+1 for Reaper for unpacking or "exploding" the multitrack file.

Its free to try!

Have my mixpre out tonight and mounted on the manfrotto tripod. Here is a pic

I also use a tripod when outside or on the floor but when I have a table I prefer to use a laptop stand. It feels more secure and I do not have to put all the weight of the unit and cables to the 1/4 camera thread.
That laptop stand is surprisingly strong and stays in place.
For controller the Korg nanoKONTROL Studio


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FXPQ7XG...d6dhvAWR4&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3DNYG5F...WxfdGhlbWF0aWM

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1LH9RDT...WxfdGhlbWF0aWM

Ah, that's a different Manfrotto tripod to the ones I use for my sound recorders: I was talking about the pocket MP3 'tripod' that folds completely flat (about 8mm thick when closed), which means it can stay on the bottom of the recorder at all times.

Just wondering if it’s a particular manufacturer quirk, or generally applicable, that the TA3F mini-XLR pin allocation differs from the regular size XLR ?

They all make it like that, no clue why, seems stupid.

Many thanks Aggelos….isn’t it good to know that ‘standards’ are being adhered to !

Which control surfaces are MixPre users favouring and why: Korg Nanokontrol/Studio, Novation, others ?

Which external battery powering options are you finding suitable for the MixPre 10II ? A few videos I found demonstrate some options:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0yqgOGtK5A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a_AP9JbgJg

It really depends on your needs. Basically how many phantom powered mics and for how long you plan to use it.
I use V-mount cause it offers longer times than the Sony L but also cause i do not like the L mount holder. I think it is not so well designed.
I still use the AA battery holder to give some protection to the SD card.
If you plan to use it on some temperature challenging environment the High -q battery could be best cause it has temperature telemetry .
Curtis' video is comprehensive but what i like to add is that you can get battery distribution boxes that you can connect two batteries at the same time. That way when one battery is about to get empty you can connect a fresh one without having to turn off the recorder and thus offering endless powering time.

For power:
- when i dont need loads of power, i use a sony L mount

- when i need longer / more power, i use the sony L mount as well as an idx NP battery through the hirose connector on my mixpre 10ii. The NP batt lasts a long time. I recently did a jazz fest and 5 hours in, the NP was at 75% charge. For context, I had 2 channels of phantom, 4 ch recording total. That is a long time to run on battery!

For L mounts, i also prefer idx as their L mount batteries have a button to quickly check the battery levels via four LEDs. Small feature, but i use it a lot when gathering batteries for a Gig. Lets me know i grabbed the fully charged ones!

Tom

Thank you for your insights Tom and Aggelos….it’s much appreciated !

I have another ‘newbie user’ question: when recording multiple mic inputs simultaneously, the LR mix that’s feeding the headphone monitoring seems to easily go well ‘beyond the red’ and overload, resulting in audible distortion in the cans. This can be despite the individual mic inputs being quite conservative…although I’m still getting used to -12 on the meters as being the (MixPre defined) threshold for ‘red’ !

It seems as if the LR mix (also going to headphones) has some sort of additional gain stage engaged, since the individual mic inputs (when transferred to Reaper DAW) are quite conservative…even somewhat too low…yet the first 2 files (LR mix) are also overloaded in Reaper. I must be doing something wrong ?

In addition, I’m having trouble making sense of this following section of the user manual (which also hints at the existence of an additional gain stage’ ….maybe that’s what I’m up against ?)
Can someone please explain it in simplified terms ?

“Gain Staging with Linking:

You can use linking with single gain stage or two-gain stage (trim/fader) operation. For instance, users wanting to link inputs 1-2 or 1-4, but control all levels from the front-panel Channel 1 knob should set System > Mode to Custom and then in Custom Setup, set Gain to Basic and Channel to Advanced.

