Sound Devices should be paying YOU for making these kinds of videos.

I would call it a “Missing manual for MixPre series”. Seriously, it made everything so clear for me on how to use my MixPre-6 device. I can’t thank you enough for this video!

After 4 years, #2021 I feel like I need to tell ya that you're the reason why I got my MixPre6 MkII !!! Thank you ^^

This is probably the best MixPre 6 setting up Video on KZfaq !

That was outstanding. Just got a mixpre3 ii and this really helped. Still so much to learn and fiddle with, but your videos are a life saver. Funny how the community does an even better job than the manufacturers. Keep up the amazing work

**NOTE** This walkthrough was NOT recorded with the MixPre so please do not use this to assess the sound quality of the MixPre. Since I only have one MixPre, I could not show all of the settings and record with it at the same time. Also, the "hiss" that you hear is the fan in my camera - for practical purposes, the microphone was approximately 8 inches from the camera's fan. If you'd like to hear some clips recorded with the MixPre, please have a listen to these previous episodes: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bdqiZpqons_XmZc.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kLiTY9eAuai7pas.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/g95lfciG2ry8YaM.html

I received my first professional tape sync job today for a national podcast. I was so excited earlier, and while I purchased a mixpre3 a couple months ago, the recording requirements for this job were set to 44.1/16 bit and that had me so incredibly upset when the audio was completely messed up in playback for about an hour. I thought my heart would fly out out of my chest, and I would drown in my own tears, but after following you step-by-step I learned exactly what to fix, and how to fix it. This video just saved the biggest break of my young career. Thank you!! Also, I loved the laugh - keep doing it.

Your audio quality by far is the best on youtube, better than my self! Impressed

Wow, this guide is 1000% better than the manual!

Fantastic tutorial Curtis. This is one of the best videos on YT I've come across. You mix a good explanation of the kit with a basic lesson on sound mixing, all perfectly paced. I just got given a MixPre 6 to learn in one day, with no sound experience, and this is a life saver. Great job!

So appreciate this as a beginner to audio who acquired a MixPre-6 II. Curtis, I could actually follow this, most grateful. Totally agree with Vadim Makeev, this is the missing manual for the 6 II as well. Thank you.

This is a better shot, better explained video tutorial than the one’s sound devices have. Bravo Sir!

I find all of your videos to be very helpful, and educational. I am new to sound recording and the use of these devices. There is one thing I thought I would mention, however, just for you to think about and take into consideration when you make future videos. I've noticed in more than one video, when demonstrating assorted menu options, that (while you usually clearly explain the function of each feature and why someone might use it) you occasionally will avoid explanation in an oddly dismissive way. "If you don't know what that is, well... (laughing) you probably don't need it." I'm sure a lot of other people are like me and come to your videos to learn. I know you don't intend to mock the lack of knowledge of the viewers, but in a way it comes off as laughing at them that they wouldn't know what one of these advanced features is for, and then you don't take the time to explain what it is at all. I realize you can't cover everything in every video, but I just thought I would mention it's something I have noticed that you may want to refrain from doing in the future.

Just ordered a mixpre-3 ii, can't thank you enough for this!

i start to understand the MODEs: There are two Mode-Setups: Basic-Mode and Advanced-Mode in Custom-"Mode" you can mix these setups in these Points: • Channel • Gain • Headphone • Record • Metadata • Output most of these points in the Basic-Mode is a simple or limited function, but the "Gain" is change from "Gain/Trim" of the PreAmp in basic-Mode to "Fader" of the Stereomix in "Advanced-Mode" . In very intuitive on this point.

Just got a MixPre-6 and your video was a godsend. thanks Curtis!

Big fan of your videos, thanks for the extensive knowledge. Although I thoroughly read through manuals, it's great to have someone show you each process step-by-step visually. Thanks again!

Thank you so much for the clear and detailed explanations. No fluff just great info.

Thank you for this.

Nice job as usual Curtis. You just sold me on this one because this tutorial allows me to hit the ground running. I've had the Sound Devices 702 and 633, but need something else to Podcast . No one explains things in as simple, yet detailed terms. I'm subscribing to your channel, which actually makes you my second KZfaq subscription.

