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Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: sos on December 10, 2018, 12:06:14 PM

Title: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: sos on December 10, 2018, 12:06:14 PM
https://www.sounddevices.com/support/downloads/mixpres-firmware/?device=6


Changes introduced in 3.00 include:

New

For all models:

    USB control from the Korg NanoKontrol Studio, Korg NanoKontrol2, Akai MidiMix, and Novation Launch Control XL USB control surfaces. Other USB control surfaces are not supported. Includes support for fader, trim, pan, low cut, reverb, solo, mute, track arm, monitor, transport control, LR output level, and user-programmable shortcut buttons.
    Note: available features depend on the control surface being used and whether Audio or Music projects are enabled. For more information, see the USB Controller chapter in your MixPre User Guide.

For MixPre-3, -6, and -10T only:

    Pre-roll: saves up to 10 seconds of audio before the “record” button is pressed. Select up to 10 seconds of pre-roll on the MixPre-10T and 5 seconds of pre-roll on the MixPre-3 & -6. Pre-roll time is reduced at 96 kHz and higher sampling rates.

For MixPre-3 and 3M only:

    Phase invert option now available for the MixPre-3. Phase invert is already available for all other MixPre models.

For MixPre-6 and -10T only
:

    Ambisonics and binaural recording/monitoring (-6 and -10T Audio projects only). Requires installation of the free Ambisonics Plugin available at the Sound Devices Plugin Store. See [Ambisonics user guide link]

For all M models and Music projects on models with Musician Plugin
:

    Bluetooth LE wireless remote control using the Android or iOS Wingman app. Includes 12-track monitoring, mix metering, transport control, time counter, track naming and arming.
    Support for the new Windows ASIO driver, v2.9.92.1. This enables a MixPre running a Music project to be used as a multichannel USB audio interface with Windows computers. This ASIO driver is required when using the MixPre-3M, -6M, or -10M or when running Music projects in the MixPre-3, -6, or -10T.

Changed

For all models:

    Meter scale now included on Channel screen meter.

Fixed

For all models:

    Noise that occurred when playing back MixPre-recorded 96 kHz or 192 kHz files at a fraction of their normal speed has been eliminated.
    The UI no longer occasionally switches to a Channel screen’s first page after selecting a linking option.
    Fader or gain levels now only display at the top of the Home screen when being adjusted.
    Improved handling of projects without an SD card connected.
    Rare event where USB audio inputs 3 and 4 were routed directly to the LR tracks has been resolved.
    Files with both Mix and ISO tracks now consistently import correctly.
    Imported files now consistently playback at correct speed.
    Ticking noises that occasionally occurred when playing back imported files containing cue markers have been removed.
    Sample rate stays consistent between the MixPre and a computer when changing projects without an SD card inserted.
    LR gain now remains correct after loading a preset with L and R unlinked and set to different gain values.
    When transitioning between playback and stop, solo’d track remains consistent.
    All channels of a linked group can be solo’d in the headphone output.
    Improved USB-A port connectivity.

For MixPre-3, -6, and -10T only:

    Playback meters now display in Audio projects when meters are set to Off.
    Custom Mode with Gain set to Basic and Headphones set to Advanced now allows deselecting of all sources in the Headphone Preset matrix.
    Live audio now returns consistently after playback when device is connected via USB to a computer.

For all M models and Music projects on models with Musician Plugin
:

    The maximum number of cue markers in Music projects has been increased to 99.
    All tracks are now present after importing non-native files into Music projects.
    Imported non-native content does not disappear after overdubbing.
    A lockup no longer occurs if the HP encoder is pressed when viewing an empty History list.

For MixPre-3 and -6 models only:

    A lockup that occasionally occurred when switching from a battery source to a low USB power source has been resolved.

For MixPre-6 and -10T models only
:

    Linking settings remain correct when switching between Music and Audio projects.
    Live audio for channels 9 & 10 (on MixPre-10T) and channels 5 & 6 (on MixPre-6) return after playback.

For MixPre-10T only:

    Timecode generator reset warning no longer appears when booting up in Music projects.
    Record Trigger setting is now stored across power cycles.

