Topic: Sound Devices MixPre-3 and 6

[aaronji]

Here is the link to the Hawk-Woods LR-06 from one of their Dutch distributors, NoyzBoyz, if that helps.  € 111.68 (€ 135.13 with value-added tax).  As a point of reference, the MixPre-6 from NoyzBoyz is € 935 (€ 1131.35 with VAT).  Maybe it is a little cheaper from Germany (the MixPre-6 is € 1069 from MusicStore.de including VAT).  What sort of battery are people thinking about using with the LR-06?

Completely unrelated to powering, but I have a question about USB options.  First, you can plug a USB stick into many soundboards and get a direct-to-stick recording.  Can you record like this with the MixPre-6 with a USB cable?  Second, can you use the USB output on the MixPre to directly record a back-up copy to a phone or tablet (or even a memory stick)?  From my reading of the manual, it seems like the answer to both may be "yes", but I was curious if anyone who already has theirs might have some insight.

[dogmusic]

If someone wants a comparison to a 744, M10 or Nbox I'm happy to post a photo but this has been covered pretty well!

Could you please post front and side photos of your MP6 with the 8AA battery sled attached?

Thanks.

[rigpimp]

No affiliation other than I have been calling around to see if I can stumble on one that someone had hidden.  If you are looking for one before the next drop Gotham is getting one returned by a customer that did not like the unit.  I called their ATL number.

Persistence paid off for me.  After about 10 random calls I found one sitting at Dale Pro Audio.  Yesterday I ordered a RA USB-C cable that Ted linked us too but I will also get a Hawkwoods hirose adapter.

[rippleish20]

With the dummy sleds and hirose connector, what are the battery options? Does the hirose connect to something that then holds swappable batteries? Is it possible to get a laager capacity battery that the hirose connects too? Unless I am missing something the LMount sled, dummy battery, etc adds up to a lot of stuff to drag around.

[johnw]

If someone wants a comparison to a 744, M10 or Nbox I'm happy to post a photo but this has been covered pretty well!

Could you please post front and side photos of your MP6 with the 8AA battery sled attached?

Thanks.

Top view with the 8xAA sled and the 744


Side view with 8xAA sled and the the 744


Front view with the 744


Front view with the 3 sleds


Front view with 2 970 batteries mounted


View of 970 battery on L mount sled


Me Doing Shake test to see if it powers off with 2 L type 970 batteries on the sled - it did not disrupt power. Seems pretty solid to me


Powered with Tekeon over USB A>C (shows orange light indicating it isn't providing enough power to support 4 channel phantom)

[dogmusic]

If someone wants a comparison to a 744, M10 or Nbox I'm happy to post a photo but this has been covered pretty well!

Could you please post front and side photos of your MP6 with the 8AA battery sled attached?

Thanks.

Top view with the 8xAA sled and the 744


Side view with 8xAA sled and the the 744

Many thanks for these terrific photos. I couldn't tell from the SD site how the 8AA sled would look attached. It seems manageable.

[johnw]

With the dummy sleds and hirose connector, what are the battery options? Does the hirose connect to something that then holds swappable batteries? Is it possible to get a laager capacity battery that the hirose connects too? Unless I am missing something the LMount sled, dummy battery, etc adds up to a lot of stuff to drag around.

You'd have to have a custom Hirose cable made to go with a battery (like the Tekeon or anything that supports >7.2V). You could have 2 of these dummy batteries with Hirose connectors, or use an L mount battery and a dummy cell and hot swap new L mount batteries or batteries with a Hirose connector. Yes, it totally adds a bunch of other crap to lug around.

Personally, I think my favorite option so far is to use the 8xAA battery sled. It's pretty compact and lasts between 2.5-2.75 hours with phantom on 4 channels. If you had 2, you could swap them between setbreaks at a concert. For stealth, I suspect you could easily go over 3 hours with only 2 channel phantom on 8AAs. I don't see the Lmount batteries as being all that great given how much they stick out from the unit. I'm also not sure how long they last. I will try that test later on.

[johnw]

I will add that to me, the least stable power solution seems to be over USB. This connection wiggles up and down even with a right angle cable and I could see where it might break the solder off the board internally. It is kind of hard to pull the cable out, so I wouldn't be worried about a disconnect, just the strain on the connection if that makes sense.

[rippleish20]

With the dummy sleds and hirose connector, what are the battery options? Does the hirose connect to something that then holds swappable batteries? Is it possible to get a laager capacity battery that the hirose connects too? Unless I am missing something the LMount sled, dummy battery, etc adds up to a lot of stuff to drag around.

You'd have to have a custom Hirose cable made to go with a battery (like the Tekeon or anything that supports >7.2V). You could have 2 of these dummy batteries with Hirose connectors, or use an L mount battery and a dummy cell and hot swap new L mount batteries or batteries with a Hirose connector. Yes, it totally adds a bunch of other crap to lug around.