Users wanting to link those same inputs but use two gain stages should use Advanced Mode or Custom mode with both Gain and Channel set to Advanced. Then, you can adjust trim gain levels for linked channels from the Channel 1 screen and adjust fader levels for linked channels with the Channel 1 knob”

I’m sure I’m making a fundamental error on the ‘gains/trims/faders’ front, particularly relating to the “use two gain stages” in the paragraph above, from the manual ?

Ray, perhaps I've misunderstood you, as this seems a general and basic mixing issue. Your individual iso channels are recorded pre-fader, so (assuming you are using advanced mode) then adjust gain (side knob) for each mic appropriately for a healthy recording of each individual channel and adjust the fader (front channel knob) to send what you want of that channel to the LR mix (which, in your case - and most cases - will be what you are sending to your headphones). Using many/all inputs there is, of course, a danger of sending too much of the post-fade levels to the LR mix bus (e.g. if you just leave each fader at 0dB): that's what the faders are there for, and why they go down to -50dB.

Again this is simple. In basic mode what we understand by gain (i.e. pre-fader trim gain on inputs) is combined with the fader and all controlled by the front knob: so what SD call a single gain stage. This makes sense as in basic mode you can only record the LR mix, and not the isos. I can't imagine that many use a MixPre-3/6/10 like that. In advanced mode, the MixPre-3/6/10 behaves as you'd expect with such a mixer-recorder, with pre-fader trim gain controlled separately, and the fader (front knob) controlling what you send to the LR mix bus.

There is no odd 'additional gain stage', although, of course, you can control headphone levels!

Cheers,

Roland

Thank you for that clarification Roland, i wasn't aware that the front knobs, as l was adjusting them for a headphone mix, was also applying the same gain to the LR mix and thus overloading them. I'll back them off and see how I go.

As the manual states "Custom mode allows you to select your own mixture of basic and
advanced operation. This mode grants access to select categories of Advanced Mode"

It's going to take me a little time to determine which mode I'm in, and which provides the degree of necessary control...I'll be floundering between Custom and Advanced for some time I think !

So my Korg Nanokontrol 2 control surface has both rotary controls (can be set to either pans or trims) and faders..and I'm presuming the Korg's faders therefore will adjust both the headphone mix and the level sent of all mic signals sent to LR mix...as per the manual linked below...

https://cdn.sounddevices.com/wp-cont...e_01.04.22.pdf

Thanks again for your advice...I'll keep struggling on !
Maybe the Sound Devices and Curtis Judd tutorial videos on YouTube will be helpful ?

Ray, There's nothing esp. unusual about the MixPre-series mixer-recorders. What you were using before a MixPre-10 that makes it so confusing?

If you are confused between modes, setting up a custom mode will only add to that: I'd recommend sticking with advanced mode, which gives you all the options and is still straightforward. The early firmware changes of 2017-18 (i.e. to the first series) ironed out most initial oddities, and improved MS options.

Cheers,

Roland

Ray, that will entirely depend on what headphone preset you are using: if you are monitoring the LR mix bus (the most basic and perhaps obvious), then the answer is yes what you say is correct. But the MixPre-3/6/10 give you all sorts of headphone monitoring options (which you can save as presets), which include pre-fader options. If using the latter then, of course, the faders on the MixPre or on the Nanokontrol 2 will have no impact on the headphone signal. For example, I have a (self-obvious) preset named 'MS pre-fader', which applies to channels 1 and 2 only.

Cheers,

Roland

Note that the user manual linked is an old one. If you've updated to the latest firmware (9.01), there is a newer manual. Most of the operation is the same, though.

Roland is precisely right. Many new users don't see that the ISOs are recorded prefader, and the front knobs are for the L/R mix.

It's stunning how flexible the routing in the MixPre is.

Another newbie question:

On a gig recently, i armed and recorded 2 channels of audio into the MixPre10. When trying to import the files into my MacBook DAW, the file contains a third silent track, presumably for time code. Do I have an option to turn that off and not record it integrally with the file?

Been reading the manual from cover to cover and am no wiser about this issue.