For MixPre-10T and -10M only:

    In Stop mode, navigation no longer skips between cue marks (on MixPre-10M or in Music projects on the MixPre-10T).
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: junkyardt on December 10, 2018, 12:09:05 PM
there's a thread going here, no need to create a new thread...

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=186597.360
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: dominicperry on December 10, 2018, 12:15:05 PM
there's a thread going here, no need to create a new thread...

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=186597.360

This applies to more than the MixPre3 and 6 and so there's no harm in this thread being started to draw attention for 3M, 6M 10T and 10M users.

Dominic
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: junkyardt on December 10, 2018, 02:39:10 PM
there's a thread going here, no need to create a new thread...

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=186597.360

This applies to more than the MixPre3 and 6 and so there's no harm in this thread being started to draw attention for 3M, 6M 10T and 10M users.

Dominic


i disagree, people are going to be leaving comments on this firmware update, many of which will be informative and it’s helpful to be able to read them all in one continuous thread rather than having them split off in different threads. as for the mp-10, there’s almost no one on this forum using it, but the title of the main mixpre thread could certainly be amended to include it. it’s the same thing with taping/sharing policy threads, it’s extremely annoying when there have been 7 different threads created over the years about the same band rather than everyone just using the same thread.
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: morst on December 10, 2018, 04:45:49 PM

i disagree, people are going to be leaving comments on this firmware update, many of which will be informative and it’s helpful to be able to read them all in one continuous thread rather than having them split off in different threads. as for the mp-10, there’s almost no one on this forum using it, but the title of the main mixpre thread could certainly be amended to include it. it’s the same thing with taping/sharing policy threads, it’s extremely annoying when there have been 7 different threads created over the years about the same band rather than everyone just using the same thread.
The original poster, sos, runs a 10T.


Does he have to slum it with us 3-6 channel kids or can he just get his info out?


Rock on, sos!
 :clapping:
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: IronFilm on December 11, 2018, 03:13:43 AM
Good that they've finally got pre roll, it was a very strange omission to ship without! A deal break even for me from considering the MixPre10T

And to now have ten seconds worth it pretty good!
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: jmitchell on December 11, 2018, 09:59:07 PM
I ran a test after reading about some problems in a Facebook group.  I ran all channels @2448 and the wav never split.  It was showing +3 hours when I stopped it.  I tried to play the file on the MP6, but it locked the machine up.  When I went to split the wav, all wav files were corrupt.
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: IronFilm on December 11, 2018, 10:32:00 PM
OUCH!! That is a painful issue. Imagine losing THREE HOURS of recordings :-o

Does this corruption happen after a shorter period, like 2hrs or even just 1hr?
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: jmitchell on December 11, 2018, 10:36:52 PM
The wav never splits.  Three hours was just the random time I stopped the recording.  I ran a test because someone in a Tapers group on Facebook posted the same problem.  I don't think time he's anything to do with it.  He was on a MP3 and only ran 2 channels
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: sos on December 11, 2018, 11:27:39 PM
Confirming. Definite issue with the v. 3.0 firmware. Use the previous version (2.21), til they fix this. Probably wasn't a good omen that the Sound Devices customer service line was busy today throughout the entire afternoon. At a show at the moment, and likely experiencing what first reared it's ugly head at last night's gig. Luckily, I'm running backups. Details to follow...

REPEAT, do NOT roll firmware v. 3.0, til it's f'n fixed!
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: sos on December 12, 2018, 10:36:56 AM
Here's what I'm experiencing. Just wrapping a 4-night run tonight, with a certain band "from East L.A." On night 1 (Sun) I was still running v. 2.21, as v. 3.0 was released on Mon. On nights 2 (Mon) and 3 (last night, Tu) I ran v. 3.0. I have a MixPre-10T, and use a SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SDXC UHS-1, along with a SanDisk Ultra Fit 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive, as backup. This combination formats without issue and has served well for dozens of recordings, to date.

After backing up my recorded files the morning after the Mon night show, I noticed that the acoustic opening set (approx. 40 mins in length) was unaffected, and is complete. However, the electric second set (approx. 60 minutes) initially showed a header error when I loaded the card into my laptop. Only about 16 minutes of the 60 minute set are viewable in CD Wave Editor. I ran (4) stereo pairs (XLR) into channels 1-8, and at 24/48, the deck typically will create a new file after ~49:02. That may be why my acoustic set was unaffected, as I stopped it prior to that mark.

