looking toy and I want one too. Nice and small and light. So the combo inputs are actually welcome to me since I have a few looms to TRS as well as the regular XLRs. Love the multiple powering options too - good for 7-series owners to use their L bats, as well as AA for ... me! All in all, the 6 ticks a lot of my boxes and since a Sonosax is still beyond my means I'll continue to look at this one as it goes into production. Could there be a super-advanced input setting mode to activate T-powering?

Jez

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2 minutes ago, The Immoral Mr Teas said:

Great trademark, Dan. I'll use it if I'm allowed?

The whole thing does look a bit like a toy, like the tascam and zoom products it will rival. But a great looking toy and I want one too. Nice and small and light. So the combo inputs are actually welcome to me since I have a few looms to TRS as well as the regular XLRs. Love the multiple powering options too - good for 7-series owners to use their L bats, as well as AA for ... me! All in all, the 6 ticks a lot of my boxes and since a Sonosax is still beyond my means I'll continue to look at this one as it goes into production. Could there be a super-advanced input setting mode to activate T-powering?

Jez

I knew the moment you posted there would mention of 'T' power. I'm beginning to think this is what the 'Teas' in 'The Immoral Mr Teas' is really about as opposed to a fondness for Russ Meyer and hot drinks from the PRC ;- )

6 minutes ago, The Immoral Mr Teas said:

Great trademark, Dan. I'll use it if I'm allowed?

The whole thing does look a bit like a toy, like the tascam and zoom products it will rival. But a great looking toy and I want one too. Nice and small and light. So the combo inputs are actually welcome to me since I have a few looms to TRS as well as the regular XLRs. Love the multiple powering options too - good for 7-series owners to use their L bats, as well as AA for ... me! All in all, the 6 ticks a lot of my boxes and since a Sonosax is still beyond my means I'll continue to look at this one as it goes into production. Could there be a super-advanced input setting mode to activate T-powering?

Jez

I'm curious to know what was the latest product to market with 'T' power. If it was over 10 years ago I think you and I should hold a memorial service for this venerated mic powering over some beers, with Nick in the Wenlock. I'm thinking it's an SQN 5s which was launched 2006 but I'm sure I will corrected on this, in which case we should celebrate and drink to the good health of this venerated mic powering over some beers, with Nick in the Wenlock.

 

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On 20 April 2017 at 2:23 PM, daniel said:

I'm curious to know what was the latest product to market with 'T' power. If it was over 10 years ago I think you and I should hold a memorial service for this venerated mic powering over some beers, with Nick in the Wenlock. I'm thinking it's an SQN 5s which was launched 2006 but I'm sure I will corrected on this, in which case we should celebrate and drink to the good health of this venerated mic powering over some beers, with Nick in the Wenlock.

 

A wonderful idea! I'm still recovering from the Binder - bender ...

I was actually looking through the specs looking to see if there was 8v powering for my MKH104s but didn't find anything. Whilst we're on the subject I recall someone here doing mods backdating CMC6xt and MKH P48 to CMC4 and MKH T-12 spec. I have a couple 8040s that need doing ...

On 19 April 2017 at 7:15 PM, Christian Spaeth said:

This should make quite a bunch of folks who are about to buy an F8 for smaller jobs stop and think again. 

Think again, yes, but I think it is more a competitor for the F4 and 701D. (The MP6 that is). Still fewer inputs/pres than the F8 which could swing the vote for some. Also the F4 and tascam both have some features that might be desired, and I think the cheaper DR70 also still holds its place.

All in all however, a most welcome addition to the budget / backup (and travel / fx) machines on offer (especially the MP6).

Jez

Edited by The Immoral Mr Teas
Corrected 701 to DR70: talking about the nonTC recorder
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17 hours ago, Seph said:

Question for Nic since the manual isn't available yet. I noticed in the published specs that channel linking is available for channels 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6. I'd like to dedicate a MixPre 6 to my AMBEO and would need channels 1-4 to be linkable to one fader. Is that possible in the current software? 

