Sound Devices MixPre-3M User Manual

®

MixPre-3M

Multitrack Recorder | USB Audio Interface

User Guide

Legal Notices

Revision History

Product specications and features are subject to
change without prior notication.

Copyright © 2018 Sound Devices, LLC.
All rights reserved.

This product is subject to the terms and conditions of
a end-user license agreement provided in this guide,
and may be used in accordance with the license
agreement.

This document is protected under copyright law. An
authorized licensee of this product may reproduce
this publication for the licensee’s own personal use.
This document may not be reproduced or distrib­uted, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes,
such as selling copies or providing educational ser­vices or support.

This document is supplied as a technical guide. Spe­cial care has been taken in preparing the information
for publication; however, since product specications
are subject to change, this document might contain
omissions and technical or typographical inaccura­cies. Sound Devices, LLC does not accept responsi­bility for any losses due to the use of this guide.

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The “wave” logo is a registered trademark and
Kashmir is a trademark of Sound Devices, LLC. iPad,
iPhone, Mac and OS X are trademarks of Apple Inc.,
registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows
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their respective owners.

This table provides the revision history for this guide.

Rev# Date Firmware

Version

2-A June 2018 2.21 Initial release

Description

WEEE Statement

If you wish to discard a Sound Devices
product in Europe, contact Sound Devices
(Germany) for further information.

MixPre-3M User Guide • June 2018

This document is distributed by Sound Devices, LLC
in online electronic (PDF) format only. E-published
in the USA.

www.sounddevices.com

[e-mail]

Sound Devices, LLC

E7556 Road 23 and 33
Reedsburg, Wisconsin 53959 USA

Direct: [phone]
Toll Free: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Table of Contents

Quick Start

Multitrack Recording Step-by-Step ........5

Intro

Powering

Flexible Powering Options .............11

Panels

Front Panel .......................13

Left Side Panel .....................13

Screens & Navigation

Home Screen ......................15

Main Menu Screen ..................17

Right Side Panel ....................14

Back Panel ........................14

Music Control Menu .................18

Input Channels

Accessing Channel Screen Settings ......19

Track Names .....................20

Setting Input Source ...............20

Enabling Monitoring ................21

Setting the Gain ..................21

Using Solo/Mute ..................21

Arming a Track ...................22

Understanding Pan ................22

Using Reverb ....................22

Rendering a Vocal Air Eect ..........23

Setting the Low Cut Filter ............23

Toggling Phase Inversion ............24

Stereo Track Linking .................24

Conguring Aux In Mode ..............24

Track Bank Selector .................25

Outputs

Adjusting Output Level ...............27 Headphone Output and Presets .........27

Metering

LEDs and Metering ..................29

Channel Knob Ring LEDs ............29

Channel Screen Meter ..............29

Meter View ......................30

Projects

Creating Projects ...................32

Import Recording ...................32

Opening Projects ...................33

Trashing Projects ...................33

Project History .....................34

Project Folder Structure ..............34

Sharing Projects ....................35

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User Guide

Recording and Playback

Formatting SD Cards ................37

Transport Controls ..................38

Record Arming ...................38

Working with Cue Points ..............39

Moving Cue Points .................41

Previewing Cue Point Positions ........42

Clearing & Deleting Cue Points ........42

Locating to Cue Marks ..............42

Punching In/Out ....................42

Bouncing ........................43

Metronome .......................45

Record Settings ....................46

USB

USB Audio Interface .................49

Low-latency Monitoring ...............50

USB File Transfer ...................50

USB Keyboard .....................51

USB Keyboard Shortcuts ............51

User Presets and System Settings

Saving and Recalling Presets ...........53 System Settings ....................54

Specifications

Audio Inputs ......................55

Audio Outputs .....................56

Recorder .........................56

USB ............................56

Touch Screen ......................56

Remote Control ....................57

Power ...........................57

Environmental .....................57

Dimensions and Weight ..............57

Software License

FCC & ISED Compliance Statements

4

Quick Start

Multitrack Recording Step-by-Step

This Quick Start chapter is meant as a “step-by-step, how-to” reference for
setting up the recorder and making music with the MixPre-3M right out of the
box.

For more information on features and steps mentioned in this procedure, refer
to later chapters in this User Guide.

To begin multitrack recording:

1. Connect power.

X Provide at least one power source, either batteries (via included sled) or

via USB-C.

L If using battery power, be sure to insert your Class 10 SD card into the SD slot

before attaching the sled to rear panel.

