Topic: SD MixPre-3/6 v. Zoom F4/8?

[junkyardt]

I'll note that nearly all those pros of the MixPre series the new F8n (or even F4/F8) now has those as well:

Design: tick! In my opinion the F series does this better than the MixPre series (such as weird headphone or hirose positions?!)
Line/mic: tick! The F8n is switchable now
Preamps/limiters: tick! Great preamps, has new improved hybrid limiters.
Audio interface: tick! The F8n can both be used as one *and* record at the same time.
Support: tick! Zoom has been very impressive indeed in this area with their F4/F8 already.

Aside from the brand "name" I struggle to think of any solid good reasons why I'd prefer the MixPre10T over the F8n. (I'm assuming I'll not need that extra 9/10th input any time soon! And anyway, in terms of number of XLR inputs the F8 and MixPre10T are the same)

dude, do you work for Zoom? it seems your sole purpose on this forum is to relentlessly promote the F8n. i'm not saying the F8n is going to be a bad product or anything, but this is a forum for concert tapers, not people who do tv/film sound. maybe the F8n will be great for tv/film sound purposes, that's awesome. and maybe some people who do record concerts will want it too. but it looks to be significantly bulkier and heavier than the MixPre 3 or 6, so it is not going to be nearly as versatile as those units are for recording concerts, especially for stealth situations where the Mixpre can be much more easily slipped into a coat pocket and worn on the body than the F8n.

[fanofjam]

I've owned both the F8 and currently own the mixpre-3.  Both are good units.  It's looking like the F8n improves on an already good product.

If you want to promote the F8 or the F8n, why not do it in the appropriate forum?

Claiming the new F8n is better in a Sound Devices forum seems a bit combative, though I do appreciate posts comparing and contrasting gear.

[justme]

Thats really nice!
I was thinking about any possibilities with routing channels thru USB I/O for backup but never thought of iOS as an option.
The MixPre-3 might be the smallest, most portable yet best speced lightning audio interfaces available?

By running an 24/96 audio recording app on a large capacity iPhone you would be able to use that as backup recording?

Wonder if Motiv, iRig, Røde Rec or n-track would manage this smooth,

I have used mine in conjunction with an iPad for streaming. Despite some early comments I saw by SD reps, if you connect an iPad to the Mixpre-x USB-A port (lightning to USB-A), the iPad sees the Mixpre as an audio interface. If you are using a Mixpre-6, you need to be running an app on the iPad side which recognizes multi-channel, like AUM. In AUM, I select the stereo pair I want to stream and ship it to mixlr via Audiobus. The 10t is different and allows you to set whether the output is stereo or multi-channel - you can set it to stereo and the iPad just sees a normal stereo input, which something like mixlr can see without help. The one overall downside is that the app on the iPad dictates  the sampling/bit rate for the recording once its connected. I ended up with a whole run of 24/44.1 recordings (versus 24/48) before I realized this. Also, you don't need to change anything on the Mixpre end in terms of USB settings etc

I have not tried connecting to a computer to use the Mixpre with a DAW etc but I believe you would use the USB-C to dual USB-A cable and connect to the USB-c port on the Mixpre. You also need to change the USB setting to data. You would need the ASIO driver on Windows. And I dont think you need to set anything else on the Mixpre, the computer would just see the audio interface channels.

[IronFilm]

I'll note that nearly all those pros of the MixPre series the new F8n (or even F4/F8) now has those as well:

Design: tick! In my opinion the F series does this better than the MixPre series (such as weird headphone or hirose positions?!)
Line/mic: tick! The F8n is switchable now
Preamps/limiters: tick! Great preamps, has new improved hybrid limiters.
Audio interface: tick! The F8n can both be used as one *and* record at the same time.
Support: tick! Zoom has been very impressive indeed in this area with their F4/F8 already.

Aside from the brand "name" I struggle to think of any solid good reasons why I'd prefer the MixPre10T over the F8n. (I'm assuming I'll not need that extra 9/10th input any time soon! And anyway, in terms of number of XLR inputs the F8 and MixPre10T are the same)

dude, do you work for Zoom? it seems your sole purpose on this forum is to relentlessly promote the F8n. i'm not saying the F8n is going to be a bad product or anything, but this is a forum for concert tapers, not people who do tv/film sound. maybe the F8n will be great for tv/film sound purposes, that's awesome. and maybe some people who do record concerts will want it too. but it looks to be significantly bulkier and heavier than the MixPre 3 or 6, so it is not going to be nearly as versatile as those units are for recording concerts, especially for stealth situations where the Mixpre can be much more easily slipped into a coat pocket and worn on the body than the F8n.

