Just received mine (MixPre-3 ii). Plugged my NTG3 into it, turned it on, set it up for 32-bit float and man.... coming from a Zoom H6 that I spent the last 6 years using.... I... I can't believe how awesome this is. I set my gain down so I was peaking at - 30db and it was soooooo clean when I'd bring it back up in Premiere! This thing should last me, well, forever if the unit is built to last. I've got it sitting under my Epic-W (such an awesome setup for one-man-band interviews) and now wondering if all I need to send timecode to the cam is a 3.5mm to 4-Pin timecode cable. Game changer for my line of work!

00:15 - Who is Paul Isaacs? 00:53 - Motivation behind releasing the second generation 3:57 - More about the R&D 5:30 - What is new in the second generation? 6:30 - Changes on the hardware 8:29 - You can now jam timecode 10:19 - Benefits of 32 bit float 19:00 - What is “bagdrop”? 20:52 - When (not) to use limiters? 21:45 - Will soundmixers lose their job? 25:18 - USB file copy 27:37 - +18dBu output on Mixpre-10 II 28:42 - Adjustible limiter 32:41 - Power options 36:49 - What happened to “M” models 39:00 - Remix with 32-bit float 43:48 - Editors supporting 32-bit float files 45:15 - Can you re-record a 32-bit float file as a 24 bit file using Remix?

Very nice coverage as usual. I have two of the MixPre-3s and am very happy with them. 👍

I love his passion behind Sound Devices' vision.

As a solo op, the MixPre D (now discontinued) is simply amazing for me. The unit has made my life so much better. My audio has never been so good! So, you guys are spot on with the solo op discussion.

Thanks Curtis. Very informative info about the new MixPre ii! As a narrative sound mixer who grew into the industry using SD products, it's very interesting to watch Sound Devices evolve into this new company they are becoming. I think the future is bright for SD and I wish them all the best!

Excellent initiative ! Having Paul Isaacs on your channel is great.

Great interview, Curtis. I can't wait to see when you get your hands on one of the new Mixpre II's and do some experiments. When Paul was talking about recording rain drops I was like "Wow... I never thought of that".

Curtis I got my hands on a mixpre 10 ii, used it on a job yesterday. Very impressive recorder, the float 32 but is brilliant.

such a great interview with insights into finer details of sound work

Great interview!

Great interview with all topics covered in 46 minutes. Good job and thank you !

That was a good interview and full of excellent information and great questions with design and usage scenarios. Look forward to these types of intervies. Paul was a great interviewee. 👍

I am seriously considering purchasing version II of the Mixpre based on this interview. Very informative and great discussion about timecode and the 32 bit float capability.

Well, after all this time and all these videos (and specific help and advice from Curtis) I've finally pulled the trigger on a Mixpre-6 II, an Orca-80 bag and a pair of Sony MDR-7506 headphones. Delivery tomorrow 😃🍺

It's so impressive how Paul pulls all the detailed info right out of his memory. Clearly passionate about his work and products. I watch other similar vids where the person will "I'll have to look into that" and "I'm not 100% on that" quite a lot. I'm so happy I delayed on my PreMix purchase as I'll now get the 6. That should even be overkill for interviews and corporate vids. But I'll have room for growth.

I'm so happy that I waited, this generation 2 sounds freaking amazing. I record and review a lot of electronic drum sets in very hurried situations by myself. Loud and soft sounds, so clipping is a real issue for me. At certain conventions I may not even have control of the gain from the module audio they're sending me. This sounds great for those situations

Great interview, Curtis! Always love deep dive content and you definitely deliver on that! Can't wait to see your review! Paul if you're reading this - great answers as well! Your depth of knowledge is amazing!

Very useful. It makes those Items even more likable when you know some people behind it.

What a fantastic interview !!

If like to see how the mix 6ii stacks up against the new zoom f6 once that's released. Can't wait for that comparison!