2. Power up the MixPre.

X Slide the power switch (left side panel) to On. The MixPre will boot and

light up.

3. Connect an audio source.

X Connect an audio source, either a microphone, line or instrument line-

level signal to one of the input jacks on the side panels.

4. Connect headphones.

X Connect your preferred headphones to the headphone jack on the right

side panel.

5. Format Media — The MixPre supports SD, SDHC,or SDXC, but the card
must be formatted by the MixPre prior to recording.

(A) Tap . The Main menu appears with multiple pages of settings.

(B) Tap (the Dots icon) to “page” through the sub-menu.

L The number of dots indicate the number of pages; the solid dot shows what page

is displayed.

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User Guide

6. Create a project.

(C) Tap SD Card > Edit > Format.

(D) Tap OK to conrm formatting of the card.

⚠ Warning - all data on the SD card will be erased!

(E) Tap to return to the Home screen.

(A) Tap .

(B) Tap Project > New.

(C) Tap Name to customize the name of the new project.

L If no custom name is provided, the MixPre creates new projects with unique

names, such as Song 1, Song 2, etc. by default.

(D) Tap Sample Rate to select from available rates.

(E) Tap Create.

7. Congure an input.

(A) Press the Channel knob associated with the track onto which you want

to record. For example, press knob 1 to record on track 1.

The Channel screen appears.

(B) Tap Input and use the HP encoder to select a source for the track.

Options include: Mic, Line, Aux In, and USB In.

(C) Select Phantom if your microphone, DI or other device requires +48v

phantom power to operate.

(D) Tap Back to return to Channel screen.

(E) Tap Arm to arm the track for recording. The circle on the button appears

6

QUICK START

red when track is armed.

(F) To hear the input as you adjust gain, rst turn the Channel knob until

fader setting is 0dB. Then, tap Gain (on Channel screen) and turn the
HP encoder to adjust input sensitivity for the source.

If possible, adjust with signal coming in at the intended level and
observe the LED ring around the Channel knob. Aim for the LED ring
to remain green for the majority of the time. If unsure where to start,
set the gain to 35dB for mic sources, 10dB for line sources, and make
adjustments as needed.

L The Gain adjustment will time out after ve seconds.

(G) Tap the Dots icon to access “page” 2 of settings, such as Pan, Reverb,

Air, etc. Set any/all of them as desired.

(H) Enable Linking if your source is a stereo instrument such as a keyboard,

drum machine, or computer output.

(I) Tap to return to the Home screen.

8. Set up metronome.

(A) Tap .

(B) Page through submenu and tap Metronome. You will hear a preview of

the metronome in headphones while in this sub-menu.

(C) Make adjustments to the volume and to t your intended time signature

and tempo.

(D) Tap Count-in to select how many measures the metronome will count at

the beginning before recording begins.

(E) On page 2 of the Metronome sub-menu, tap On During... to determine

when you’ll hear the metronome. Options include: Count-in, Record, or
Play.

(F) Tap . The metronome preview will stop.

(G) Tap to access the Music Control menu. Then tap to activate the

metronome. The Metronome icon will illuminate orange when active.

L The metronome will only start when the MixPre enters record and/or play

according to the On During... settings previously congured.

9. From the Home screen, ensure the track number you intend to record is
red, indicating it is armed and ready to record. You should also see input
levels on the meter view.

10. Push REC button to record and play music!

11. Press Stop button to stop recording. Press it again (twice) to return to the
beginning of the recording.

12. Push Play button to playback the recording. During playback, you can

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User Guide

13. (Optional) Should you want to scrap the recording and try again, tap

14. To lay another track over the just-recorded track, congure an input and

15. After laying down all of your tracks, play your song and adjust track mix

16. When you have a mix that you like, you can easily share your le by using

change the track Level, Reverb, Air, Pan, Solo, and Mute settings.

L You can only use Air on one track at a time.

and then tap History. Using the HP encoder, rotate to highlight and select
Restart Song.

proceed from there. See step 7. Congure an input..

levels, pans, reverb, air, etc.

the Render feature.

(A) Tap and then tap Render.

(B) Select the format you want to use to render (export) the le. Options

include: Wav stereo, AAC stereo, or Wav All Isos.

This will perform a real-time render of your project. Feel free to
dynamically adjust mix levels, pans, reverbs etc during the render
process.

17. Most importantly, have fun creating music! No saving of the project need
be done, since the MixPre automatically takes care of that for you.