Great walkthrough. I'm using it to setup a MixPre 3 that I don't have lol. I have a host at work that I ordered one for because it will work best for her in a podcast setup and now I'm going to train her on a device I've never used and we're doing it over Skype. Oh, not to mention she has never recorded audio;) Yeah, I guess I like challenges lol.

Thanks for your time ! having my first recording in 3 days where i'll be using a Sound Device Mixpre 6 for the first time, this really makes me feel more confident before going in !

The gain/fade in advanced mode will be excellent for me when shooting live presentations. I record room audio in case the sound booth cable has issues during recording. Now I can record the room audio but fade it to near zero, so it doesn't go to camera and live stream.

Thank you Curtis Judd for all the videos! I watched so many and finally upgraded to the mix-pre6. The analog limiter thing is astounding. Coming from the tascam dr60-d this is a dream to work with. I never realized before the importance of headphone amplifiers and track settings etc. before watching your videos!

Very professional presentation

THE perfect explanation.

An essential video if you have one of these MixPre units. Very impressed indeed.

Super helpful video! Still trying to figure out my MixPre 3 II. Will look over some of your other videos too.

Great guide. Very helpful at explaining the features of the MixPre.

I've watched a few Mixpre-3 videos in this is the best!!

Great video as well, it would be great to hear your thoughts on the best mobile power and how you are setting it up on location.

Thanks again, bought mine (ii) a month ago and doing first serious recordings now, recording a poet. Still abit confused about the menu's, but surviving, thanks fot this info! The device is more able to more purposes than I ever imagined...

You are great. Just got 3. Thank you for posting

Thanks for the walkthrough. What I really hope for is Sound Devices using this as a test bed for a more pro level recorder, as the pro community is much less patient with experiments. With that in mind, I think the MixPre looks really interesting.

We need a 633 vs mixpre(3-6) because most enthusiast prosumers think to make a big leap and spent so much for the 633 and want to see if the mixpre is a dealbraker Thanks for your magnificent videos Big fan from Kuwait 👍🏻

Thx for the presentation!

Hey Curtis. I have the Sound Devices Pre Mix 3 and love it. The pre-amps are among the cleanest I've found at this price range. I just wish the designers would put the on-off switch in a more accesible place.

Outstanding explanatory video!

u just saved me for my exam

I'll buy once they are in stock. Interested in the USB power bank powering option. Noted here how in the duration of monitoring the audio, the batteries lost about 50% of their charge...

Thanks for the highly in depth review of the machine. I am about to make a purchase for my kit as a production sound mixer and the analog limiters in the Mixpre are making me lean heavily toward it over the F4. Glad to see you really knock into the specifics here. Love your videos.

Thanks Curtis - immensely helpful!

14:32 very helpful to me. Thank you very much Curtis.

Thank you for this easy to follow walk through!

Hey there! some guy named Curtis sent me here 👍

Awesome info mate. Thanks so much. I just got a Mix Pre 6 ii.....Sooooo good!

Thank you! Great tutorial.

Total sidebar question: what camera are you using that has a fan in it?

Excellent guide, greatly appreciated.

Did you equalize the sound, or is it just the microphone? It sounds very muddied/bass heavy compared to a Schoeps CMC6 into a 702T.

Great video! Thank you!

Thanks for your detailed explanation about the sound mixer. I have a Mixer 3 which I have used for years. I used with Q8 camcorder to make performance recordings. Recently , I found some electrical noise in my recording which I did not have before. I had added an audio isolator between the output of the Mixer and the input of my camcorder. However, the noise even louder. Do you know what may be the problem?

Thanks for this very good walkthrough!

