Supplementing the 633 with 422 pres?

[Matt Ross]

Hi All,

I've been in love with the sound of the 744T preamps and was disappointed to learn the 788 doesn't share the same analog preamps. For many reasons the 633 is a very attractive solution to a lot of my recording needs but I frequently record with more than 3 phantom hungry mics at a time and was considering getting a 422 to compliment the 633. Does anyone know if the pres in the 422 are the same analog pres as those in the 744T? 

Aside from the 422, what are some other great 3-4 channel preamps available to drive the additional 3 line-inputs of the 633? I saw the VCP-M3 serving just that purpose but haven't been able to find a lot of real-world feedback.

I do a bit of atmo and foley recording on top of production mixing, so I'm looking for some deep, clean and portable preamps. 

Thank you for your time and input!

[daniel]

SQN, (get a used 1 very cheap).

[RPSharman]

You can probably pick up a used 442 for under $1000. It is as brilliant as the 744T.

I believe the 633 and 688 is similar in "digital" structure to the 788T, but the 664 is more "analog" if that's what you're going for.

[apoaud]

I would not recommend the 442 as a mic pre. I was never blown away by the warmth by any means. The 48V will not power CUB-1 mics either forcing me to use external 48V power. Not a good indication of their quality and inconvenient.

[mark kirchner]

4 hours ago, apoaud said:

I would not recommend the 442 as a mic pre. I was never blown away by the warmth by any means. The 48V will not power CUB-1 mics either forcing me to use external 48V power. Not a good indication of their quality and inconvenient.

Have you tested the 48v output with a multimeter? Tested mine the other day and found them at 47.5v which is within specs. It sounds like your 442 needs service at Sound Devices. My 442 was made in 2002 and when I sent it in for service, many parts (while still working), were replaced.

 

 

[RPSharman]

3 hours ago, apoaud said:

I would not recommend the 442 as a mic pre. I was never blown away by the warmth by any means. The 48V will not power CUB-1 mics either forcing me to use external 48V power. Not a good indication of their quality and inconvenient.

Crazy you'd base your recommendation on your unique experience of a malfunctioning machine. My CUB can be powered by my 5v Lectro transmitter, so something is clearly wrong with your 442. 

Most people will agree that the 442 is a marvelous piece of gear, as is the 302 and 744T. Bulletproof, beautiful sound, transparent and effective limiters. If it weren't impractical, I'd have a 442 in front of everything  

Robert 

 

[resonate]

442 is pretty heavy. sounds great, but is not that practical to carry it alongside the lightweight 633. Kortwich did a 3 channel preamp for 633, you could try that. also, if can live with 2 additional preamps, i would recommend sound devices mixpre. Very lightweight, basically the same sound as 442 (tested two side by side).

[apoaud]

I'll go with crazy. I haven't had my 442 in years. The 48V wouldn't power COS-11's either. Contacted SD immediately when I encountered the issue and they told me they were aware of the issue and offered no solution. I'll agree that the 442 had better sounding pre's than the 5 or6 series. No comparison to Sonosax,SQN or Cooper however. How about Sonosax SX-M2? one on the Sonosax site for 520 euros.

[Cyril Bourseaux]

The Sonosax SX-M32 mixer sound great, better than any SoundDevices mixer in my opinion.

This is not as easy to find on the used market, but there is one also on the sonosax used page. There is an optionnal connector on the right panel where you can have the directs outs on a 7pin connector.

And it is about the same size of a 633...

[Philip Perkins]

Just so you know, the pres in 744 vs 442 are diff beasts--no trafos in the 744...  442 is a great sounding mixer but as was said pretty big and heavy for 4 inputs by today's bag-rig standard.   

[atheisticmystic]

If you decide on the 442, drop me a message.

Im about to put mine up for an undeniably sweet price...750US

best,

steven