Tried calling SD repeatedly during the afternoon on Tu, and could never get through. So, hoping it was just a quirk (and not having enough time to swap out the firmware version prior to last night's show) I ran v. 3.0 again, last night. At a midpoint of last night's show, I was alerted to issues being reported online regarding the release and observed unexplained behavior, which showed me something was up again. This time the opening acoustic set ran over the 49:02 mark, and the electric set was definitely beyond that. The results, were worse yet. Not much to salvage there, from either set. Thankfully, I was running some other decks as backup, and am listening to some great tunes at the moment. I will revert to the prior release for tonight's final show (if it lets me), but not too thrilled about following SD's advice of: "It is highly recommended that users of MixPre audio recorders update to the latest version of firmware available as soon as possible". Lesson learned, I didn't need the pre-roll, all that bad afterall. YMMV.
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: sos on December 12, 2018, 12:36:52 PM
Just spoke with a tech at SD, and they are aware of a "file split" issue (his words) and are giving it "very high priority" for a fix. Stay tuned...
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: rippleish20 on December 12, 2018, 12:40:19 PM
Just spoke with a tech at SD, and they are aware of a "file split" issue (his words) and are giving it "very high priority" for a fix. Stay tuned...

Meanwhile in the Fb group. i a thread with reports about the issue...

Paul Isaacs "Guys - v3.00 has been in QA for many many weeks and passed intensive testing. It is highly recommended that after you update to new firmware, you load factory defaults, then reformat your SD card in the MixPre, then rebuild any presets. A machine can literally have millions of possible setting states. So starting from a clean factory default state/preset often clears up things after a major firmware update. If this doesn't help, then please contact our tech support who will help you resolve issue. Thx"


ps. This really should have been added to the main thread as now we are simply discussing it in two threads...  :facepalm:
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: Chuck on December 12, 2018, 12:46:05 PM
So, it's NOT a bug?
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: Gerry Gladu on December 12, 2018, 01:21:45 PM
I can confirm the problem with 2 channels, MixPre-3 @24/96. After the file hits the 4GB max size (02:04:03), it never closes the file and doesn't create a new one rendering the file corrupt..
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: rippleish20 on December 12, 2018, 01:39:00 PM
So, it's NOT a bug?

I posted that because of the irony. Several people reported the issue and Paul's response was basically "we tested this thoroughly, you must have screwed up by not loading factory defaults, etc". Given that there have been at least two broken firmware updates before this, I found the statement "interesting"
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: IronFilm on December 12, 2018, 01:46:24 PM
So, it's NOT a bug?

Am not sure how you can spin "files lost/corrupted, preamps going noisy, etc" as being "not a bug"
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: capnhook on December 12, 2018, 03:06:42 PM
It's not a bug, it's a feature.

 :spin:
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: Paul Isaacs on December 12, 2018, 04:44:30 PM
Recordings not auto-splitting correctly at 4GB is definitely a bug which we will address as top priority.
Until we release a fix, please revert to v2.21 if you use 4GB auto-splitting.

Apologies for causing any inconvenience.

Paul, SD
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: sos on December 12, 2018, 04:48:34 PM
Respect!
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: down2earthlandscaper on December 13, 2018, 03:02:40 AM
Any signs of ever getting level adjustment feature from the Wingman App?

The little Roland R-07 does it. The new Sony offering to replace the M-10 offers it. Seems that it wouldn't be too hard for Sound Devices to build this capability into a firmware update.

Currently the Wingman app is just a pretty meter for monitoring levels and a neat way to name the channels so I don't forget which mic went to which. Beyond that it's not very useful.
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: morst on December 13, 2018, 07:08:57 AM
Currently the Wingman app is just a pretty meter for monitoring levels and a neat way to name the channels so I don't forget which mic went to which. Beyond that it's not very useful.
Wingman could stop your recording by accident if you fat-finger the control. One extra point of failure. No thanks for now.


ps POLARITY reverse, Polarity Flip, Polarity Invert


But not phase. Really, please, do not start with me on phase.
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: Gordon on December 13, 2018, 09:17:20 AM

Wingman could stop your recording by accident if you fat-finger the control. One extra point of failure. No thanks for now.



wingman can already do that (stop/start).
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: noahbickart on December 13, 2018, 10:11:19 AM
Currently the Wingman app is just a pretty meter for monitoring levels and a neat way to name the channels so I don't forget which mic went to which. Beyond that it's not very useful.
Wingman could stop your recording by accident if you fat-finger the control. One extra point of failure. No thanks for now.