Thanks very much for this, Mr Judd !! So very helpful. Although the device itself seems brilliantly designed, the Sound Devices manual is surprisingly poor & has some embarrassing typos. FYI: On the MixPre-3, Basic Mode limits you to 48k recording, according to the manual, an inexplicable choice by Sound Devices. This is annoying because you have to set the gain through the menus when in Advanced Mode - but it's great the way you can adopt basic mode through the custom function! Though it might sound unprofessional, I'd also urge SD to include an option for mp3 recording in these units. Sony did that on the D100 (which also has very nice preamps) and it comes in very handy. If you're travelling & need to record an informational interview not intended for broadcast, or take notes, why use up all the space on your SD card with a wav file? And if you need to do a very long recording where you have to leave the recorder unattended the whole time mp3 would let you record for days (with a USB battery connected). They could also implement recording in both wav and mp3 as a backup or for quick transfer to a client for review. Speaking of unattended recording, I've always wished digital recorders would include an ***on/off timer record function*** that would let you set up your recorder in the woods for a nature recording starting at 4am the next day. (This function would be easy to add to these devices) Then you could sleep late! FBI folks would also appreciate that, for surveillance use. (They never sleep late.)

very helpful, thank you

Very detailed and easy to understand explanation. Why is there 3 Tracks(L,R and Ch1) when I record one boom on Ch1? What is the meaning of L, R additionally with Ch1? My setup is just one MKH416 connected to CH1 on MixPre3 and I am trying to record talking head.. Is there any additional benefit in quality of audio output or editing workflow if I use all 3 (L,R and Ch1) in final Video? Is it OK to record on Ch1 without the L and R? Should I just get rid of L and R? Is L and R really required for single Mic setup? What is the purpose of L and R?

Thank you!

Very helpful, Curtis. Thanks

Really helpful, thanks man

Great video. Many thanks. The one thing I don't understand is what Ubits are. The manual tells you how to set them but doesn't explain what they are. Help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Thank you very much Curtis! Brilliant infos. I just ordered me one ;-)

I recently faced a problem where channel 1 was being copied to channel 3 and same for 2-4

Thanks for your previous tip. Just got SD MixPre-3

hi, I want to use the Mixpre without recording a stereo mix and just record ISO tracks with the knobs controlling gain (no faders). I've put it into Custom mode for the direct gain knob control but when I want to listen back to the 'ISO track ' etc to check my recording via headphone I can't hear it. Is there a Headphone setting that I need to change?

I’m having a problem connecting my comica wireless mic system. I have the two transmitters and one receiver and I’m trying to use them both with my mix pre 3 but I can’t get it to work.

Thank you for this Curtis!

This was so helpful!!!!!! Liked, saved, subbed, Happy dance 🤟💕🤟💜🙌🤩. Thank you Curtis Judd Audio!!!👍

I am finding it difficult to workout how to mount a camera like GH5 on top 🧐 The holes on top are not deep.

10:00 this is essential. thank you.

Excellent video! Thank you

If someone is getting too loud, which is better for noise floor? Turning input gain down or fader gain down?

I got my MixPre 6ii back after the stuck cable... now I know what cables to throw out ! Please, how do I do a factory reset ? I can't find that option... ( when I use the input knobs, I don't get the display to read Gain or Fade... it just says 3 : -3db (which I know is fade... but still I would like the display to read "Fade" ). Anyway, your YT clips are indispensible ! Thx

Is there a way to trigger "record" directly from the camera via the aux-in? I use a C70 via the timecode port, but it only records when I first turn on the camera or record. When I stop the recording via the camera, I can't trigger the recorder once again.

How do you turn on phantom power for the individual tracks if needed? i would have assumed that any mic or mic receiver plugged in would take phantom power from the mix pre but is that not the case? i will be using mine with two sennheiser avx's and one sennheiser 416 so when i plug in the 416, will i need to turn on phantom power on that particular xlr input on the mix pre?

Question about the noise floor. Just for test I connected my Shure SM58 to the MixPre 6 II. Recorded in 32 floating point mode. The gain is set to 30db. I've recorded in 2 input modes - Line and Mic with the same gain - 30db. In Line mode I've ged much more noise. In Mic mode there was no noise at all. Help me please understand why? According to the noise level It looks like in the Line input mode it records in 24 bit (not in 32). Or I've get much more noise because the mic has not correct impedance for the line input? Can you do this test with yours mixpre?