Thank you!!! :) It was fantastic to listen to you :)

Great interview. Great product. Definitely in my future. Thanks Curtis and Paul!

mind opening! the 32bit float tech was really a new subject for me, now I can say I'm starting to get my head around it. thanks !

So open! Thank you very much! Pleased to watch!

Curtis, you've outdone yourself again! Great job!

Excellent interview. Paul was very informative about the product.

Very useful conversation. Thanx Curtis.

I can't wait to get my hand on my Mixpre-3 ii and do some real world test. Curtis, we look forward to a full review of the new series of the Mixpre on your channel ASAP.

I love my Mixpre-3 and use it weekly But I really want a Sound Devices 633 Someday Thanks for this video Regards, Rick

Thanks for this video, Curtis. Listening to Paul Isaacs is always interesting. By the way, I'm glad I got the MixPre 3M in time, since they don’t make it anymore. The non-M version with the additional music plugin was and is more expensive. And as a Zoom F8 owner I only need the MixPre for music.

Wow this looks fab, great interview & perfect timing as my Zoom f8 just died, problem now solved, I can make do until shipping starts in uk.

Great talk/interview

For the first time I'm glad I don't have enough money at the moment. I was going to save for the mixpre 3, which was a tough choice in regards to the Zoom F6 but now having 32bit recording, TC and other upgrades, I think mixpre 3 II is a definite choice.

Does anyone know if there're any benefits of 32-bit float when using wireless lavalier transmitters? Is there a benefit of using analogue over digital transmitters or could there be in the future? I just noticed that Tentacle has released 32-bit float pocket-sized audio recorder. Would that be a better way to go if, for the large part, the user is only using lavalier mics? Thoughts ...

Sound Devices equipment is stunning.

Clearly the MixPre II series is very impressive. But I have to take issue with the statement by Mr. Isaacs at 7:51, where he says "We're never going to stop developing ... if we release a product, we're not going to stop there." Yeah, well, unless it's a Video Devices product, in which case they definitely will stop there.

Now that the Zoom F6 is coming at the same price as the Mix-Pre3 II and they both have 32-bit float, which of the two you would recommend for an indie filmmaker? Mostly doing sound on my own while filming small productions without budget for a sound guy. Thanks for your help!

I need some MixPre 3 II in my life.

The F6 can suck it! (jk); the series ii looks even more amazing! I'm glad they added all the features and combined the M models into one. I actually can't imagine what a series iii will have in store, except the suggestion you made. I'm still not used to upgrading audio recorders every few years; it's interesting that the technology available to manufacturers is what's driving the new models, more so than demand. 32bit will definitely become popular, I can think of at least 100 reasons this year alone, where it would have helped me. I still can't fathom the dynamic range of the series ii. Thanks for this great, in-depth interview!

The true benefit of this technology is hearing Curtis try to clip the audio when he does his reviews.

Very interesting, looking forward to try the new mixpre 10

When would the extra 18db be used ? How often have you used the extra db that a recorder like the mixpre 10ii has over the mixpre 6ii? I will be also using the dpa 4017b in the future for outdoor work and dpa 6060

I see that the mixpre II has its timecode triggered by HDMI. Apart from using a cable, can you use an HDMI transmitter on your camera rig to trigger the timecode?

25:18 Do i need to change anything in Menu to get the backup recording on SD and USB both? i cant find any Settings for this. Thanks

Is there a way to send more than one IFB feed from the X1/X2 output? Would a splitter cable work for 2 transmitters?

Can we jam mixpre II series timecode with the HDMI? For example if i can't keep it on camera because i have everything else fixed in place. Do we have any information on the next gen date? :)

I have the mix pre 6 ii, this is f****** amazing sound

I'll watch this video tonight. I hope it helps answers the question as to whether a MixPre Gen 1 owner should upgrade to the Gen 2, and whether the Zoom F6 with its 32-bit float recording AND dual AD converters may be a better bet. I reached out to Sound Devices about whether an upgrade program/option would be available to current MixPre Gen 1 owners and the answer was no. That's a shame given I spent near $1K on a MixPre 6 only 12 months or so ago, and then a new gen is launched very shortly after... Curtis: I ordered your sound prod course, steadily going through it - it's excellent.