Nope, I don't work for Zoom, I just work full time as a freelance sound recordist. And I won't dispute that although the F8n is small, the MixPre6/MixPre3 are truly teeny tinier! But that wasn't what I was responding to about its size.
I do feel that the Zoom F series get looked down at vs a MixPre too often, so I'm clarifying that information for others that F8n has these features as well.

Claiming the new F8n is better in a Sound Devices forum seems a bit combative, though I do appreciate posts comparing and contrasting gear.

This isn't a Sound Devices forum.  That is other here: https://forums.sounddevices.com/forum

Although it is archived now, so more appropriately perhaps here then, which is run by Sound Devices staff:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/sounddevices/

But I was replying to a comparison of Zoom vs SD, thus was appropriate enough I chipped in with 2c with more info on those points.

[fanofjam]

This isn't a Sound Devices forum. 

 

[rippleish20]

Yes you could record on the iphone instead of passing the audio on to mixlr for streaming. AUM can record and n-track etc should work

Thats really nice!
I was thinking about any possibilities with routing channels thru USB I/O for backup but never thought of iOS as an option.
The MixPre-3 might be the smallest, most portable yet best speced lightning audio interfaces available?

By running an 24/96 audio recording app on a large capacity iPhone you would be able to use that as backup recording?

Wonder if Motiv, iRig, Røde Rec or n-track would manage this smooth,

I have used mine in conjunction with an iPad for streaming. Despite some early comments I saw by SD reps, if you connect an iPad to the Mixpre-x USB-A port (lightning to USB-A), the iPad sees the Mixpre as an audio interface. If you are using a Mixpre-6, you need to be running an app on the iPad side which recognizes multi-channel, like AUM. In AUM, I select the stereo pair I want to stream and ship it to mixlr via Audiobus. The 10t is different and allows you to set whether the output is stereo or multi-channel - you can set it to stereo and the iPad just sees a normal stereo input, which something like mixlr can see without help. The one overall downside is that the app on the iPad dictates  the sampling/bit rate for the recording once its connected. I ended up with a whole run of 24/44.1 recordings (versus 24/48) before I realized this. Also, you don't need to change anything on the Mixpre end in terms of USB settings etc

I have not tried connecting to a computer to use the Mixpre with a DAW etc but I believe you would use the USB-C to dual USB-A cable and connect to the USB-c port on the Mixpre. You also need to change the USB setting to data. You would need the ASIO driver on Windows. And I dont think you need to set anything else on the Mixpre, the computer would just see the audio interface channels.

[Paul Isaacs]

I owned a F8 (nought long before the Mixpre-3/6 were available) and a F4 and now I have a Mixpre-6.  I like my Mixpre-6 but the F4/F8 are also excellent. Having had both, these are the things I like/disliked:

The Mixpre-x series:

I like the size and design of the recorders
I like that you can use XLRs all time and just switch between line in and microphone
The preamps are great, the analog limiters are excellent
You can use the audio interface (to lets says stream) at the same time as recording
Sound Devices is a great company, with a long history of professional equipment and great support

On the negative side, There have been a lot of firmware issues and I find the design choices really odd in many cases (they are marketed as recorders but, to me, they are really closer to their mixer series and the mixpre-6 usb powering is a shakey solution in my opinion). There are also apparently issues recording at 192.

I do not believe that the highlighted part is true for outbound streaming while recording via mics/line in.  The USB jack is input only and not output.  I do know that I have successfully used it as an USB interface to record inbound signals, but on my PC as soon as I hit record it mutes my PC headphones and I do not have a mini set to monitor what I am recording.  I am sure that it may be a simple setting but I am usually too rushed to get it set up.

FYI, the MixPre can operate as a USB input or output whilst it is recording. Not quite sure about what in your setup is causing this issue without a deeper dive. Contact our tech support if you need to be walked through this.

[junkyardt]

Claiming the new F8n is better in a Sound Devices forum seems a bit combative

This isn't a Sound Devices forum.  That is other here: https://forums.sounddevices.com/forum

Oh come on, don't be purposely obtuse and split hairs on semantics. The word he probably should've used is thread, not forum, but his point is valid -- that it really is a little annoying to be coming into threads that are dedicated to discussing one piece of gear made by one company, and make a bunch of posts in that thread arguing that another piece of gear made by another company is superior.

