I own a 722 and love it. But I'm lacking a really good solution for 4 channels (I have a Zoom H6 which is ok, and an old R4 that I just don't use because of the file transfer hassle from that unit to the computer). These new mix pre's look really tempting, especially considering the price, and a good opportunity for me to get into a higher quality 4+ channel device. I'm just wondering what the new versions lack in feature set compared to the 7xx series? Thanks
Great question and I hear you. If you're stuck on the 722/702T, well a big feature missing is the extra channels. Hard to argue with that. My statement was aimed more at 744T/788T users, but for someone with a 722 here's some of the 'robust' features I see missing on the MixPre series:
- Pre-roll recording buffer
- Dual-Media Recording
- Compact Flash Support (can be important due to SD Card compatibility issues)
- Support for Mono Wav, MP3, and FLAC recording (Only Poly Wav is supported)
- AES3 / SPDIF Digital Inputs and Outputs
- Balanced L/R Outputs (TA3) (absent on MixPre3/6, only available on Mixpre10T)
- Timecode / Wordclock generator (absent on MixPre3/6, only available on Mixpre10T)
- Hirose Power Connector (absent on MixPre3/6, only available on Mixpre10T)
For the casual taper, I wouldn't consider most of these missing features to be huge deal-breakers. Timecode / Wordclock is probably the biggest missing feature for the professional user, but 99% of the time is irrelevant for the average concert taper.
The lack of a Hirose connector seems to be annoying from the threads I've been reading in the Remote Power section and the only solution is to buy a pretty expensive sled adapter. It puts your $899 recorder well over $1000 and you're having to buy a 3rd party product. Not sure why Sound Devices didn't come out of the gate with their own adapter products.
For me, the lack of Digital I/O support is probably the biggest issue. This might be unimportant for a 722 owner, but as 744T user (and previously DR-680), one of the main reasons for having extra channels is to take a digital patch from another taper in the section. After running an 8-channel deck, I quickly found that my desire to run more than one set of stereo mics + take a board feed was usually pretty minimal, but I almost always want to grab a buddy's pull so I could do casual listening tests at home. I'm usually running Schoeps, so when a friend was running MiLabs or MBHO's, I wouldn't hesitate to grab a feed from their digital output if I had spare channels. However, my enthusiasm for taking a feed usually was tempered if I had to take an analog patch, which on the MixPre series is the only option as there are no digital inputs, even on the 10T.
I'm also incredibly unimpressed with Sound Devices ability to write to SD Cards in the year 2017. I'm sorry, but having to have an approved SD card list is bullshit and having to buy your SD cards directly from Sound Devices feels like outright fraud. There are countless recorders / mixers on the market, including the 7xx recorders, that rarely, if ever, have problems writing to removable storage. You don't see Sonosax, Nagra, or even Trashcam (for the most part) having this problem the way Sound Devices does. Compact Flash, while expensive and lower capacity, is more reliable, as is an internal hard drive. This is a big deal to me as I know that my trusty 744T is going to successfully capture the recording every time. The internal HDD (SDD in my case) is a feature I simply do not want to give up.
On a final note, I would also say that that user interface, include touchscreen and joystick, are a step in the wrong direction. They are more cost-efficient to build, but I cannot tell you the number of times I have seen issues with them in the Sound Devices Facebook group. Over the past 3-4 years (or however long the 6 series have been out), I have constantly seen busted/cracked LCD screens or software corrupted displays that are unreadable. With the 7xx series, the worst that would happen is a burnt LED. I don't need a color display, I don't like having to excessively access menus, and I like physical buttons.
So there you have it. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a MixPre6 at $899 simply for the extra channels, but if you already own a 744 or 788 I wouldn't bother.