HELP! Mixpre D or Juicedlink DT454 for on camera AND occasional "mixing"

[drapeama]

Mix-Pre D is in another category of equipment, a step up from the beachtech and the juicedlink.

That's true. And that's the reason why I'm still using the JuicedLink! For the hobbyist that I am, there's no reason to justify buying the MixPre-D.

I have used a juiced link. [..] I record audio with a NTG2 [..] The juicedlink was not a good as a stand alone preamp. Infact, quite useless AND difficult to use [..] The mixpreD to a DSLR is outstanding. Noticeably quieter than the juicedlink.

1) I have a very similar setup: CX211 + NTG2. Works great so far.
2) I don't understand how it's not a good standalone preamp? I'm currently using it to feed my Tascam DR-05 and it gives decent results.
3) How useless and difficult to use would the JuicedLink be..?
4) I can't tell as I never used a MixPre D (due to the price) but so far, for what I'm doing, the JuicedLink suits my needs. I don't think it's noisy. You must get a good mic placement in order to get a decent audio, but other than this, it's fine.

 

[yoclay]

I just found some stats.

Apparently it's just about equal in weight to the mix pre-d and slightly wider, taller, and longer. So it still doesn't offer the portability of the juiced link.

Yoclay/others, do you know how many tracks you can actually record? Two or three? Would it be possible to feed two lavs and a shotgun in and keep the lavs "panned" to opposite sides to keep them separate? I don't even know what that means and it makes no sense to me that you could separate a mono track two two separate recordings in post but I read a thread describing the process with another mixer. Could that be done with this? Otherwise what's the benefit of three inputs mixed to two recorded tracks?

Thanks.

Hi Jackson,
Of course you can record three tracks because the Fostex is also a recorder. Obviously into DSLR, no. Sometimes too, people use a Y splitter to record two monotracks from the same microphone and stagger the mic levels so that if there are any peaks, a second track has you covered. This is very useful when working alone and not being able to stay on top of levels all the time. Many scenarios are possible. I can think of a lot of reasons why this is very practical unit and feel confident that it will have quality preamps. I like that it can be integrated into a DSLR setup or stand alone.

 

[yoclay]

Oh! And i found that the H4n preamps are too noisy too. For my handheld/second unit recorder i choose a combination of the Sony's PCM-D50 and the Denecke PS-2. Their recordings cut up nicely with the SD744T. SD 302 + SD744T has a "color", so they nedd some minor EQ to match. It's a shame that Sony have one of the nicest pres in the sub $500 recorder with only a 3.5mm input.

Totally agree. That Sony is just great (much less self-noise and far better EQ than the H4N) and I would definitely consider it with the Denecke or a Rolls phantom power unit. It is indeed a shame that Sony cannot create a version of the D50 with integrated XLR's. They would cleanup.

Lastly I think people are being a little unfair to the Juicedlink's. Everything I have heard so far indicates that they have a very quiet low noise floor and provide decent, clean gain.

 

[Jackson Miller]

Wow, a lot to consider. That AD071 looks nice but is it really on par or better than the mix pre? I guess it actually compares more to the sd302 with it's 3 inputs and two xlr's out which is actually amazing now that I think about it since it's so much smaller than the sd302. Found this vid on it:
http://vimeo.com/31292248

I got the used juiced link and for 300 bucks I think I got an amazing deal considering when I am done with it I can probably sell it for more on ebay.
The build quality is very fair for the price and the body/shell especially is strong metal. The nobs are slightly consumer-ish. Haven't tested the audio yet but I am sure it will work well for my upcoming project.

After that I definitely want something of higher quality that I can grow with and use as a mixer. So it's between

SD Mixpre - (considering this again based on Craesmeyer's recent comments)
Fostex 302 - Will wait for reviews. I hope it's amazing. Is there any downside to having the recorder built into the mixer though?
AD071 - This could be amazing too because of it's tiny size but sd302 like stats. How do you guys think it compares? I don't know much about AD but are they on par with SD?

In conclusion, more lost than before but less anxious because I have the juiced link so I'm set for the next month.

 

[drapeama]

Lastly I think people are being a little unfair to the Juicedlink's. Everything I have heard so far indicates that they have a very quiet low noise floor and provide decent, clean gain.

I second that. I own 2 and so far I'm very pleased with the results. There's not much options on it like there would be on a mixer: only the Gain Control (Low, Medium, High), Volume Knobs and a PAN (Left, Center, Right). It's pretty simple, but they works great to get rid of the entry-level recorders' noisy internal preamps. That's what I'm doing and it works great.
Again, mic placement is the key, as well as using the right mic for the right situation too.