Sound Devices MixPre-3 II

What a beast! These preamps are insane! I love love love the Mixpre 3 II! If you’re thinking about either this unit or the F6, I had the same conundrum. I couldn’t decide. In the past I would go for the best bang for my buck (F6), but this time I decided to go for quality and I’m so glad I did. It’s genuinely as wicked as it looks. And customer support is well-known for being top-shelf—not that I’ve ever had to use them. Get this unit. You’ll be glad you did. P.S. The only thing is, if you think you can assign the PiP 3.5mm jack to a lav, you can, but you cannot achieve an additional track, yet. The updates are plentiful and I’m hoping to see it be able to record 4 tracks simultaneously in future. It only does 3 tracks and two additional tracks of a type of stereo bus mix down. It works for my needs.

I had a Tuscan audio recorder - and finally pulled the trigger to buy the PreMix and I LOVE it. Super easy to use. Easy to read interface. All the necessary bells and whistles for the serious film professional. I outfitted with an audio bag and have used it fairly non-stop. I ordered a Sony L-Battery adapter because this unit BURNS through AA batteries like there is no tomorrow. That is a BIG drawback - but get the adapter and you'll be glad you did. one other difficult thing about this unit is the sound card being installed UNDER the battery pack - so you have to pull the whole darn thing apart to take the audio card out... which is also a pain. Also has a nice AC adapter when in locations that allow it. I strongly recommend this unit - it is great.

This is a solid performer, and the company regularly sends updates. MY USE: I have a home teaching studio, currently using an ATEM Extreme ISO switcher with several video/audio inputs. Originally, I used a Blue Yeti mic through my MacBook Pro. And although I had no sync problems in my streaming, I found I needed to control volume and muting thru the switcher rather than separately thru the MBP. I am currently up to 6 separate inputs. So, I needed to replace the USB mic with an XLR condenser mic. This required phantom power and some preamp power. The MixPre-3II has worked out perfectly. It did require some YouTube study, including learning the PreMix functions, as well as recommendations on settings for the equalizer software for the ATEM. I ended up using an Octava mic from Amazon, as well. The most helpful videos for the software came from Curtis Judd's YouTube videos. I have included all these details for those who may be just starting out. I know I appreciated any extra info (and still do) when putting everything together.

Learn it, play with it. Then you can appreciate the quality...

The MixPre-3 works pretty well in terms of a recorder. I use it in the field and find the compact size workable given the ability of the product. There are equally good but very bulky recorders and moderately good very small recorders and this small to mid sized unit beats both. I will say that a good mike does help the cause. I would give 5 stars if not for the fact that the thing eats batteries rapidly. I quickly ordered the Anker PowerCore+ 20100 USB-C. Without it our recording time in the field is very limited. In the home or studio, hooking up to 110 volt AC works well. I've only had the recorder out in the field 3 times. I'll update if my position changes. Bottom line, this has started out as a good recorder. If you use it in the field, start with a good external power source and you should be set to go.