Excellent! Buying this today!

Paul is the awesome guy! This is was very clear and simple explanation of using 32-bit audio. Of course I want what I need now and for what purpose. Now I need only choose the brand what I want. But with one point I am disagree with him. He told that 32 big audio is good for unpredictable environment (that is true - that is why we shoot in RAW), newbies in sound recording and for anything who not familiar with sound recording, like dp or another person. I am agree with him about environment and maybe about people who not familiar with sound recording or maybe not. But person who want to learn sound recording should also known for which situations 32 bit are good and when regular 24 bit is good enough. It is like photo or video - you can shoot only RAW and fix your work on post production, but in that case you will not be a good photographer or dp. You will be doing your job as well as you could and you also will hope that you can save your shoot on post. After that great interview (again thanks for your great job 👍) I decided that I need F6/MixPre-3 II for uncontrolled environment and ambient recording and F8n/MixPre-10 II for more controlled environment. With my skills, price of products and tons watched reviews I think for me, as a hobbyist, F6 and F8n will be enough for a long long time. But design, functionality and awesome creator of MixPre II series looks so good that I do not know what to do now. May be it is a good idea to spend more money for a little bit great product. I do not know. And nobody could not answer on this question except me. I started to have a lot of confidence in the owner 😄 Anyway good job again 👍

When will SoundDevices improve their control-App for the MixPre3-mk2 to include gain control for each channel and improve the user Interface design (example: the app for Zoom F6) ?

All things equal, such as recording technique, gainstaging etc, would there be a difference in sound quality, for recording just voices in the context of voiceover, narrations, and room dialogue using the sound devices mixpre-3 II VS Prism Sound Lyra-1 2x2, using these 2 mics sennheiser mkh 416 and the neumann u87 ?

This is such good information thank you for the presentation can't thank you enough. A MixPre II exactly what I need

Thanks Curtis and Paul for this great interview. That remix of 32 bit file (pulling down gain) directly in mixpre is great, I was wondering about that. You forgot to ask about automix feature :) Is it even possible to add in 10ii because of its processing? Automix or not I'm buying it next month.

1. Do you actually need to use 32 bit float to get the "don't worry about initial gain setting" benefit of the internal signal/processing architecture? 2. If I understand the patent correctly (and I may not!), the illustrations show what appear to be not only multiple ADCs, but each ADC being fed off of its own preamp (so, 2 or 3 preamps.) The focus of the patent seems to be the processing of the digital signals after the various ADCs, but if there are multiple pre-amps (each handling a different gain/signal strength range) that seems very important! 2 or more preamps per channel would seem to be a massive advantage over a system with only 1 preamp then feeding multiple ADCs. Any word from Sound Devices if there is one or more than one preamp per channel? 3. Ah - glad to hear that it seems to be a problem with Resolve/Fairlight in handling the 32 bit float sample file, not just operator error! 4. It's great that SD added timecode generation in the 3/6 Series II, but it would have been nice to have just one more 3.5mm jack dedicated to TC in or out to avoid needing another box (e.g. Tentacle) in some situations or having to remember to swap cables around periodically jamming various equipment. Being able to feed a mono mix to one channel of the Aux out and TC to the other channel might help (use a splitter cable?) but the different signal levels (audio vs. TC) might make that impossible?

You'd think the Sound Devices guy might plug in a mic for an interview...

Trying really hard to not be upset about this roll-out. Don't get me wrong-- I love my mix pre10T, but dismayed that I paid full price only back in April. I guess I just need to work extra days to get this mixer and sell my old one? Either way, I love your information Curtis, and your host is such a great guy. Another awesome show!

Hi Curtis-when you recorded this, is the sound recorded on to the camera?

