Promix 6 mixer.... any good compared to the SD Mixpre? Would love Chadfish's opinio

B

berylium

Well-known member
A Promix 6 came available on Craigslist for $600 today.... having dropped steadily in the listings from over $1000.

I've been saving up for the Sound Devices Mixpre-D, as Chadfish gave some great advice on SD equipment.

Couldn't find any info on the Promix 6 anywhere on the internet.... except for the promotional blurbs on online sites that carry the product.

The SD is famous for having great quiet preamps (a very low noise floor, which is what I'm interested in). Does the Promix 6 have the same noise floor?

Would be great if anyone who've would comment on the noise floor comparisons.

Is the Promix 6 a good deal at 600 bucks?

Chadfish?

The promix 6 will be pulled from Craiglist in 24 hours.
 
Do you need 6 channels of ISO and to mix with? The Mixpre-D could be used as an audio interface with A-grade preamps, but could only handle up to 2 channels w/ fader and 2 add'l channels as returns 3+4.
 
Hiya Alan:

No, I don't need 6 channels. Though they may come in handy but for the moment 2 is more than enough. Question: Is the preamps on the promix 6 as good as those in the Mixpre-D?

I'm was hoping to get the Mixpre-D in conjunction witha recorder to do movie dialogue. If the preamps on the Promix 6 is sucky then I'd definitely stay on course for the Mixpre.

On the other hand, if the preamps on the Promix 6 are comparable then I'd consider the promix 6. The extra channels are a bonus.
 
Hi berylium,

When you get to the point that you'll have 6 sources to control and record to, you'll step up to something else. For now and a little more, the Mixpre-D is by far ahead of the Promix 6 in terms of preamp design and functionality. I would start here. When you need add'l channels you could find a used 744T, DR680 to add onto your Mixpre-D with the latter option being far less expensive at the same time getting the job done. Of course, the 744T has it's advantages over the DR680, but once price is factored into your purchasing decisions you'll stick closely with the DR680. Chad uses the DR680 and I've recommended this fabulous piece of gear to several of my friends in the industry. I also believe a brand new DR680 costs almost the same as that used Promix 6 CL listing you were referring.

A.
 
When I purchased my used Alphamix from Trew I called PSC and discussed the differences between the Alphamix and Promix with PSC's owner. His opinion was that the Promix preamps where not as clean as the Alphamix. I also know a local pro who purchased a Promix 6 and very quickly swapped it out for an SD after less than 6 months of field use due to durability concerns. While the Promix 6 is a quality mixer and sells for a fair price and it's preamps are more than adequate for most jobs, IMHO, the biggest selling point of the SD (besides it's steller reputation for solid performance) is the SD includes limiters in the input stage as well as output stage, whereas PSC products only include limiters on the output bus. When iso tracking, this means that you have to rely on the limiters of your recorder. Hope this helps.
 
Hello Alan and Gpforet:

Thanks for responding. By your answers I assume that the Mixpre-D has a much better (lower) noise floor than the Promix 6.

I just want to record dialogue without hearing equipment self noise.

I'm new to audio.... having bought a zoom H4n because of its "low noise preamps" (on company blurbs masquerading as reviews on many online stores) but it turns out I have to crank up the gain to record dialogue and hence raise the noise floor. In other words (this is mentioned in other forums) the Zoom preamps suck.

Anyways, I intend to bypass the Zoom preamps with a Mixpre-D, which has been praised by many in this forum for low self noise. Just wondering if the Promix 6 was comparable in this department, that's all.

But from what you say, I'm better off with the Mixpre-D.
 
I would say that the SD path has less noise than the PSC. But the other part of the equation is microphone self noise which can be a bit of a pickle because there are very reputable top shelf production sound mics which have noise floors above that of the SD mixer. Also, when monitoring, typically, the headphone circuit is the noisiest point in the path so that may not be as good a judge of noise floor as rolling a bit, then listening to playback on a quiet monitoring rig. By the way, I run the DR-680 as well, but use the Alphamix on the front end for most shows. I've considered dropping the Alphamix from the bag, but I like having separate trims for each track, and the routing capabilities of having a mixer in front. I'm often sending the camera a hop, and the director/scriptie a feed as well.
 
Put the Mixpre-D in front of your Zoom and use it as your preamp, done.

We're saying that the Promix 6 is workable, but once you start pushing it you'll start to notice it's downfalls quickly. We're all here to help you.
 
Owned it and hated it. The headphone amp is very noisy. Never heard it recorded into the audio but it was very scary hearing it. I sold it and went to Sound devices. Rocking a sound devices 302 and it's way better and pre amps are better. The PSC will work but buy once not twice. I say go for SD.

Nicole
 
Hey bery!

I have not used the Promix 6. It sees OK, but with 6 channels, it may be more than you need to carry around. I can't speak to the quality of the unit. I have a Tascam DR-680 recorder, and ararely use a mixer with it. If I have 6 mics up to record a show, I go straight into the recorder. If you are doing work that requires you to wrangle 6 channeld of audio at once then I would think that you are getting decent pay, and should just buy something you can trust. For me personally, my MixPre has served me well. It's not even the "D" model. I have yet to get a job with more than 2 people talking at once.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Regards.

Chad
 
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