proper 4+ track bag type setup?

manglerBMX

manglerBMX

Veteran
so i've been mixing for a few years, mostly smaller stuff. some short film, 1 feature, some eng/corporate, etc..

now i'm looking to upgrade my kit a bit. currently i'm using a psc m4 mkII going to a zoom h4. its a decent kit for dslr/indie stuff. but i'd like to step my game up and go to a 4 channel kit.

i'll probably be getting either alpha mix or promix 6(ideally a 552 but....) running to a tascam dr-680. but i'm a bit confused about something when it comes to 4 channel recording/mixing. i see that the alpha and promix have multiple outs for each channel, but all i've read online says they are "pre fade". so does this mean that the levels have no control over those outputs and only the camera xlr's out are "mixable"? i've read that SD's have "pre or post fade". but the PSC stuff is a LOT closer to my budget but i can't find any hard evidence that they can do what i want with them. or am i just getting 4 channel setups all wrong?

any help is greatly appreciated!
 
The alpha mix is a 4 channel mixer as well as the one you already have. Any reason why you would want to buy another 4 channel mixer? I believe their is a mode for the PSC mixer to allow it to be post fade but don't quote me on that.

Nicole
 
Mangler you pretty much want your individual channels (ISO's) to be prefade, post trim/gain.

Why? Because if your ISO's were post fader when you are creating your mix on your mixer
and take a particular microphone out the mix it would also then not be recorded to its own track.

Say you miss a cue to open a particular microphone if its always being recorded prefade
the editor can use that ISO track to "save the day".

I used to own the PSC m4 mkii but its been so many years I cant remember for sure,
but I think there are no gain controls correct? Like an FP-33, so you might not be used to the
2 knob scheme of getting levels. Its the same as any desktop mixer like a mackie.


The mixers that have prefade iso outs should have a gain/trim control AND a fader.
You adjust your "rough" gain on the trim, and the "fine" gain on the fader.
That "rough" gain level is what goes out the ISO's.

As far as the promix, looking real quick it doesnt seem to have any trims on it so its a bit
strange to have zero control of the outputs if they are indeed "prefade"
 
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misscc803, the m4 is a 4 channel mixer but doesn't have individual outs on it like the alpha does.

Rippie, thanks for the input. the m4 does not have the gain/trim. only a 1 knob style like the fp series mixers.

i'm probably going to go for the alpha then. promix seems to be lacking a lot of what i want.

but i'll probably go with that recorder first and then grab my mixer up a bit later. thanks a lot for your input!
 
Oh ok I see manglerBMX. Cool beans I was going for the Promix 6 myself but may consider the Alpha mix or the SD 552. Could use the extra inputs.

Nicole
 
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