Personally, I think my favorite option so far is to use the 8xAA battery sled. It's pretty compact and lasts between 2.5-2.75 hours with phantom on 4 channels. If you had 2, you could swap them between setbreaks at a concert. For stealth, I suspect you could easily go over 3 hours with only 2 channel phantom on 8AAs. I don't see the Lmount batteries as being all that great given how much they stick out from the unit. I'm also not sure how long they last. I will try that test later on.

thanks for the info and the pictures. If I can get over 2 hours consistently with the 8 battery sled and rechargeables thats going to be my preferred strategy, except for festivals perhaps. I'll just buy another and swap them between bands, etc. I want to try and use the USB-c for streaming anyways but dont like the USB-c route either way unless using a right angle or down angle USB-c connector.

[vwmule]

>I will add that to me, the least stable power solution seems to be over USB. This connection wiggles up and down even with a right angle cable and I could see where it might break the solder off the board internally. It is kind of hard to pull the cable out, so I wouldn't be worried about a disconnect, just the strain on the connection if that makes sense.

Can't a cable be taped in place and left as is -- set it and forget it?

[johnw]

>I will add that to me, the least stable power solution seems to be over USB. This connection wiggles up and down even with a right angle cable and I could see where it might break the solder off the board internally. It is kind of hard to pull the cable out, so I wouldn't be worried about a disconnect, just the strain on the connection if that makes sense.

Can't a cable be taped in place and left as is -- set it and forget it?

It snaps securely in, I don't think it will fall out. The problem is it moves up and down really easily while plugged in. I am afraid the wiggle/strain will cause it to break off the board internally. I don't see a way to tape it so it couldn't wiggle - even if it were a right angle cable.

[dogmusic]

I'm wondering if this USB 3.1 TYPE-C to 4xUSB 3.0 F & Type-C Charging hub might be a solution to streaming from the MixPre-6 and powering it at the same time from its single USB-C port:

https://www.primecables.com/p-354263-cab-c4u01-usb-c-usb-type-c-usb-31-to-4xusb-30-female-type-c-charging-port-15cm-primecables-

[rippleish20]

I'm wondering if this USB 3.1 TYPE-C to 4xUSB 3.0 F & Type-C Charging hub might be a solution to streaming from the MixPre-6 and powering it at the same time from its single USB-C port:

https://www.primecables.com/p-354263-cab-c4u01-usb-c-usb-type-c-usb-31-to-4xusb-30-female-type-c-charging-port-15cm-primecables-

It's not clear to me if you can inject power while using it as a USB interface. The menu on the unit for USB-c has two options - power or audio - there is no option for both, but this may be meaningless. I am going to try  streaming via an ipad (USB-c  audio interface -> USB-c to lightning connector cable -> ipad) this weekend to see how that works out. Last weekend I used the 1/8 inch stereo out -> A/D device -> lightning connector cable-> ipad I use with my F8 and that worked fine so I can always use that if I need to power via USB-c,  but the less stuff to drag in the better...

[dogmusic]

I'm wondering if this USB 3.1 TYPE-C to 4xUSB 3.0 F & Type-C Charging hub might be a solution to streaming from the MixPre-6 and powering it at the same time from its single USB-C port:

https://www.primecables.com/p-354263-cab-c4u01-usb-c-usb-type-c-usb-31-to-4xusb-30-female-type-c-charging-port-15cm-primecables-

It's not clear to me if you can inject power while using it as a USB interface. The menu on the unit for USB-c has two options - power or audio - there is no option for both

Maybe the options are 1. audio with power, or 2. only power. Here's the manual:

"USB-C Mode
When connected to a computer via USB-C, the MixPre-6 may be setup to be powered from the host without the computer identifying it as an audio interface.
To toggle between the USB-C audio/power modes:
1.Tap .
2. Tap System > USB-C. Options include: Audio and Power Only."

[rippleish20]

I'm wondering if this USB 3.1 TYPE-C to 4xUSB 3.0 F & Type-C Charging hub might be a solution to streaming from the MixPre-6 and powering it at the same time from its single USB-C port:

https://www.primecables.com/p-354263-cab-c4u01-usb-c-usb-type-c-usb-31-to-4xusb-30-female-type-c-charging-port-15cm-primecables-

The options are "audio" or "power only".

It's not clear to me if you can inject power while using it as a USB interface. The menu on the unit for USB-c has two options - power or audio - there is no option for both

Maybe the options are 1. audio with power, or 2. only power. Here's the manual:

"USB-C Mode
When connected to a computer via USB-C, the MixPre-6 may be setup to be powered from the host without the computer identifying it as an audio interface.
To toggle between the USB-C audio/power modes:
1.Tap .
2. Tap System > USB-C. Options include: Audio and Power Only."