JG
Canada

Might you, accidentally perhaps, have had a third channel armed?

DG

Yes, this is what perplexed me...I might just dispense with recording the L/R mix anyway, if that's possible... my previous multitrack recordings with the R16 never gave me this, so I won't miss them. They occupy 2 additional tracks needlessly, though I know they can't be replaced by others in their stead...

Easy to NOT record a L/R mix; Menu/Record/RecL,R - set to OFF.

The resulting polywav will have only the armed ISOs. I also try to make a note how my polywav tracks are configured in any session notes.

This is very likely my future operating procedure...

There also doesn't seem to be much point in recording stereo files (eg main pair), apart from the convenience of linked gain setting, if they all get exploded to individual mono files, when being imported into Reaper ?

I'm expecting to still hear the L/R mix from the headphones socket, and also output it from the L/R TA3 (and the unbalanced X1/X2 3.5mm outputs)...if configured for this ?

I record all the tracks even if not using them.

Due to Template in DAW and trying to remember which mic is which. I caught myself out earlier in the year.

And never seem to run out of card space so not an issue really.

Just need to send it off for a screen fix over summer. We had a boiler failure over winter when we were away and it got seriously cold and damp in the place it was living. I cant see 1/3 of the screen but sort of get away with it.

That little screen conveys a lot of info (via the menu)..but I'm gonna get one of these...

I'm lucky (?) I have fingers like chopsticks so I can poke the bits I need too.

Great box a have 6 too.

Massive amount of DAWs as well, but for capture I always use the Mixpres as its so easy and never fails.

Yes, assuming both outputs are configured for the L/R mix and the L/R headphone monitoring is selected. Double check all configurations and save your preferred setups to a setup file.

I also like to record the L/R mix: you have something right away; it may be fine for casual use; if you sent that to video people, you have a record of it; it can help in any subsequent remix.

Ultimately I'd like to do that, once I've got all the gain settings and monitoring levels figured out...but currently I'm producing an overloaded and often distorted L/R mix, even though the individual ISO's are fine. As was mentioned earlier I'm probably pushing the monitoring on each mic too hard, and that's creating the overloaded mix. I just need some more practice time with it...

If dealing with polywav files and default-recording the mix is a pain, you can always buy the Musician Plugin ($100 USD), which only records the ISOs as individual wav files; if you want to record a mix you can do that in the MixPre afterward (even doing live adjustments to the mix on the fly while the mix is being recorded), but of course that involves resampling. I find the Musician Plugin a lot more intuitive to work with, as it's much more like recording into a DAW.

It can also add reverb (surprisingly flexible options for customizing the reverb to taste) to the mix, and as a bonus if you've added markers those will be embedded in the mix wav file; those markers appear in Reaper and a few other DAWs and editors. You can name the markers in the MixPre and the names will be preserved in the wav file too, which can be really useful.

Mostly I don't bother with any of that and just record the ISOs as individual wav files and do my mixing in post. You can also do overdubs with the Musician plugin (it is zero-latency, so really good for that), and also bring in an externally recorded wav file as a backing track for musicians to play along with as they record their tracks. None of this is likely to be something you'd need for classical recording, but I've used it for other genres. Basically it turns your MixPre into a portastudio.

However, timecode or wordclock input are not available in Musician Plugin mode, which is too bad. I like to externally clock my MixPre 10t with a Grimm clock, which makes a small but noticeable (to me) improvement in the clarity and openness of the sound; it comes closer to what I hear from my Sonosax M2D2. But I can only do that in the normal polywav recording mode.

The Musician mode sounds more like what I've been used to with previous recorders, even though I'd rarely use the overdub facility.

Does buying and flashing the Musician functions into the MixPre mean it can't subsequently operate in the existing mode...or can the Musician system be used interchangeably...as and when needed ? It seems like it would be desirable to swap between the 2 modes to cater for differences in recording style, rather than being stuck with one or the other.