The Sound Devices MixPre-6 USB Audio Interface is a USB audio recorder and mixer interface featuring a 10Hz-80kHz frequency response, a 192kHz/24bit resolution, and touch screen control interface. The MixPre-6 is a lightweight, high-resolution audio recorder with integrated USB audio streaming that offers sound quality combined with extreme durability.
The MixPre-6 features Sound Devices' Kashmir microphone preamps with high-performance, ultra-low-noise, discrete, Class-A mic preamps hand-crafted by Sound Devices. These Kashmir mic preamps feature a -130dBV noise floor, analogue limiters, and 32-bit A-to-D converters to ensure the highest quality audio recordings that far surpass those of other recorders using simple off-the-shelf IC-based mic preamps.
The MixPre-6 is a high quality USB audio interface offering the unique ability to record audio to an SD card whilst simultaneously streaming multiple channels of audio via USB. Featuring a responsive capacitive touch screen for incredibly simple and intuitive operation, and a bright, IPS technology, sunlight-readable colour LCD for the ultimate in convenient navigation.
The MixPre-6 is a full-featured mixer that offers offers ergonomic gain control knobs for fast and accurate mixing. Other key features include pan and soloing plus easy-to-see ring LED metering per channel. The MixPre-6 also includes a 3.5mm jack for headphone monitoring with user-programmable presets from Sound Devices' custom-designed powerful, wide-bandwidth headphone amp.
Its build to meet your needs. I use it for my work as a sound card while editing or using for broadcasting. On field it works well as a sound mixer for tv projects and as a recorder on documentaries and smaller projects like interviews shot with DSLR. Its well build, preamps sounds crispy, LCD might be a bit bigger, but navigation is easy, especially if you have worked with 633 or 788. For TC i use Tentacles. One thing to keep in mind, that it drains batteries really fast, so if you work on 12H shift you'll need a lot or there is Anker power bank with usb C recommended by sound devices, 2 pcs might be enough for all day on the field.
Lastly i love that it has built in bluetooth, which means you can connect to your iphone or android device and use wingman app for faster channel monitoring, editing and file logging.
I mainly use this for field recordings but also back home where it doubles as an interface.
There are some features that really puts this at the top and that is the ease of operation, the amazing sound quality, the mic preamps and its analogue limiters!
It's close to impossible to peak the recordings when using the limiters.
With presets for both headphones as well as recording setups it's very easy to toggle between setups as you are move between challenges on location or back in the studio.
Compared to some of the opposition it is lacks some features like in the timecode area and if using external TC gens you loose channels 5/6 which is a let down.
Their upcoming firmware 3.0 with USB control surface support etc will add some great value to it.
But the SQ on the mic inputs, SQ on the headphones, handling and limiters makes this recorder stand out!
Highly recommended for those wanting to upgrade their sound work - especially concerning field recording based approaches. The unit feels very solid, and it is tiny. The controls are straight forward in the basic mode, and plenty flexible in the advanced. Out of the box the power options are great (4xAA, usb), and for the extended outdoors work I would recommend buying the optional L-mount battery sled.