Samuel Dilworth Posted January 25, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2021 I don’t want to get carried away here and end up spending way more than I planned. (Nor will I keep bumping this boring thread with new questions.) But what’s the closest thing to a MixPre-3 with a pair of XLR outputs? That’s a strange and annoying lack on the MixPre-3. The more I look into this, the more I like the look of the Zoom F4. It’s odd that Zoom discontinued that, since the F8n is way more expensive and the F6 doesn’t have some of the F4’s appealing features. Does Zoom make some kind of plug-in accessory for XLR out? They make a load of accessories … hard to check everything. On 1/20/2021 at 10:01 PM, Eric said: Shipping costs to Paris alone might kill this "just a preamp" idea if not some of your other criteria. Probably. Thanks for the offer anyway. On 1/20/2021 at 10:22 PM, Soundwil said: I found this 302 for sale at a reasonable price on BBlist .. for what it's worth. https://www.bblist.co.uk/item.php?item=75331 Anything in the UK has just become a bad value for me because of Brexit. There are import duties and VAT and uncertainties on top of that. Now leaning toward an all-in-one recorder of some sort anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Display Name Posted January 25, 2021 Report Share Posted January 25, 2021 Here’s a F4 for cheap and from France. cant beat the zooms when it comes to bang for buck. https://www.leboncoin.fr/image_son/1917115168.htm?ac=206978287 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted January 25, 2021 Report Share Posted January 25, 2021 2 hours ago, Samuel Dilworth said: I don’t want to get carried away here and end up spending way more than I planned. (Nor will I keep bumping this boring thread with new questions.) But what’s the closest thing to a MixPre-3 with a pair of XLR outputs? I can't recall if you need recording in your device, but if you don't maybe look for a used Sound Devices 302 mixer. https://www.sounddevices.com/product/302/ Or if you want something a bit bigger and even more flexible, perhaps a used Sound Devices 442 mixer. https://cdn.sounddevices.com/download/lit/442-factsheet.pdf The recommendations for a Zoom F4 aren't so bad. Preamps aren't as nice as those in the 302 and 442, but they're OK and the F4 can record. I'm probably repeating what others have said. Looks like there are several good options for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted January 25, 2021 Report Share Posted January 25, 2021 Wendt was mentioned. Not a fan..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted January 25, 2021 Report Share Posted January 25, 2021 The Zoom F8n has (switchable) -10 / +4dB outputs via TA3 (mini-XLR) connectors. I think the 1st gen F8 had a max of -10dB on a mini-jack, not sure about the F4 and F6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted January 26, 2021 Report Share Posted January 26, 2021 17 hours ago, Samuel Dilworth said: The more I look into this, the more I like the look of the Zoom F4. It’s odd that Zoom discontinued that, since the F8n is way more expensive and the F6 doesn’t have some of the F4’s appealing features. Does Zoom make some kind of plug-in accessory for XLR out? They make a load of accessories … hard to check everything. I do agree it is very sad that there was never a "Zoom F4n"! As the Zoom F6 is not a proper replacement for the F4. However, the F4 outputs are not true pro line level, they're consumer line level. If you want proper line level outputs, get the Zoom F8n. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Larsen Posted January 27, 2021 Report Share Posted January 27, 2021 Maybe Tascam dr100 mkiii could be an option too for quiet preamps on the cheap side. Otherwise the options you have already gotten are all good. Personal favorite flavour is anything SD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Dilworth Posted January 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2021 Just ordered a new old stock MixPre-3. I hope I don’t regret not waiting for the right Zoom F4 to come along. I searched everywhere for a NOS F4 without success. I missed the used one on LeBonCoin that Display Name mentioned earlier in the thread (maybe someone here bought that?). Spent more than I anticipated, but you’re all telling me it’s still cheap, ha. Thanks for the valuable advice, all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Larsen Posted January 28, 2021 Report Share Posted January 28, 2021 The mixpre is great value, I am sure that you will be pleased with the recordings once you work out how to operate it. Do yourself a favour and do some test runs before a critical recording. There are a few Ahas, but once you work it out it's such a handy device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Dilworth Posted February 