Sound Devices New MixPre Series

[willndmb]

so my question does but doesn't have to do with this thread.
Maybe I am misunderstanding the terms but when I think of gain, i think adding.
When I think trim, i think cutting back.
When I think fader, I think cutting back or lowering too.

you can "add" gain via the knobs correct??
Most posts talk about the pre fader and/or trim.
Common sense tells me yes but the terms are throwing me.
Thanks

[dogmusic]

so my question does but doesn't have to do with this thread.
Maybe I am misunderstanding the terms but when I think of gain, i think adding.
When I think trim, i think cutting back.
When I think fader, I think cutting back or lowering too.

you can "add" gain via the knobs correct??
Most posts talk about the pre fader and/or trim.
Common sense tells me yes but the terms are throwing me.
Thanks

I find the term "trim" a bit of a problem too. It's all about controlling input. If you're in a studio, you control the input from a microphone to the mixer with the trim control. Then you control the input to the recorder with the fader. If you've set your trim correctly, you never have to worry about having distorted sound from the microphone to the fader. But the level of the fader has to be watched to not overload the input to the recorder.

Tapers generally record from a microphone straight into a recorder without a mixer. So we want the input control to directly affect the sound from a microphone to an individual recorded track. In film audio lingo, this track is called an ISO.

So when Paul says you can directly control the trim of an ISO with the fader knob by setting that up in Custom mode, I take it on faith that he means we can set the record level from the microphone directly to the tracks with the knobs.

Not sure if this is any clearer. 

[jefflester]

so my question does but doesn't have to do with this thread.
Maybe I am misunderstanding the terms but when I think of gain, i think adding.
When I think trim, i think cutting back.
When I think fader, I think cutting back or lowering too.

you can "add" gain via the knobs correct??
Most posts talk about the pre fader and/or trim.
Common sense tells me yes but the terms are throwing me.
Thanks

Comes from mixer terminology, the first thing the mic input sees is a preamp and the control of the gain of that preamp is commonly called "trim." The trim controls for each channel are to get all inputs to mixer to be in the same general range, because the inputs can come from a wide variety of sources - condenser mics, dynamic mics, ribbon mics, consumer and pro line level, with a wide range of signal level. Then the sliders(faders) control the sources relative to each other. On some mixers, the trim control is labelled gain. On many mixers the range actually goes from negative to positive, so a particularly hot source would actually get attenuated.

[if_then_else]

Powering options for the mixpre-3/6 series and their prices (in EUR). Looks like the USB-C cable is both the most versatile and the cheapest option?

https://www.videodata.de/shop/products/de/Audio/Portable-Audiomischer/Sound-Devices-MixPre-6.html?XTCsid=o4u4ohf7tkrkclnt0vm6psm1rppqfe4l

[beatkilla]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l0yNknm1dQ

[goodcooker]

Seems like with the ability to save presets the MixPre6 could be very useful for us or at least for me

Save a preset for most encountered field recoding scenarios

- simple two track audio recording with bit and sample rate of choice
- four track matrix - two mics and two SBD - link 1&2 and 3&4 for easy gain adjustment
- four mic tracks for split omnis and center pair - or front & back pair for surround
- link 1 through 4 for ambisonics

My interest has been piqued by the new Sennheiser Ambio mic. The need for four identical preamps that can be ganged was a deal breaker. Just can't justify a 788 for a hobby. This may change that for me.

After searching the manual looks like I assumed incorrectly this could be done....

[dogmusic]

- link 1 through 4 for ambisonics

Can you link all 4 inputs? I thought I read somewhere that you can only link two stereo pairs, i.e., 1&2 and 3&4.

[johnw]

Paul isaacs: at 1:52 in the YouTube video you stated that this is "certainly not a replacement" for the 7 series recorders. You mentioned that you'd get back to that later but never really did. Could you clarify that here? It sounds as if you feel the preamps are superior to the 702/22/44. How does the analog to digital stage compare?

I use my 744t to record 4 channel microphone recordings. Channels 3,4 receive a fixed 20db of gain from a preamp. What I wish I could do is to be able to add to that on the fly. As it is, I have an additional 8 db added through the menu settings and just hope I don't overload those channels. I was hopeful that the second front rotary knob could be enabled to do this through a firmware upgrade in the way that it can be done for linked channels 1,2. Since that feature is never going to get added, I'm considering the mixpre 6 as a replacement. But if the analog to digital stage is not as good as the 7series, I'll keep using what I've got.

[goodcooker]

- link 1 through 4 for ambisonics

Can you link all 4 inputs? I thought I read somewhere that you can only link two stereo pairs, i.e., 1&2 and 3&4.

Just went and searched for the word LINK in the PDF manual and it looks like you are right - only stereo pairs can be linked together. Original post changed.

[dogmusic]

- link 1 through 4 for ambisonics

Can you link all 4 inputs? I thought I read somewhere that you can only link two stereo pairs, i.e., 1&2 and 3&4.

Just went and searched for the word LINK in the PDF manual and it looks like you are right - only stereo pairs can be linked together. Original post changed.

Maybe that's something they can add in a firmware update.

[old and in the way]

i went and ordered a mixpre3. Decided on the 3 over the 6 for several reasons . one was the size.the other is that i have a 744t that i put an audioroot upremk11 in front that gives me the same specs as these new sd decks. ill hang onto my 744 for yrs to come as i can do so much with it that i could not do with these new decks. The 3 with it's small size will be used
as a small rig for times when all i want is simplicity or maybe stealth.i hope that they will come out with a hold option and a way to go stealth mode .it should be as simple as firmware.

[dactylus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l0yNknm1dQ

Thanks for the link.  Nice interview with Paul!

Paul in the video the quality of the new pre's for MixPre's is mentioned as being on par with the 6 series devices.  Can you comment on the quality of the new Kashmir pre's as compared to the sd788, the sd6 series and the older 7 series recorders? 

And as "johnw" mentioned above I'm also interested in the analog to digital stage comparison for the new MixPre's as compared to the older 7 series recorders.  Also curious about the comparison of the analog to digital stage of the new MixPre's to the sd788.

[Pinky Herman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l0yNknm1dQ

This is a Sound Device after my own heart.
Super-low noise floor and copious analog compression means guerilla taping has just taken a giant leap forward.

I cannot wait to hear what these babies sound like.

[justink]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l0yNknm1dQ

This is a Sound Device after my own heart.
Super-low noise floor and copious analog compression means guerilla taping has just taken a giant leap forward.

I cannot wait to hear what these babies sound like.

i'm very curious as to how the limiter sounds as well.  i'd love to crank the levels before the show and leave them alone all show long with the bag flap closed, KNOWING that even if I clip, it will sound fine.

[rigpimp]

I typically would not classify myself as an early adopter but I am dying to hear and use one of these things.  Has anyone pinned down some pre-release sound samples yet?  Paul, can we hear your DPA piano recording?

I have used an Edirol (pre-Roland) R-44 since 2007 and I am ready for "new" and "more" without breaking the bank on a 788, which is a dream machine for me.