This feature is not in the current firmware. It's a popular request, though, and I will certainly pass it along.

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The only thing for me the zoom has over the mixpre3/6 is balanced O/Ps but I think a lot users are not going to want to carry a camera snake that weighs the same or more than the recorder (it'll be like a tail waggling the dog :-). 1 of the best recorders for ganging channels in this price range is still the DR680 but SD are going to clean up with these devices. The mp6 has more mic pres and analogue limiters than a 633 which is food for thought if you don't need to send a balanced mix to camera.

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Just went through the MixPre-6 manual. USB keyboard and Bluetooth Wingman app supported. Wow!

One question I didn't find an answer to in the manual: If ext LTC is connected (say via a Tentacle or NanoLockit) to the Aux In, does that mean I can only record 4 channels aside from the mix LR? In other words, is 6 channel ISO recording only possible without Timecode?

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55 minutes ago, Christian Spaeth said:

Just went through the MixPre-6 manual. USB keyboard and Bluetooth Wingman app supported. Wow!

One question I didn't find an answer to in the manual: If ext LTC is connected (say via a Tentacle or NanoLockit) to the Aux In, does that mean I can only record 4 channels aside from the mix LR? In other words, is 6 channel ISO recording only possible without Timecode?

That's correct. The available sources for 5 and 6 channels is analog audio from the 1/8" input, USB audio from a computer, or timecode from the 1/8" input. When the Aux In Mode is set to Mic or Line, those sources are available for channels 5 and 6. When Aux In mode is set to timecode, only the USB sources are available for channels 5 and 6.

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Nic,

Would you be so kind as to confirm that in advanced mode we will have full control over mic gain (trims)?  There still is a little nagging doubt in my mind that this could be the case.  The manual released yesterday appeared to be slightly contradictory on this specific detail.  Also, if recording at 24/192, are we still able to record a stereo mix in addition to four iso's?  It would be amazing if so.  My main usage is just for recording sound effects.  Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to questions.

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Thanks for being here Nic!

Here's another question that wasn't clear to me from the manual: Can you connect the MixPre 6 (or 3) to a computer with either the USB C or USB A port? Or is the USB A port just for keyboard support? 

I'm asking mainly because I would love to be able to use the AC power adapter (which if I'm not mistaken has a USB-C connection) at the same time as the MixPre is connected to a computer as an audio interface. 

Thanks!

-Mike

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44 minutes ago, Peshawar said:

Nic,

Would you be so kind as to confirm that in advanced mode we will have full control over mic gain (trims)?  There still is a little nagging doubt in my mind that this could be the case.  The manual released yesterday appeared to be slightly contradictory on this specific detail.  Also, if recording at 24/192, are we still able to record a stereo mix in addition to four iso's?  It would be amazing if so.  My main usage is just for recording sound effects.  Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to questions.

In advanced mode, the MixPre-3 and -6 will operate like a mixer that most readers here are used to: The input's knob will be the fader and control the post-trim level to the LR mix. The input's trim (Accessible via the Input Settings screen when the input's knob is pressed) will control the level into the ISO track and the into the fader.

The selected sample rate has no effect on the available tracks for recording on either product. The MixPre-3 can record 5 tracks of 96k and the MixPre-6 can record 8 tracks of 192k.

29 minutes ago, Mobilemike said:

Thanks for being here Nic!

Here's another question that wasn't clear to me from the manual: Can you connect the MixPre 6 (or 3) to a computer with either the USB C or USB A port? Or is the USB A port just for keyboard support? 

I'm asking mainly because I would love to be able to use the AC power adapter (which if I'm not mistaken has a USB-C connection) at the same time as the MixPre is connected to a computer as an audio interface. 

Thanks!