Sadly, I had to send my MixPre-3 back because it was impossible to find a battery solution. I record life history interviews for a museum archive, in sessions usually lasting no longer than 2-hours at a time. I couldn't get the beautifully-built Sound Devices recorder to run longer than about 20 minutes even with the highest capacity batteries. The retailer confirmed that the unit was not faulty, but simply is not designed for field recording. Such a shame, I have to rely on Tascam, Roland, and Zoom, none of which reaches the sonic quality of Sound Devices' products.

Which microphones would you recommend for mix pre 6 mk2? Mostly for foley sound recording?

hey curtis i got the mix pre 3 ii what do i have to to sync timecode with the bmpcc4k im very new with this can you help me out?

Do you think the mixpre 6ii is ok for the red Komodo ,c70 and Panasonic s5ii and the deity Theos ,dpa 6060 , Schoeps cmc1 mk41 with cut 30 capsule or will the 18db in the mixpre10ii be needed ? Does the mixpre10ii produce less noise than the mixpre6ii?

Definitely bummed the 3 doesn't have TRS connectors. As a videographer having that in the Zoom H5 really helps minimize the cables and adapters I have to carry around.

That was very intuitive. On the strength of that interview (and your reviews) I've ordered the MixPre 3 ii and a Rode NTG4+ mic. Quite excited really. Syncing 2 cameras will have to be done the hard way for now coz I'm going to be eating beans on toast every night for the next month until I recover from the financial outlay.....lol. I feel like a martyr to the cause but hey... the results will be worth it....

That hardware is waaay outside my league, but it's good to know what's available.

Curtis, will anyone of these Mix Pre units be substantial for my feature film I’m presenting to Netflix?

Is the mix pre 2 the same as the mix pre 3 or is it just the hole name of the product line 3 6 and 10t just want to confirm thanks .

When the F6 was announced, I predicted that SD would drop the price of their Mix-Pre Series within 6 months. Not only did they do so, they released a new generation!

hi, Curtis. There's an hirose or d-tap adapter for the mixpre 6? The lack of a decent power port is not understandable by me. What are the expected recording time in a 4ch+48v configuration with 4 AAs (Ni-MH)?

Hey Curtis, what are those cables called you use to connect the MixPre10 II to a camera with standart XLR inputs? Thanks a lot!

Question. Does the Mixpre 3 need to be continuously tethered to the Nikon Z6 for timecode to function on the camera or can it be synced then both the camera and recorder can be untethered?

Can i connect another SD mixpre II as a an input extension ?

Is the mark 3 coming out soon? Don’t know if I should buy a used mixpre 3 ii for $650

Awesome video Curtis. I can understand why but....it seems like the Zoom F6 should have been mentioned by you. That would have been interesting.

Would this be overkill to use for a podcast? Cheers.

nice！Curtis，but I'd like to know whether the shell of mixtre II is made of metal or plastic, because after testing, I found that my deity connect wireless system would interfere with the equipment of plastic shell 报错双语对照

Wow. I would love to do a scene with the beauty of soft raindrops and then the clap of thunder. Brilliant example of wide dynamic range! I learned adjusting gain is like adjusting ISO on a camera sensor right?

Thanks Curtis! Thanks Paul! I guess I'll be waiting for the Gen 3 version!

nice interview...very informative

Hey Curtis, from your perspective given a choice of F6 vs MixPre3 II, which one would you choose? From my point of view ergonomics is more important than channels (hardly ever use more than 2, never needed 4), and in my workflow I use "slate" functionality on my current DR-60 II extensively to mark good/bad takes/voice-notes to myself, as "marks" in BWF file seem not to appear in Fairlight. I always do continous recording, as it is easier to sync with video in post. Or maybe do you have other practice to add those marks to the recording?

Great interview. What is the replacement for SD702 ?

Thanks for both of you, how about converting 32bit to 24bit, is it possible for older (Logic...) DAW?