8

Intro

Hi and a big thanks for buying the MixPre-3M! At Sound Devices, we are pas­sionate about great sounding audio. We’ve unleashed our design and engineer­ing team, many of whom are musicians, and asked them to create a ground­breaking device that sets new standards for what’s possible from a super
compact and aordable, multitrack audio recorder.

From the ground up, we’ve designed the MixPre-3M to be a versatile tool for
musicians and singer/songwriters who want to record sound with unrivalled
quality. Whether you are gigging, multitracking a new song or capturing a live
performance, the MixPre-3M is your best friend on stage, in the studio, and out
on the road.

We’ve harnessed our storied heritage in portable recording to create an incred­ible piece of kit! We think that you’ll nd the unique mix of functionality, per­formance, size, ease-of-use, design and build quality to be an invaluable part of
your life and creative passion for many years to come.

The MixPre has been meticulously engineered to oer extreme exibility and
sound quality, operating in a variety of fundamental ways:

• 12-channel multitrack recorder/mixer, up to 96kHz/24-bit

• 3 simultaneous inputs including 3 ultra low noise mic preampliers

• 5-in, 2-out USB computer audio interface

The MixPre-3M includes many indispensable features for musicians including:

• Track Laying

• Overdubbing

• Punch In/Out

• Q-Points

• Track Bouncing

• Reverb and Vocal Air Eects

• Metronome

• Export

The MixPre-3M works in a similar fashion to a DAW such as Protools, Logic,
Cubase, Reaper etc, however, with its dedicated hardware it allows musicians to
focus on their art rather than getting bogged down in all the technical stu that
a typical computer-based system brings. Musicians and songwriters now have
an easy to use, portable tool for creating high quality, multi-layered songs any­where and anytime that inspiration grabs them.

The MixPre-3M lets you record up to three tracks at once from either the three
XLR inputs, Aux in connectors, or USB inputs. The built-in metronome helps you
to keep your performance in time, while the reverb and vocal air eects add
character to your recording and can aid in inspiring a great performance. The
vocal air eect is an easily dialled-in combination of EQ and compression that
results in an airy sheen and intimacy to vocals, popular today with singer/song-

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User Guide

writers.

Of course, the possible uses for the MixPre-3M are virtually unlimited, but a few
common ones are:

• Creating a multi-layered song using the track laying and overdubbing fea-

• Mixing and recording small ensemble live performance

• Playback of multichannel backing tracks

• Recording live events, concerts, jam sessions, and so forth.

• Premium-quality 5x2 USB audio interface for any DAW application

The MixPre-3M’s versatility is augmented by the various powering options.
Whether you want to power the MixPre-3M from a USB connection, AA batter­ies, L-mount batteries, or optional AC wall plug adapter, it’s ready, willing and
able to go anywhere, anytime—always handling your audio needs with grace.

We sincerely hope that you enjoy working with the MixPre-3M as much as we’ve
enjoyed creating it! Please drop us an email at [e-mail]
and share your experiences as we’d love to see how the MixPre-3M is furthering
your passion.

tures

10

Powering

Power Switch

Flexible Powering Options

In designing the MixPre-3M, we felt that it was important for it to be able to
operate in a wide array of applications and environments. To support that goal,
power can be supplied from several possible sources:

• Four AA NiMH rechargeable or Lithium primary batteries installed in the
provided 4-AA battery sled, called MX-4AA (included).

• Eight AA NiMH rechargeable or Lithium primary batteries installed in the
provided 8-AA battery sled, called MX-8AA.

• One or two Sony-type L-mount batteries installed in the optional L-mount
battery sled accessory, called MX-LMount.

• USB-C to USB-C cable connected to a USB-C host computer or AC wall
adapter.

• USB-A to USB-C cable connected to a USB-A host computer or AC wall
adapter.

• Dual USB-A to USB-C cable connected to a USB-A host computer.Use this
cable option if your computer is unable to provide adequate power for the
MixPre with only one USB-A port.

• MX-PSU AC wall adapter (included) to USB-C power supply.

L Batteries not included.

The power switch is located in the upper right corner of the left side panel.