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2021 Wow. This thing is seriously impressive. Cast aluminium body with rubber top and bottom covers (for cameras and tripods). Tiny and yet somehow not too fiddly. Carefully thought out hardware design in every detail. Clean, clean preamps. Clean, clean headphone amp. Pretty good touchscreen user interface, considering. I’m deeply impressed. Only annoyance is that it blows through batteries like nobody’s business. Consequently it produces a fair bit of heat while recording. My Zoom H4N Pro lasts four times longer on half the battery count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted February 1, 2021 Report Share Posted February 1, 2021 1 hour ago, Samuel Dilworth said: I’m deeply impressed. Only annoyance is that it blows through batteries like nobody’s business. Consequently it produces a fair bit of heat while recording. My Zoom H4N Pro lasts four times longer on half the battery count. Look into L-Mount batts on a sled, or one of the external battery systems. There's some good information in this SD tech note: https://www.sounddevices.com/mixpre-3-mixpre-6-powering-options/ And more info here if you search around... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Throwback Posted February 3, 2021 Report Share Posted February 3, 2021 On 2/1/2021 at 10:04 PM, Samuel Dilworth said: Only annoyance is that it blows through batteries like nobody’s business. I used a few powering options to start with (I have had a MixPre-3 from when they first came out), but fairly early on realized that the 4 x AA sled was actually the best option for my purposes, with decent rechargeables of course - I use Eneloop Pros (2500mAh). They give 2-3hrs with 2-3 P48v mics, are easy to swap out (I have 3 sets), avoid the less than robust USB connection or the bulk of external Sony L-type batteries via the MX-L mount (or 3rd party equivalent), and maintain the (wonderfully) diminutive size of the recorder. Cheers, Roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Larsen Posted February 3, 2021 Report Share Posted February 3, 2021 Dont use non rechargeable batteries, they dont last at all. I use Lmount for my Mixpre6, not completely a fan tho, the official self started wiggle and disconnect after a year or so and Sound Devices wont cover it on warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Dilworth Posted February 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2021 This is an interesting article on using AA cells: https://www.sounddevices.com/mixpre-3-mixpre-6-maxbatteryruntime/ I’m getting less than 1.5 hours with eneloop cells. A bit tight for interviews after accounting for faff. My eneloops are 8–10 years old and well used in flash guns … maybe time for some new ones with “PRO” in the label. I notice the screen brightness doesn’t make a great difference to battery life, which makes sense considering its small size versus the battery capacity and runtime. Still, it would be nice to turn the display backlight completely off in some situations. I’m enjoying the headphone amp for music from my computer (which solves the battery problem with USB power). One weird thing was that it randomly recorded something at 44.1 kHz in Basic mode. I never selected that (and in Basic mode you cannot). Hasn’t happened since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Larsen Posted February 4, 2021 Report Share Posted February 4, 2021 Probably after 8 years the battery has lost a bit of capacity. The IKEA Ladda 2450 AAs works good, but for more than 2 hours you'll want a different power solution. Check the USB behaviour in the settings. If you do audio over USB, it will keep the sample rate of the computer it has been plugged into, so that is something to look out for or disable in case you only use it is a recorder. Overall, be aware that you only get a stereo track from the Basic mode, so most likely you'll want the advanced setup or custom mode with recording set to advanced. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_tatooles Posted February 4, 2021 Report Share Posted February 4, 2021 19 hours ago, Samuel Dilworth said: One weird thing was that it randomly recorded something at 44.1 kHz in Basic mode. I never selected that (and in Basic mode you cannot). Hasn’t happened since. The MixPre may change SR when connected to a computer as a USB interface, depending on what the SR is set in the computer. It won't change back to a prior SR when disconnected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaheedmalik Posted February 9, 2021 Report Share Posted February 9, 2021 I used a Sound Devices First Gen MixPre mixer running into a Tascam DR-40 recorder for years. I was able to bypass the Preamps on the DR-40 and just use the Sound Devices preamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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