Michael Thaele

There's a lot more hidden than transport controls. The "Mixer", "Read", "Write" buttons are used to switch between channel, bus and output views. This also changes the view on the Sound Devices display. For example, if you click the "Write" knob, the bus view is shown and you can then edit a specific bus by clicking "Sel" next to a fader button. This is how you get through the Sound Devices menus very quickly. The "Return" key calls up the normal menu on the Sound Devices. There you can use the jog wheel to go up and down and select things (has a click). It behaves like the headphone knob from the Sound Devices. Also for the headphone volume in all other menus and the normal recording screen. I used the jog wheel for volume very much and also the "Mixer", "Read", "Write" buttons. "Stop" takes you from anywhere back to the recording screen and it also shows the name of the next take. You really don't have to use the sound devices knobs so much anymore. I can't remember which button was to switch to enhanced channels 9-16. But one of the "Trans" or "Chan" and "Bank Flip" was it. Also very useful. And then of course there is the master fader. That was the main reason for me to go for the "m+". The display also makes a big difference. This allows you to use all gain buttons above the faders for specific settings in the channel view. If you select a channel you will see all the selected options for this channel in the display and you can edit the most important things with the gain knobs 1-5 (you see "Chan Source, Delay mS, Limiter, HPF Frequ"). And with the gain knobs 6-8 you can edit/ activate the EQ values for this channel. You have to learn that, but it's definitely better than on the mixer itself. Another thing to learn - the Icons fader behavior: the LED light under the channel number needs to be lid if you move the fader around. Without it lighting up, the fader goes back to the position where you started. You have to have your fingers on the faders from above so that the LED comes on. Pushing a fader from below with just the finger tip does not work. The fader doesn't notice that something is happening to him and will refuse to stay where you want it. Is irritating/ annoying. But after adjusting the sensitivity and fader speed I find it ok.

I bought an Icon Platform m+ (with the D2 display) for a live streaming mix job. I had 8 mics and a master level to handle - and some 2 Buses. My mixer was an 888. I rented the 888 for the job in case the controller dropped out - so that I could at least have faders on hand for all channels. But the m+ did the job well. Yes, I had Automixer running on the 888 but needed the controller to help the Automixer and to take care of the Busses and the Output-volume quickly.. The Solo buttons I found also very useful. I needed to practice with the m+ and was lucky to have 3 days before the job to find out how the m+ "thinks" and what's the right sensitivity for the faders (you can store that). I liked the master fader on the "m+", the fast switching between channel, bus and output view and the information on the D2 display. Although I deactivated the "live display" of the fader positions as numbers in the display. This seemed to me to result in lags on the motorized faders when the controller couldn't keep up with the numbers on the display (or the other way around ?). But the display is really helpful, e.g. for the names and the EQ settings of the channels. The m+ is well thought out in combination with the Sound Devices mixer and more is possible than you initially expect. But you have to get used to that the controller actually only sends changes in values (at least that's how it seemed to me). E.g. if you switch from channel view to bus view, the L/R master fader (to be configured in the 888 menu) should actually move down a bit (0dB in the channel view is the top end of the fader, but in Bus view the top end corresponds to the +16dB gain for the L/R Bus). The fader position did not change until I briefly touched the master fader. Then the fader snapped down and showed the correct position in Bus view. Fortunately, this didn't change anything in the background. The fader then only “remembered” that it was sitting in the wrong position coming from channel view to Bus-View. I hope I do remember this correctly here - but there was something like this that confused me for a while. But in the end it made sense. I also configured the 888 faders to "not play along" with the controller faders of the m+ while connected. This worked better for me. Once during rehearsal the m+ lost connection to the 888. Had to reconnect it and that took a few precious seconds. That had happened live, it would have been a little catastrophe. Because as long as the controller is not connected, the fader settings of the recorder 888 apply. This loss of connection shocked me a bit. I did not find out what happened. So I set all the faders on the 888 to a middle position - just in case the connection breaks during the live event. This was really the only thing that made me nervous during the job. But I would still buy the controller again. And for a next like this, I will only use my 833 and the m+.

Thank you Henri for the tip. That helps me a lot. I'm glad that it works without any additional hardware. Greetings and have a nice day !

Hello everyone. I recently bought the 833 and tried out my stereo sets (Schoeps CMC641 or miniCMIT / CCM8). I set CH1 and CH2 to "linked" and was a bit surprised that you can only define a common LowCut for both channels. Maybe I'm wrong, but the 633 was different. In any case, the CCM8 needs a higher LowCut for boom work than a miniCMIT or a CMC641 (with a CUT60). Schoeps no longer offers its LC 120 U. Does anyone have any suggestion for an XLR module? Is someone using this adapter: Shure A15HP? In this context I would be interested in how the linked mode works on a Nova. Can you define different LowCuts for channels 1 and 2? I sent Sound Devices an e-mail about this and asked that they open up the LowCut or EQ settings for CH2 in linked mode in a firmware update.

Hi Alex, technically there is no problem using EU transmitters with US receivers. The other way around is different, as there are some frequencies around 606-614Mhz (?) blocked on US transmitters. But my MCR42S (US model) receives everything within it's stated bandwidth. If you want to use the EU frequency table on the US model you have to reprogram the receiver. That's a bit of work with the Wisycom Windows software. But I did it and I use the typical EU 8Mhz-TV-Channel layout on a US receiver - instead of the 6Mhz-TV-channel layout of the US models. If you need help with the frequency tables and the programming, you can contact me. You need an USB infrared programmer for that. One side note: early versions of the US models ( MCR42S ) are NOT able to switch compander to receive other transmitters from Sennheiser or Audio Limited.. That might be the reason why you get them for less money. The EU models (and maybe the later US model ?) have this feature. I own an EU and an older (and reprogrammed) US MCR42S. They look and behave the same. They both run the latest firmware. Just with the difference, that my US MCR42 doen't show in the menu the different companders like the EU model. The US Model just let me choose between the 2 Wisycom companders: "ENC" and "ENR"