MixPre3 is kinda odd as I think the MixPre6 is only a tiny bit more and well worth the extra cost.
What mics are you using at the moment? As they're probably more important to upgrade than the recorder itself at this stage.
Intro'd for NAB: The MixPre-3 and MixPre-6
- Thread starter Rick R
- Start date
MixPre3 is kinda odd as I think the MixPre6 is only a tiny bit more and well worth the extra cost.
What mics are you using at the moment? As they're probably more important to upgrade than the recorder itself at this stage.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
Ah. I missed. Sorry.
As I said I assumed they did have them just that I hadn't found any mention of them, should have dug deeper, thanks for the update.
My plan, too. My Marantz pmd661 has failed three times, twice on set. That's enough.
So I think I'll get the Zoom F4, and save for a Sound Devices 663 or some such. I anticipate getting a new revenue stream of $400 per month (paid off big loan), so as long as my wife is busy buying shoes, I think I can swing it in a year or so...
So I think I'll get the Zoom F4, and save for a Sound Devices 663 or some such. I anticipate getting a new revenue stream of $400 per month (paid off big loan), so as long as my wife is busy buying shoes, I think I can swing it in a year or so...
I was pretty skeptical of the new mixpres when announced a few days ago, but after watching the above video (thanks Dingo) it really is a pretty slick little device. In many ways, I think SD is pushing a new envelope with regard to workflow. I am so very satisfied with the audio quality of my older generation SD gear, but I wonder if the new mixpre might reshape my thinking. Seems like time will tell on how these might be used.
Grant
Grant
I really like what they've done with it. I got some hands on time and a demo while at NAB. The two different operating modes is a bigger deal than I think most people realize. For beginners, they can take it out of the box and start recording right away with just a basic knowledge of audio. For those that are more advanced, you put it in advanced mode and you can do many things you are used to. This size is also very nice. If you use it in a bag it'll be nice and light weight, and if you integrate it into a camera rig, it won't take up a ton of space. Having the SD pres AND an analog limiter is really what sets these units apart. I'm eagerly awaiting my demo unit from SD.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
It seems as if many have overlooked the legions of Sony A7, GH4, GH5, 5D MKIII and IV, Fujinon XT-2 Users out there. The ability to trigger record and have matching TC from a DSLR, mirrorless or M43 camera via HDMI is huge and really powerful. These kind of turn lower end cameras into an audio powerhouse for when you cannot budget for a sound mixer. Probably the best product from NAB IMHO.
ozmorphasis
Well-known member
Speaking for myself, I can completely agree that nothing else introduced at NAB (that I can afford!) will make as much of a difference in my productions. I was this
close to buying a mix pre and combining it with a recorder, or grabbing a zoom f4 and lamenting the lack of analog limiters. They literally came out with an elegant solution to what I've been looking for.
ozmorphasis
Well-known member
That's good to know. I could've sworn seeing an online comparison with an SD 633 where the zoom clipped despite the limiters while the SD did not. Might have been a Curtis Judd test video. I'll take a closer look.
It takes external TC in via the HDMI or the stereo mini jack.
This is a feature that is in the Tascam DR-701D as well, and I agree, it's something that if can be done (if the HDMI output on the camera isn't already in use), is really nice and convenient. When I get my demo in I'll be testing this out. If it works the way it should it'll save me time.
Noiz2
Sound Ninja
Limiters don't keep you from "clipping" necessarily. You can clip at many points in the chain. If you clip the input then a limiter that comes later won't help.
But there is analog clipping and then there is digital clipping. The later is a deal over situation, really nothing helps much and the best only gets you to a more "analog" sounding clipping. Analog clipping though, if not extreme can be "fixed" pretty well usually.
SD limiters are some of the best I have seen. They are actually multiple limiters so they protect more stages of the chain. A completely digital limiter can only work on the digital signal so the mic pre and the A/D converter are still unprotected and they are prime targets for clipping so digital limiters are not generally very good.
This next part you can take with a touch of salt because it is based on some experience and a lot of reading but I can't say I "know" it is all 100% correct.
AS I understand it the SD limiters sense after the preamp but act before the preamp and they also sense at the output. So they can if set correctly make your signal essentially "clip proof". The F series limiters as I understand it work after the preamp and before the A/D converter so it is still possible to blast the preamp and get it to distort but you won't get digital distortion because the A/D converter is protected. They probably don't have anything limiting the output because it's a recorder so there is no "output" to the record tracks, so you can probably clip the analog output feeding a camera etc.
Some of the reviews that talk about "clipping" with the F series just show some flattened peaks, and that is what happens when a limiter really kicks in. Exactly how the limiter clamps down on the signal has a lot to do with how it sounds. If it limits too abruptly you will get noticeable "clipping" sounds, if it's too soft it can get kind of mushy sounding. Of course you are only going to get that if the limiter is really working on the signal, and that should almost never be the case if you have set your levels correctly. So basically they are complaining about it working.
A limiter is a really bad Auto Gain Control. You shouldn't be using it like that. You should have everything set so you have a comfortable amount of headroom and the limiter is for that completely unexpected surprise sound with the big transient. With no surprises you should never see the limiter engage.
So the real test for a production limiter is not if you can just slam it constantly and it sounds fine, that would require an AGC. It's if on a fine clean track where some actor decided they needed to scream the limiter kicked in and saved you from a big digital crunch.
By all reports the F series does really well as a production limiter. SD is close to the gold standard for a production limiter so I have no doubt that given a bunch of different limiting situations the SD limiters would be "better" sounding, but 90%+ of the situations most people would probably not notice the difference.
Ordered my MixPre-6. Actually pre-ordered. Initial estimates were released on May 5, now 'mid-May'. Ordered a bag, battery sleds etc.
My Marantz pmd661 failed on set three times. No more. Too stressful for my old heart.
(It's funny, though. No one gives much thought to the sound guy. Until there is a problem. Ha ha ha. Everything...stops!)
My Marantz pmd661 failed on set three times. No more. Too stressful for my old heart.
(It's funny, though. No one gives much thought to the sound guy. Until there is a problem. Ha ha ha. Everything...stops!)
dmitrizigany
Veteran
It's kind of an ungrateful thing... if you do a good job with the sound, people shouldn't think of it... kinda like editing, a good edit is one that people don't think about...