Still, love my 1st gen mixpre 3.

this is great and really useful, thanks

I am thinking of purchasing the new mixpre 10t II but I have always been a fader kinda guy so I was just wondering if any controller could allow me to actually control the levels that is actually recorded in the iso tracks not just the stereo mix tracks

I have a question. How do you get a 32bit float file from the recorder into a DAW without rendering it clipped? Because 32bit float can only exist internally right? So in a DAW I would have to have a session set to 32bit to prevent the file being rendered?

great human conversation. shame that no question was asked about automix feature for mixpre. Yes I now Dugan is licensed but 6t33-688 you can choose their Soundevices version Automix, like Studer Vistamix or Lawo Automix on broadcast consoles. They don’t need pay for the licenses.... Q2: new Mixpre 10T II does have really strong analog Outputs on miniXLR for sending audio to Pro cameras (Line In level mode) Thanks 😀

I have a question. It is mentioned that 32-bit float isn't available in Musician Mode. That seems to me to limit the usefulness of such a powerful feature. To give my use case, I record a lot of classical music, which as you might imagine requires a ton of dynamic range. Admittedly, my use case is probably not in the majority, but I feel like the whole point of my upgrading from my 6M has been defeated if 32 bit float cannot work in Musician Mode. Am I an outlier on this one? Thanks for all you do!

Hi Curtis (live in UK) I'm considering purchasing a Mix Pre 3 II or Mix Pre 6 II and seeing the Ambisonics potential can I use my original Soundfield ST-250 Mic and get back a 'B' Format split to the 4 Channels for editing. I don't have the 'B' Format unit that was available when purchased in 1990 - the Mic is in exceptional condition and used rarely but mainly for SFX and Atmos Gathering. Much appreciate you advise and just to say - you really provide excellent reviews - I've listened to so many and find myself in between the in-between on what to do: at my age I'm unlikely (but not necessarily) to be working back with film crews, I also used to Interview and also the Audio as well as having a 30 plus year Atmos gathering library and am not blessed with having unlimited funds. Currently I still have my Tascam HD-P2 - Roland R-26 for location plus regular Studio audio units including my original HHB MD unit - the Location DAT and Tape Recorders now long gone to pastures untold. I do miss those days and how we coped but I also want to be able to put my Music to work so I also need to be able to multitrack on the unit. Look forward to hearing from you. Once again thanks for any help and your previous responses. Michael / OAK77uk /TouchwoodMusic.com - not sure if you're on Twitter but I do ReTweet your Video's hoping this may help please link if you are on Twitter/OAK77uk

As far as I can tell from the patent, the multi-adc high dynamic range ADC system used by Sound Devices can use 2 or 3 or more 24 bit base ADCs. How many such 24 bit base ADCs do SD avtually use in the mixpre-6 and mixpre-10 mkII?

I think they are still working on the mark III !

Hello Curtis, For some of us Indi operators please, how do we now choose btw say a new DS 833 and the new MixPre6 mk2 with what seems an awesome 32bit floating thingy going on seemingly making foolproof audio possible. Thank you in advance for your reply. Disregarding the cost difference. Regards Otto

Is it worth it to upgrade from the 1st Gen?

Ugh. So if I use a PC Laptop without a USB-C port, I cannot power a Mixpre3 II to use it as an interface? Thanks for the useful video btw.

Will the MixPre-3/6 ii be able to do timecode passthrough? If I have two GH5's and I am feeding timecode from GH5 #1 to the mixpre3-ii, could the timecode be passed through and be fed into the microphone in jack of GH5 #2? This kind of setup could permit multi-cam with timecode with no additional timecode generators. I don't have my Mixpre-3 yet to try this out (if it is even possible.)

Does the Re-Mix feature work in all modes or just when originally recording in 32bit floating?

Curtis, now we need a MixPre-10 II vs Zoom F8n video! Help!

Hi Curtis. Thanks for the great video. At 14:18, is Paul saying that someone can hide the unexpected sound of a plane flying overhead when recording with the 32-bit float? Is he therefore saying that you can still record indoor dialogue and keep it, even if a plane flies overhead during the actual talking?

What about the M models? Does the software plugin create a mark II "M"?