[rigpimp]

FYI, the MixPre can operate as a USB input or output whilst it is recording. Not quite sure about what in your setup is causing this issue without a deeper dive. Contact our tech support if you need to be walked through this.

Paul, for me it was not SD related but it was Android related.  I was trying to run an analog signal out of the MP-6 into a USB interface because I was under the impression that the USB-A did not pass audio out.  I never even tried USB out. 

So, it turns out that a lot of Android devices fail to recognize USB input as an audio device.  I was able to get a recording app to work fine but not Mixlr so I stopped trying.  (my purpose was to stream my recordings live, in the moment via Mixlr)

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=184766.msg2253725#msg2253725

Now that I have a newer Android device and the knowledge that the MP-6 passes USB out so I will try again.  This time I will go directly from MP-6 USB to Pixel 2 XL and see if I can get it to fly through Mixlr.

[pohaku]

Claiming the new F8n is better in a Sound Devices forum seems a bit combative

This isn't a Sound Devices forum.  That is other here: https://forums.sounddevices.com/forum

Oh come on, don't be purposely obtuse and split hairs on semantics. The word he probably should've used is thread, not forum, but his point is valid -- that it really is a little annoying to be coming into threads that are dedicated to discussing one piece of gear made by one company, and make a bunch of posts in that thread arguing that another piece of gear made by another company is superior.

Umm, this thread is titled "SD MixPre 3/6 vs. Zoom 4/8." So the thread is in fact about comparing SD and Zoom gear, not just discussing SD gear.  FWIW, I own and like both SD and Zoom gear.

[aaronji]

Aside from the brand "name" I struggle to think of any solid good reasons why I'd prefer the MixPre10T over the F8n. (I'm assuming I'll not need that extra 9/10th input any time soon! And anyway, in terms of number of XLR inputs the F8 and MixPre10T are the same)

Maybe they don't apply to you, but there are a number of reasons why others might prefer the MixPre recorders, such as responsive touch screens (a lot less twist/press cycles through menus), class A discrete pres, analog limiters, ability to take hotter input signals, ability to save presets for different configurations, and P48 on line inputs (among others).  The long and short of it is that both product lines have their pluses and minuses; each user will have a different take on which is better for their needs.  As jbell put it, "different strokes for different folks".

Nope, I don't work for Zoom, I just work full time as a freelance sound recordist fluff their products relentlessly.

Fixed that for you.

I do feel that the Zoom F series get looked down at vs a MixPre too often, so I'm clarifying that information for others that F8n has these features as well.

     

Maybe that is true on JW, or wherever else, but I think that both the F4/8 and MixPre-3/6/10 are well received here and many members have one or the other or both.  I can't really recall any posts, excluding yours, that "look down" on either...

Umm, this thread is titled "SD MixPre 3/6 vs. Zoom 4/8." So the thread is in fact about comparing SD and Zoom gear, not just discussing SD gear.  FWIW, I own and like both SD and Zoom gear.

Brian split this thread off from the MixPre-3 and 6, part 5 thread.

[pohaku]

OK.  I haven't been following the other thread.  I assumed this had always been its own thread.

[justme]

Today my new little MixPre-3 arrived.
Gosh what a tiny thing it is.

It’s obvious they have cut down on the quality for some parts but over all it’s a very nice step up from the DR-70D.
Now I need to do some connector soldering, cable routing and modifying some power packs.

And connecting it to my iPhone brought up a notice it might not be supported but it did output audio over lightning/usb as it should.

The presets for headphones and channels setup are very nice to have!

[jmitchell]

This was my comparison of the F8 & MixPre-6.  It is about as fair as I know how to do.  This was CK3 > 451 > MP6 & CK3 > 451 > F8.  The same type of cable was used, the mics were set up right next to one another, almost the exact same distance from the stage.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OnGMpP80UF9zKlT4ffz5FkN_J83J4ZN3

[justme]

Thank you!
My guess is that the B is the MP6.

This was my comparison of the F8 & MixPre-6.  It is about as fair as I know how to do.  This was CK3 > 451 > MP6 & CK3 > 451 > F8.  The same type of cable was used, the mics were set up right next to one another, almost the exact same distance from the stage.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OnGMpP80UF9zKlT4ffz5FkN_J83J4ZN3