Why is it impossible to access to SAMPLE RATE?it is dark gray

helpful video! Is it possible to program the 'assign button' to power the unit on/ off? The power switch is a pain to access when in a mixer bag

I think you could also split channels 5&6 using a 3.5mm stereo to either two xlr's or two 3.5 mono connectors, could you not? These would not have preamps of course. Have you tried this or what are your thoughts on it? Is it a feasible solution in a pinch? One question you don't answer in any of your videos is "from how high can I drop it before it becomes unusable?"

hi with the MixPre-3 II is that possible to record a stereo input with 3.5mm stereo input (L and R channels) in the same time that using the three XLR inputs ?

Just got this for weddings and loving it. Curious in Advanced mode, what gain would be the ideal level to set Channel 1?

I thought delay can also be for mixing when you are far from the sound source so that the sound coming out of your headphones/monitors are in sync with a sound source far away? Not having this is quite distracting when trying to monitor on headphones or monitors if the source is more than like 15-30 feet away because the delay starts to get bigger than 10s of milliseconds as the speed of sound vs speed of light widens the gap. This is how I used it on house sound boards.

Hi nice walk-through, really looking forward for your other reviews on it. i would like to know if it can be use a live mixer? like a on stage production

Can you assign microphones into three different mono channels to have three separate shotgun microphones for a left/center/right setup for a zoom effect at the racetrack?

Is sound quality degraded if you output from the MixPre to a camera?

I might have missed it but how do you go back and play recordings to check they are right? Thanks

Hi. Im new to the audio feild. I'm working as a boom op for a mixer using the pre6. What is the best way to get audio for both of our headphones?

Thanks for the information.

I have a question - i cannot figure out which channel the stereo LR mix gets recorded on? is it on ch 1-2?

Thanks Curtis!!

Very Helpful. Thank you.

advance mood note available after update to 8

My mix pre is recording for 49mins 36secs and then it creates a new file, is there a solution to this?

I had no idea I could not use regular batteries for this....most youtube video's do not even say about using re chargeable batteries...I was on several shoots and could not figure out why they were dying so fast! Would be very helpful if this could be mentioned in future video's, but maybe you have mentioned it?

Ok ... Why we can send audio to the Camera ? Other way, mix pre rekord audio on SD card so do we need audio sending there ? Whats good for me when i connect both dslr and mix, only tomecode ? To work easy?

Is the meter displaying VU+Peak hold? It's a very confusing type of meter response. I'd rather just see a peak meter. Easier to see the levels. Is there any way to change the meter ballistics like in the 7 series?

Great info! Thank you! I didn't know about the faders vs gain in Advanced mode since I've used a 702 for years and the setup is simpler. I'm getting quite confused as to the number of files that the Mix Pre generates. I typically record in linked stereo and get 4 files and are all mono? Just found a solution to this : when I drag and drop into Logic - it turns all into mono files. But when I use the import function I get a surround file which easily is put into stereo. The other confusion I have is with the headphone output. I also often record in linked stereo with an MS mic setup and monitor the decoded version in my headphones. I'm not quite sure if my preset is right : ch1 prefade to L postfade and ch2 prefade to R postfade with MS on. On my 702 it's very easy to switch headphone monitor settings and listen to separate left and right and MS decode.

If it was recording a movie or documentary, it would be more interesting to record in Advanced mode, right? And if it is just a shotgun microphone would it be better to set the input to Mic?

Hi Curtis, first of all ...congratulations for your channel. Every video you make has an excellent quality both content and production. I bought my MixPre - 6 recently and I have only one question: How do I record 6 simultaneous channels if there's only 5 inputs (4 XLR / TRS and 1 Aux / Mic in)? Supposing I'm recording 6 lava mics at the same time for an example. Thank you so much, keep with the great work!

Thankyou so much - I've had a couple of listens now and it's helped me so much in the field. I do have one question though - I wonder if you could possibly have the time to answer for me - as I can not find it anywhere! Everything has been great - however I can not find where to listen back to a track when in the field - to test that everything is coming through ok? Like a quick record test you can listen back to - does anyone know? thanks heaps!

Love your vids Curtis follow them religiously, I record piano recitals with my C-200 ...with a sd302 feed to the camera, but I like the 32bit float that helps avoid clipping with the SD premix 6. I wonder if purchasing this device would be an upgrade.