Cheapest field mixer with tone and meters

Jason Adams

Jason Adams

Section Moderator
Just like the title says. I really only need one preamp. love the mix-pre but shopping some budget options for some work flow tests

Any ideas?
 
true enough. The Mixpre is the unit to buy. Just save your money and get it. It's extremely cheap for what it does. Buy the best tools. you'll never regret it. If you go cheaper, you'll be back! My Mixpre really is essential to doing any field recordings.
 
The "cheapest field mixer with tone and meters" I believe would be the Rolls MX422. It has needle style VU meters and tone. It's $420. I don't recommend going this route.
 
SignVideo ENG-44. I like mine.

IMG_17299.jpg
 
So yes, the Signvideo is the cheapest mixer at present, however, I look at reviews like this before buying my Mixpre or any other SD. Mixpre running at about $650.

http://www.thesoundmanifesto.co.uk/SignVideo_ENG-44_review.html
and
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/all-things-audio/115605-signvideo-eng-44-mixer-problems.html

So read up, like I did, before buying...
Type in MIXPRE REVIEW into Google and read the reviews. It's worth the price though you only get two channels of input. The 1k tone is worth buying alone! I always start by leveing to 1k tone. I feed a Zoom at the same time as the camera, so I always have backup. It's a great product for the price. Just save up and get it....

Signvideo running for about $450. But SD product quality is worth the extra money. I have bought cheaper stuff in the past, I refuse to do so anymore. there is not an audio engineer in my neck of the woods not using SD. Not a one, cause I asked around. So I buy SD. It works great. Great preamps, 1k tone, tape out and in, and great accurate monitoring...the unit just works as advertised. I love it.
 
With the SD, if you want to sell it after your testing, you'll get your $650 back. With the cheaper gear, that's not going to happen.
 
I am trying to wrap my head around why anyone would need tone in a digital world. Does the signal drift in the .WAV format? Does 0dB in a Zoom or Sound Devices not reflect 0dB in Final Cut, Avid or Logic? Do you record to tape before importing into the computer?
 
kgimedia said:
I am trying to wrap my head around why anyone would need tone in a digital world. Does the signal drift in the .WAV format? Does 0dB in a Zoom or Sound Devices not reflect 0dB in Final Cut, Avid or Logic? Do you record to tape before importing into the computer?
Click to expand...

The tone is useful for adjusting levels on the recording device. You need a signal that has a steady level on your mixer in order to adjust it to the recording device. A sine curve (=tone) is the simplest way to generate that steady level. The tone will be crucial until digital microphones will be widely used, for only then there will really be a "digital world", as you call it.
 
kgimedia said:
I am trying to wrap my head around why anyone would need tone in a digital world. Does the signal drift in the .WAV format? Does 0dB in a Zoom or Sound Devices not reflect 0dB in Final Cut, Avid or Logic? Do you record to tape before importing into the computer?
Click to expand...

There are a million different situations you'll need tone.
Most (but not all) relate to alignment of machines.

Easiest way to explain is by giving an example.
If you're running from a mixer to a video camera (to record the audio signal)

Where should the camera volume pots be? You couldnt know. Do you leave the volume on the camera low? high? your recording could be
ruined.

By sending tone out of your mixer (usually at 0db on the meters)
and then adjusting the volume knobs on the digital camera till its meters show -20 you now have set the cameras inputs to its optimum point.

Then when you look at your mixer and the audio/dialog hits 0 you know on camera it is at -20.
If your dialog on your mixer is hitting +8, on the camera its hitting -12.

There are other minor uses for tone such as using it to make notes on a take..etc.
 
Ok, I can see where your coming from. I am just used to tone from my analog days threading tape for ingest or duping.
 
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