I get not wanting to use it. I do use it. I find it very useful to zip up my bag and press record from the app. I'd also love to be able to adjust levels with it, more features on the app wouldn't preclude your continuing decision not to use it...
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: junkyardt on December 13, 2018, 10:24:35 AM
Wingman could stop your recording by accident if you fat-finger the control. One extra point of failure. No thanks for now.

that's why they need to add a hold button in the firmware as well, preferably controlled from wingman also. you open up wingman, start the recording, adjust the levels, press hold, and your recording is now set for the rest of the night without needing to touch the mixpre at all. you can then undo the hold and stop it at the end of the show from wingman as well. i really have no idea what they were doing working on this wingman update the last 6 months (between wingman versions 3.1 and 3.2), as it's largely the same app as before aside from support for the M models.
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: tim in jersey on December 13, 2018, 03:37:05 PM
I have 2 of these things. :smash: Still don't trust it for mission-critical work.

I still rock the 722 and the 744t. Those things are ROCK-STARS!
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: down2earthlandscaper on December 13, 2018, 04:31:09 PM
Currently the Wingman app is just a pretty meter for monitoring levels and a neat way to name the channels so I don't forget which mic went to which. Beyond that it's not very useful.
Wingman could stop your recording by accident if you fat-finger the control. One extra point of failure. No thanks for now.

I get not wanting to use it. I do use it. I find it very useful to zip up my bag and press record from the app. I'd also love to be able to adjust levels with it, more features on the app wouldn't preclude your continuing decision not to use it...

The Start/Stop function is pretty useful. It saved me once - I was having trouble getting through the thick of the crowd to get back to my gear and was able to start the recording from about 40' away just before the first notes of Second Set!
That being said, it screwed me once too because I accidentally pressed stop during a recording  :facepalm: that was my first time using it. I haven't made that mistake since (I just screen lock my phone to prevent that) but a lock feature through the app (and at the deck) would be awesome.
Title: Re: Sound Devices MixPre Series Firmware v. 3.0 is out
Post by: BonoBeats on December 14, 2018, 07:06:20 PM
3.01 just released, already addressing the bugs in 3.0.

https://www.sounddevices.com/support/downloads/mixpres-firmware
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: sos on December 14, 2018, 11:03:59 PM
Changes introduced in 3.01 include:

Fixed

For all models:

    The potential loss of recorded audio due to a failed automatic file split has been eliminated.
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: checht on December 19, 2018, 10:13:03 PM
Not trolling, really. I'm curious why folks updated so quickly.

With software updates in general, and SD firmware updates specifically, I wait a couple months to update unless there's a compelling bug fix or new feature.

I don't run a mp-10, so maybe I'm missing something important there, but for the MP-6, only significant change was the addition of pre-roll. That doesn't seem compelling to me on a deck which is easily powered for a long time and can use huge SD cards.

These days I start recording 15 minutes before the set, and leave it going through intermission if there is one. Easy to trim in post, and no chance of losing part of a set.

So, why update immediately?
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: capnhook on December 20, 2018, 04:58:36 AM
Early Adopters = Headache Sufferers  :banging head:

YMMV, but this has been my experience.
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: Sebastian on December 20, 2018, 05:16:29 AM
Yeah, well... To be honest I am a bit disappointed in SD. I recently bought a MixPre-6 and it arrived with a dead RTC battery. No big issue (besides the fact that it can't keep time), but I had to send the new unit in to SD after a week. The firmware doesn't seem to be the most stable, either. How they could miss this file splitting bug is just outside of my imagination - and I work in software engineering. Also, I find the different modes (basic, advanced, custom) to be extremely confusing. It just does not feel intuitive to set Gain to 'Advanced' vs. 'Basic'. Every time I come across one of these settings I have to google what it actually does. Having a setting to set the "Channel Knob" to "ISO Gain" would have been way more intuitive. I actually think the Zoom F8 is more intuitive than the MixPre. Currently, the only improvement the MixPre has over the F8 for me is its size, the possibility to power it from cheap USB batteries and the (hopefully) better preamps.
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: dogmusic on December 20, 2018, 07:27:23 AM
Yeah, well... To be honest I am a bit disappointed in SD. I recently bought a MixPre-6 and it arrived with a dead RTC battery. No big issue (besides the fact that it can't keep time), but I had to send the new unit in to SD after a week. The firmware doesn't seem to be the most stable, either. How they could miss this file splitting bug is just outside of my imagination - and I work in software engineering. Also, I find the different modes (basic, advanced, custom) to be extremely confusing. It just does not feel intuitive to set Gain to 'Advanced' vs. 'Basic'. Every time I come across one of these settings I have to google what it actually does. Having a setting to set the "Channel Knob" to "ISO Gain" would have been way more intuitive. I actually think the Zoom F8 is more intuitive than the MixPre. Currently, the only improvement the MixPre has over the F8 for me is its size, the possibility to power it from cheap USB batteries and the (hopefully) better preamps.

Also the analog limiters in the MixPre. Excellent!
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: Sebastian on December 20, 2018, 07:46:47 AM
Also the analog limiters in the MixPre. Excellent!

It's nice that they're there, but to be honest, I usually set my levels so low they'll never kick in.
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: rippleish20 on December 20, 2018, 07:54:23 AM
Yeah, well... To be honest I am a bit disappointed in SD. I recently bought a MixPre-6 and it arrived with a dead RTC battery. No big issue (besides the fact that it can't keep time), but I had to send the new unit in to SD after a week. The firmware doesn't seem to be the most stable, either. How they could miss this file splitting bug is just outside of my imagination - and I work in software engineering. Also, I find the different modes (basic, advanced, custom) to be extremely confusing. It just does not feel intuitive to set Gain to 'Advanced' vs. 'Basic'. Every time I come across one of these settings I have to google what it actually does. Having a setting to set the "Channel Knob" to "ISO Gain" would have been way more intuitive. I actually think the Zoom F8 is more intuitive than the MixPre. Currently, the only improvement the MixPre has over the F8 for me is its size, the possibility to power it from cheap USB batteries and the (hopefully) better preamps.


I agree. I owned a Zoom F8 and now several Mixpre-*'s. I like the size of the Mixpre and the quality of the recordings and I appreciate that SD has a long history of great products and support, but I find some of the design choice quite odd and their firmware updates have been quite shakey. Meanwhile, I've seen many disparagements of the Zoom products and yet the F series is quite good in my opinion and is a lot more logical design wise to me..
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: dogmusic on December 20, 2018, 08:48:14 AM
Also the analog limiters in the MixPre. Excellent!

It's nice that they're there, but to be honest, I usually set my levels so low they'll never kick in.

No need to set them so low on the MP!

OTOH, the preamps are so quiet, you can even set them lower!

There are design choices on the MP’s I don’t like, i.e., no standard transport controls, not even virtual ones in the Wingman app. And the whole gain setup is clumsy (I don’t think there is actually any analog gain control).

It’s the preamps.
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: noahbickart on December 20, 2018, 10:33:05 AM
the whole gain setup is clumsy (I don’t think there is actually any analog gain control).

I don't understand why Paul (or others) won't answer this question, which has been posed many times.

How does the gain work? When we use the knobs to adjust ISO gain, what is happening?
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: voltronic on December 20, 2018, 01:35:55 PM
Also the analog limiters in the MixPre. Excellent!

It's nice that they're there, but to be honest, I usually set my levels so low they'll never kick in.

