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Sounddevices mix pre 10 no line out ?


nossnevs

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Hi

Am I the only one wondering why the balance output L/R on the Sounddevices mix pre 10 do  not have line out (775mv)

Connected to a pro camera you have to set the camera to mic input instead of line input.

It would be nice to have this option on the mix pre 10 in the advance mode.

Any one ?

Will Sounddevices consider this in a firmware update ?

 

Thanks Michael

 

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Hi
Am I the only one wondering why the balance output L/R on the Sounddevices mix pre 10 do  not have line out (775mv)
Connected to a pro camera you have to set the camera to mic input instead of line input.
It would be nice to have this option on the mix pre 10 in the advance mode.
Any one ?
Will Sounddevices consider this in a firmware update ?
 
Thanks Michael
 
I don't think the firmware update would fix that. It's hardware related and yes it's a pain..

Wysłane z mojego SM-G930F przy użyciu Tapatalka

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Very few of the devices now being produced for our arsenals output what has traditionally been a professional output level -- that being a nominal +4dBm, and in some cases +8dBm along with at least 20-24dB of headroom above that.

 

Most of the professional mixers and recorders released for our use over the last so many years have a nominal output level of 0dBu -- typically with about 20dB of headroom.

 

A large reason for this is miniaturization and portability.  The maximum output level of an audio circuit is determined in large part by power rail voltages.  In a device with constrained size and heat limitations, it becomes more difficult, and more inefficient, to have higher supply rail voltages. Add to that the fact that such powering would diminish battery life, and you can better understand why such compromises are made. 

 

In the case of the new MixPre series, their nominal line level output, lower than most fully-professional gear, is optimized for interconnecting with other semi-pro gear.  Matching semi-pro and fully-professional gear has always been met with such challenges. 

 

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Thinking on the same here...

 
It seems that they cut some costs and powering current on the output amplifiers, as most user will use it as a recorder primarily, outputs are only for scratch and IEM.
It is a viable compromise,  10T is still the best bung for the buck. 
For professional balanced broadcast line output there are the 6 and 7  series recorders or the 552 mixer...
 
The spec says +7.8 dBu Full Scale. Assuming a 18-20 dB Headroom that means -12 dBu Nominal, or alignment. That is something like a -10dBV consumer level, too much for mic input, not enough for line.  The bigger problem is the output impedance. 500 Ohms unbalanced and 1 kOhms Balanced is way too high for a professional output. Seems to be impedance balancing. 
 
These outputs are OK to feed the cam hop and IEM transmitters in the bag, or to feed a DSLR via 3.5mm Jack, but definitely not a professional line output, what you would send to a broadcast camera. 
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Agree, MixpreSeries is primarily a recorder, does not have the professional ENG mixer capabilities, but if one must send a feed to a pro camera it is not impossible to do professionally.

 

IMHO it is still better to use  a low impedance "mic" level feed, then a high impedance 'low line level', especially when long cables used in an electrically 'noisy' environment. 

The best thing we can do is to use it as MIC level output with a step down transformer.
 
for example Neutrik NTE4 wired 4:1 step down:
Voltage Down 4:1 (-12 dB)  means -4 dBu Full Scale, -24 dBu Nominal 
Impedance 16:1 approx 32 Ohms
maybe a bit hot "MIC level" but most XLR inputs will be happy with this.
 
These are tiny transformers quite high quality, that can be built in to an XLR male housing. 
Although they are designed for input step-up, they are useable for output step down, if care taken on the level and impedance conditions. 
 
The camera's mic preamp will see a very low source impedance, that practically lowers the noise. 
Using a low impedance transformer balanced output improve common mode issues, hum and RF noise problems, and ensures immunity to Phantom Power.
Transformer related sound degradation is practically negligible until the load impedance is over 1 kOhms, and you don't want to record 40 Hz  0dBFS  signal :)
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That's so weird about the MixPre name. The original MixPre-D had completely different feature set, like proper balanced outputs and AES. I feel like the new MixPre recorders should have been called something like "Sound Devices MiniMix" or something to properly differentiate it.

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