-Mike

The USB-C connection is for powering and computer connection only and the USB-A connection is for a keyboard connection only. It isn't possible to use the AC power supply while operating as a USB audio interface on the computer. However, for computers that don't supply enough power on the USB port, there is a special cable included (MX-USBY) with one USB-C connector and two USB-A connectors. The MixPre-3 and -6 will still operate with a straight USB-C to USB-A cable on devices with lower-powered USB ports, but there will be some limitations (Dimmed LCD, Only 2 inputs can have phantom power at a time, USB-A port disabled, and HDMI timecode disabled). On devices with sufficient power on the USB ports, the MixPre-3 and -6 will operate with all features with a straight USB-A to USB-C cable and the MX-USBY wouldn't be required.

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38 minutes ago, Nic Stage said:

In advanced mode, the MixPre-3 and -6 will operate like a mixer that most readers here are used to: The input's knob will be the fader and control the post-trim level to the LR mix. The input's trim (Accessible via the Input Settings screen when the input's knob is pressed) will control the level into the ISO track and the into the fader.

thanks for clearing that up, here's a follow up feature request:

an option to switch the input knobs to trim gain (instead of faders) in advanced mode. this would be great for those of us that only need ISOs and don't record a mix (in which case the fader knobs are completely without use) which I could imagine there's quite a few.

chris

ps: is it possible to change the thread title to something like "Sound Devices MixPre-3 and MixPre-6" ?

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8 minutes ago, chrismedr said:

thanks for clearing that up, here's a follow up feature request:

an option to switch the input knobs to trim gain (instead of faders) in advanced mode. this would be great for those of us that only need ISOs and don't record a mix (in which case the fader knobs are completely without use) which I could imagine there's quite a few.

chris

ps: is it possible to change the thread title to something like "Sound Devices MixPre-3 and MixPre-6" ?

I kindly second this request. Given my workflow I'm often only concerned about adjusting the trim grain quickly and this would be a crucial feature for me. Would love to see this implemented. Thanks, Mark

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3 minutes ago, yophoto91 said:

I kindly second this request. Given my workflow I'm often only concerned about adjusting the trim grain quickly and this would be a crucial feature for me. Would love to see this implemented. Thanks, Mark

I'll add my vote for this feature as well. 

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28 minutes ago, chrismedr said:

thanks for clearing that up, here's a follow up feature request:

an option to switch the input knobs to trim gain (instead of faders) in advanced mode. this would be great for those of us that only need ISOs and don't record a mix (in which case the fader knobs are completely without use) which I could imagine there's quite a few.

chris

ps: is it possible to change the thread title to something like "Sound Devices MixPre-3 and MixPre-6" ?

I would add my +1 to this request as well. I can definitely see myself using this mostly attached to a computer, where the gain trims are more important to quickly adjust than the mix track. 

And Nic, thanks for clearing up the USB issue. I was worried when I saw the initial copy saying a USB-Y cable was included that it wouldn't run well off of one normal USB port. Glad to hear that is not the case. In most situations when I'm doing portable recording I do not have 2 free USB ports on my laptop to dedicate to this - as I also need a Pro Tools dongle, etc. I use a USBPre2 now and I'm thinking the MixPre-6 will be an awesome replacement for that  

-Mike

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36 minutes ago, chrismedr said:

thanks for clearing that up, here's a follow up feature request:

an option to switch the input knobs to trim gain (instead of faders) in advanced mode. this would be great for those of us that only need ISOs and don't record a mix (in which case the fader knobs are completely without use) which I could imagine there's quite a few.

chris

ps: is it possible to change the thread title to something like "Sound Devices MixPre-3 and MixPre-6" ?

+1 here too.  Having a "fader flip" option in advanced mode where the front panel knobs become the trims would be most useful to me as well.

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1 hour ago, chrismedr said:

thanks for clearing that up, here's a follow up feature request:

an option to switch the input knobs to trim gain (instead of faders) in advanced mode. this would be great for those of us that only need ISOs and don't record a mix (in which case the fader knobs are completely without use) which I could imagine there's quite a few.

chris

ps: is it possible to change the thread title to something like "Sound Devices MixPre-3 and MixPre-6" ?

Consider it done!!!

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