Agreed.  If limiters are engaging, I have done something very wrong.  Even good analog limiters are noticeable on music.  Limiters should only be used on dialogue / SFX recording, IMHO.
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: voltronic on December 20, 2018, 01:41:16 PM
Yeah, well... To be honest I am a bit disappointed in SD. I recently bought a MixPre-6 and it arrived with a dead RTC battery. No big issue (besides the fact that it can't keep time), but I had to send the new unit in to SD after a week. The firmware doesn't seem to be the most stable, either. How they could miss this file splitting bug is just outside of my imagination - and I work in software engineering. Also, I find the different modes (basic, advanced, custom) to be extremely confusing. It just does not feel intuitive to set Gain to 'Advanced' vs. 'Basic'. Every time I come across one of these settings I have to google what it actually does. Having a setting to set the "Channel Knob" to "ISO Gain" would have been way more intuitive. I actually think the Zoom F8 is more intuitive than the MixPre. Currently, the only improvement the MixPre has over the F8 for me is its size, the possibility to power it from cheap USB batteries and the (hopefully) better preamps.


I agree. I owned a Zoom F8 and now several Mixpre-*'s. I like the size of the Mixpre and the quality of the recordings and I appreciate that SD has a long history of great products and support, but I find some of the design choice quite odd and their firmware updates have been quite shakey. Meanwhile, I've seen many disparagements of the Zoom products and yet the F series is quite good in my opinion and is a lot more logical design wise to me..

That's the stereotyping against products made in certain countries combined with the experience of some old Zoom recorders which had really lousy preamps.  It's outdated and needs to stop.  Judge the products for what they are.

There's a very respected pro engineer on another forum who refers to Zoom products in a derogatory way as "Chinesium".  Funny that he doesn't have the same disrespect towards Tascam, most of whose whose products are of arguably inferior build quality to the Zoom F series yet they get a pass being made in Japan.  Also, Nagra can do no wrong in his mind.
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: voltronic on December 20, 2018, 01:44:19 PM
the whole gain setup is clumsy (I don’t think there is actually any analog gain control).

I don't understand why Paul (or others) won't answer this question, which has been posed many times.

How does the gain work? When we use the knobs to adjust ISO gain, what is happening?

Pay no attention to that man behind the [gain stage]!

Seriously, it would be very nice to know.  The knobs are ostensibly just digital encoders controlling an analog gain stage, but there are TWO gain stages, and it is not clear how they are working together.
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: aaronji on December 20, 2018, 05:18:07 PM
It's nice that they're there, but to be honest, I usually set my levels so low they'll never kick in.

If you don't mind setting your levels conservatively, you should consider giving advanced mode a try.  It does require a little shift in mindset, but I have found it to work well and I think it is more straight-forward.  It's a little extra effort to change gain (channel knob > gain button > encoder knob), but can still be accomplished rapidly.  An added bonus is that bumping a front-panel knob won't change the ISO gain.

Agreed.  If limiters are engaging, I have done something very wrong.  Even good analog limiters are noticeable on music.  Limiters should only be used on dialogue / SFX recording, IMHO.

You have clearly never made an on-stage recording of Dave King!  The MixPre limiters are very transparent, in my experience (although I have never really slammed them), and they can save your butt in wildly dynamic situations like that...

Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: aaronji on December 20, 2018, 05:23:02 PM
That's the stereotyping against products made in certain countries combined with the experience of some old Zoom recorders which had really lousy preamps.  It's outdated and needs to stop.  Judge the products for what they are.

There's a very respected pro engineer on another forum who refers to Zoom products in a derogatory way as "Chinesium".  Funny that he doesn't have the same disrespect towards Tascam, most of whose whose products are of arguably inferior build quality to the Zoom F series yet they get a pass being made in Japan.  Also, Nagra can do no wrong in his mind.

Although I have definitely seen this on other forums, I honestly don't remember anyone here doing that with respect to the F4/8.  Maybe some initial skepticism when they were released, but I consider those recorders to be well-regarded on ts.  Maybe there are posts I don't recall, but the general opinion is pretty good as far as I can tell.
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: rippleish20 on December 20, 2018, 05:53:08 PM
That's the stereotyping against products made in certain countries combined with the experience of some old Zoom recorders which had really lousy preamps.  It's outdated and needs to stop.  Judge the products for what they are.

There's a very respected pro engineer on another forum who refers to Zoom products in a derogatory way as "Chinesium".  Funny that he doesn't have the same disrespect towards Tascam, most of whose whose products are of arguably inferior build quality to the Zoom F series yet they get a pass being made in Japan.  Also, Nagra can do no wrong in his mind.

