Hugh Robjohns checks out the new portable recorder Hardware > Multitrack Recorder
The American manufacturer Sound Devices produces a wide range of very high-quality sound recording equipment, mostly aimed at the film and broadcast production-sound' markets. Although rarely featured in the pages of Sound On Sound, I reviewed the company's (three-input, five-track) MixPre-3 and (six-input, eight-track) MixPre-6 models in the Nov 2017 issue and found them to be very practical and cost-effective options for music recording applications, both on location and in the project studio.
Shortly afterwards, Sound Devices released the MixPre-10T flagship model with ten inputs and twelve-track recording capability. Although all of the MixPre models can read external timecode to make synchronous recordings, the T' suffix in this latest model signifies a built-in time-code generator - a function which is particularly important for professional film and video production-sound applications. Now, though, there's a second version of the MixPre-10 but this one has an M-suffix, and that makes it particularly exciting for Sound On Sound readers. A few weeks ago I was given an exclusive opportunity to discuss this new model with Paul Isaacs, the Director of Product Management & Design at Sound Devices to find out what makes it so special.
Externally, the MixPre-10T and 10M models look virtually identical, both sharing the same I/O facilities, the same 12-track recording capability, and the same ability to serve as a 12-in/4-out USB interface. But, while the 10M can be used as a location recorder/mixer just like the 10T, it lacks some of that model's specific production-sound features such as the timecode generator and HDMI input, and it has reduced facilities for things like sound reports and metadata. However, the significance of the M' suffix is that this new model has been designed to address the specific needs of musicians by including the ability to record and playback files at the same time - which means it can be used for music overdubbing!
The ability to simultaneously record and playback audio files is a rare feature on portable multichannel digital recorders, and most are large desktop portastudio' type products, rather than over-the-shoulder' battery-powered field recorders. Historically, the absence of overdubbing facilities was due to the technical limitations of battery-powered DSP hardware, but that no longer applies. Sound Devices' interest in building a machine that could record and playback simultaneously stems from production-sound mixers asking for the ability to remix material in the field - basically to playback recorded tracks and remix them on the fly to create a new stereo mix file. However, in considering the technical ramifications it became clear that the technology to serve that function is much the same as that needed for overdubbing in the musical sense - and as many of Sound Device's engineers are also musicians, that possibility became very exciting. Consequently, the R&D team have spent around a year working on delivering exactly that functionality as they designed the MixPre range.
MixPre-10M left panel
Like its sibling model, the MixPre-10M features eight no-compromise Kashmir discrete class-A, ultra-low-noise mic/line preamps, plus a stereo 3.5mm line input, all coupled to very high-quality ADCs capable of a very wide recorded dynamic range. (There is no high-impedance instrument input facility input, though, so a DI box will be needed for recording guitars with passive pickups etc). When the MixPre-10M is operating in its Audio Project Mode' these ten analogue inputs can be recorded discretely, along with a live stereo mix, across the recorder's twelve tracks just like the MixPre-10T. However, by selecting the alternative Music Project Mode' existing tracks can be played back at the same time and in sync with new tracks being recorded - in other words, the 10M is Sound Devices first recorder with proper synchronous overdubbing and track-bouncing facilities. Manual or programmed punch-ins and punch-outs are also supported with real-time crossfades to avoid audible glitches, and an elegant auto-locate facility allows quick and easy navigation around a recording project, with cue-marks and configurable pre-roll times.
In most respects, the MixPre-10M's music project mode works just like an old-school multitrack tape recorder with physical transport controls and dedicated knobs for fading and mixing, but it also enjoys some of the benefits of modern DAWs. For example, physical inputs can be routed to any of the twelve recording tracks without having to re-plug sources, and all recordings are entirely non-destructive' - nothing is ever lost during overdubbing, and a history (undo) list accesses previous versions of the current recording if required. Twelve tracks may sound rather limiting compared to a modern DAW, but it's more than enough for a small band without needing to bounce anything, and it certainly focusses the mind on performance, which has to be a good thing! However, if bouncing is necessary to free up some extra tracks there is no quality loss, unlike analogue tape machines!
MixPre-10M right panel
The machine's initial configuration, and some functions that don't require real-time control, are accessed through the touchscreen just like the other MixPre models, but the menu navigation has been made as simple and intuitive as possible with everything available within one or two button presses - so it's really fast to get to any specific feature. The challenge of good design is knowing what to leave out to keep the product focused on the needs of the user, and the Sound Devices development team have done a great job creating something that works intuitively on such a small
