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Hey all!

I know that the hand held recorder question has come up on this forum more times than I've had hot dinners, but none that specifically answer this;

Has anyone used the Sound Devices Mix Pre-D with a portable audio recorder (not Zoom H4n) and can they give their plus/minus points on them? I am considering investing in a recorder, it doesn't need XLR inputs (use Sound Devices' preamps then line out to recorder)

On a side note, does anyone have an opinion on a quality rival (within same price range) as the Sound Devices Mix Pre as a stand alone 2 channel mixer?

Thanks!

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3 Answers 3

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A MixPre-D and a Sony PCM-D10 or PCM-D50, depending on your budget, would be a killer combo: Rock solid build, less weight when you don't need the mic pre's, good control, but you top out at 96kHz as opposed to 192kHz with bag-based recorders. Get the MixPre-D 1/4-20 screw adapter and you can mate it with a D50, nice and clean. I need to pass on the second question, as we wait for more knowledgeable contributors... :-)

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  • I have the MixPre (bought used, non-D) & the PCM-M10. It's a great rig. Pre's when I plan for it, palm recorder for the EDC. I have no complaints with the M10, but if I had to buy again (and had the additional $250) I'd probably go with the D50.
    – Steve Urban
    Commented Aug 23, 2012 at 7:21
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I do all my radio dram & documentary with a Mix Pre feeding the line inputs of a Marantz PMD670 and the line inputs of my Zoom H2 for backup. It works brilliantly, great combo.

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Quick and related question —

I have a Mix Pre which I'm using with a Marantz PMD-620 and Tascam DR-40. However, when I'm running the Mix Pre on NiMH rechargeable batteries (2450mAh), I'm getting about five or ten minutes out of it (supplying 48v phantom power to one microphone) before it starts to crap out.

Are there known issues with using these kinds of batteries with this mixer; is mine a dud; is something else amiss? Do I need to remove them when the unit's powered off? I've tried it with two sets of batteries. It's not their fault.

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    I've had the same result with rechargeable batteries in my MixPre. I just don't use them anymore.
    – Steve Urban
    Commented Aug 23, 2012 at 7:16
  • So you use a battery distributor instead, or lithium cells?
    – pointy stumps
    Commented Aug 24, 2012 at 3:59
  • I've found the longest life out of just a standard Energizer. I don't have a battery pack or anything like that at the moment.
    – Steve Urban
    Commented Aug 24, 2012 at 6:00
  • Ah well, thanks. A shame - I was hoping to be a bit more environmentally responsible without buying another big unwieldy battery thing.
    – pointy stumps
    Commented Aug 27, 2012 at 10:54
  • An update: my local Sound Devices distributor told me I should get at least 6 hours out of rechargeables, and there's probably something else wrong. I'll save my pennies and see if I can afford to send it in for repairs; then I'll let you know if I find anything.
    – pointy stumps
    Commented May 6, 2013 at 14:34

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