Although I have definitely seen this on other forums, I honestly don't remember anyone here doing that with respect to the F4/8.  Maybe some initial skepticism when they were released, but I consider those recorders to be well-regarded on ts.  Maybe there are posts I don't recall, but the general opinion is pretty good as far as I can tell.

Actually Nak700 went on a little anti Zoom rant recently in this thread

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=186279.30

Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: aaronji on December 21, 2018, 08:49:37 AM
Actually Nak700 went on a little anti Zoom rant recently in this thread

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=186279.30

That's kind of the exception to the rule though, I think, and, to be fair, I didn't see any China-bashing in his posts.  Those posts were also made in the context of replying to one of the most irritatingly over-the-top product fluffers I have ever seen here, a guy who doesn't even have any interest in taping and only comes to prop Zoom.
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: rippleish20 on December 21, 2018, 02:53:31 PM
Actually Nak700 went on a little anti Zoom rant recently in this thread

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=186279.30

That's kind of the exception to the rule though, I think, and, to be fair, I didn't see any China-bashing in his posts.  Those posts were also made in the context of replying to one of the most irritatingly over-the-top product fluffers I have ever seen here, a guy who doesn't even have any interest in taping and only comes to prop Zoom.

I havent actually ever heard anyone china-bashing the Zoom (I think its Japanese anyways) but I have heard a couple of people bashing Zoom products in general, including the F series, primarily because they have traditionally produced cheaper, consumer level stuff versus prosumer or professional. In the above case, I was not aware of the persons over zealous Zoom promotion, which probably explains naks comments
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.02 <---!!!
Post by: morst on December 21, 2018, 05:48:02 PM

3.02!
https://www.sounddevices.com/support/downloads/mixpres-firmware/?device=10t (https://www.sounddevices.com/support/downloads/mixpres-firmware/?device=10t)

"Noise floor no longer increases when phantom power is turned on and off."

wat?
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: rigpimp on December 21, 2018, 05:58:44 PM
Why are there two mixpre threads now?
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: voltronic on December 21, 2018, 07:19:55 PM
Why are there two mixpre threads now?

You've hit on a pet peeve of mine.  I don't own one of these so I have no horse in this race, but if it were up to me this thread would be locked and everything transferred over.

I wish the MixPre-10 thread were combined with the -3 and -6 one while we're at it.
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: junkyardt on December 21, 2018, 08:07:33 PM
^^yup, i grumbled about that at the start of this thread, but there was a collective shrug so now the convo is permanently split across 2 threads. 🤷‍♂️
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: voltronic on December 21, 2018, 09:37:29 PM
A link to the 3.02 firmware has now been posted in the main MixPre thread.

This sure seems like a great time to converge back over there.

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=186597.msg2285834#msg2285834 (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=186597.msg2285834#msg2285834)
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: dactylus on December 22, 2018, 09:21:23 AM
A link to the 3.02 firmware has now been posted in the main MixPre thread.

This sure seems like a great time to converge back over there.

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=186597.msg2285834#msg2285834 (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=186597.msg2285834#msg2285834)

^
Agreed!
Title: Re: SD MixPre Series firmware v. 3.0 (and fix, v. 3.01) out
Post by: spyder9 on December 23, 2018, 09:26:41 AM
3.02 has been released

https://www.sounddevices.com/support/downloads/mixpres-firmware

Last update December 21, 2018

Changes introduced in 3.02 include:

Fixed

Noise floor no longer increases when phantom power is turned on and off. (All models)
L/R Gain no longer changes when a USB controller is connected. (MixPre-10T, -10M)
Stereo Out Gain no longer changes when a USB controller is connected. (MixPre-3, -3M, -6, -6M)
MixPre no longer crashes when maximum note character limit (200 characters) is reached. (-3, -6, -10T)
Shortcuts menu remains visible after setting nanoKONTROL2 to anything other than gain pots. (-3, -6, -10T)
nanoKONTROL2 knobs can now be configured in the menu. (MixPre-3, -3M)
Live audio for channels 5 and 6 returns after stopping playback with USB controller connected. (MixPre-6, -6M)
Ambisonics: binaural recordings now have proper spatial image. (MixPre-6, -10T)
Ambisonics: binaural monitoring with FuMa is now spatially correct. (MixPre-6, -10T)