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User Guide

To ensure Battery Status indicator displays accurate levels/status:

1. Tap .

2. Page through submenu and tap Power.

3. Select the type of batteries being used in the sled. Options include: NiMH,
Alkaline, L-Mount

12

Panels

Recorder Transport Controls

Channel Knobs

Channel Knob Ring LEDs

Power Light

LCD

Power Switch

USB-A Port

XLR Inputs

3.5 mm Stereo Output

USB-C Port

Front Panel

Power light, Star button for shortcuts, Channel knobs, Channel knob ring LEDs,

backlit Transport buttons, and touch screen

The Channel knobs on the front panel have two purposes:

• Rotate to adjust the level of the selected track in the LR mix.

• Press to access the selected track’s Channel screen.

Left Side Panel

USB connections, XLR inputs 1-2, 2-channel 3.5 mm output, and power switch

13

User Guide

HP Encoder

XLR Input

3.5 mm Headphone Output

3.5 mm Aux/Mic Input

SD Memory Card Slot

Battery Mounts

Allen wrench & anti-rotational pin

Right Side Panel

3.5mm headphone output, 3.5mm Aux/Mic input, XLR input 3, headphone

encoder

Back Panel

Battery mounts, SD memory card slot, Allen wrench (for ¼-inch-20-thread
captive screw), and anti-rotational pin

14

Screens & Navigation

Status Bar

Q Icon & Cue NumberMusic Icon

Time Counter

Punch IndicatorRemaining Time

SD Card Icon

Track Bank Selector

Meter View

Limiter Indicator

Track Labels

L/R Mix Meters

Power Status Icon

Menu Icon

Metronome

The MixPre-3M has a sunlight-viewable, high-resolution, touch-screen-based
user interface. The touch screen interface displays the Home screen, Main Menu
screen, Channel screens and various other views.

For information on Channel screens, see Accessing Channel Screen Settings in
the Input Channels chapter.

There are several tap zones on the touch screen allowing you to easily interact
with the MixPre. As you become familiar with the user interface, changing
settings for inputs, outputs, recording and metering will become fast and
intuitive.

Home Screen

The Home screen view is the default view that appears on the touch screen
when the device is powered up. The Home screen looks like this:

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User Guide

You will nd on the Home screen numerous items, such as:

Music Notes icon Access the Music Control menu by touching this region of

Current name Displays name of current Music project.

Time counter Indicates the current song position in hh:mm:ss:tenths.

Q icon Indicates current cue number: 01, 02, etc. A cue point

Name Icon Description

the Home screen.

All songs start at 00:00:00:0. Access the Music Control
menu by touching this region of the Home screen.

stores a song position so that you can easily locate to
that point—ideal for quickly jumping to the start of a
verse, chorus, or bridge.

When stopped, tap the Q icon to open the Cue Points
menu, which provides access to the Cue List and other
options.

While recording or during playback, tap the Q icon to
create a cue mark at the current location in the song.
Cue marks may be set as Play In, Record In, Record Out,
or Stop cue points via the Cue Points menu.

For more information, see Working with Cue Points.

Power Status Icons

(Green USB)

(Orange USB)

(Green Battery)

(Flashing Red

Battery)

Menu icon Provides access to Menu screen.

Meter View Displays the metering for the 12 tracks and stereo mix,

Status bar Cycle status information by touching:

USB power source is ideal.

USB power source low. Brightness dimmed, USB-A port
disabled, 48v phantom on 2 channels only.

Healthy battery. Plan to change batteries when green
level drops to about ¼ full.

Battery power is critically low. Change batteries.

LR. White-outlined boxes surround meters to indicate
which tracks are being controlled by the Channel knobs.

Tap the L (left) horizontal meter to open Record
submenu and quickly adjust L&R Gain.

Switch track banks by touching dierent groups of
meters. See Track Bank Selector for more information.

• Song status: current bar position as well as Punch

and Metronome indicators,rendering status, and
remaining time: In idle or record, the remaining time
eld displays remaining time on the SD card. In play,
the eld displays remaining time to the end of the
song.

• Date & Time

16

Main Menu Screen

The Menu screen is where most of the features and functions are selected and
set up.

To enter the Menu screen:

X Tap on the Home screen.

There are three Menu pages. These pages are indicated by the Dots icon

. Tapping it will toggle between the three Menu pages.

SCREENS & NAVIGATION

The Menu has its own submenus, which may be displayed by tapping them.

Page Submenu Description

1 Presets Lets you save and load user presets to and from SD card and

internal memory. Also allows resetting all settings to factory default.

1 Project Lets you create new projects, open or trash existing projects.

1 Inputs Provides settings for the 3.5 mm Aux/Mic input.

1 Outputs Provides routing and gain settings for the stereo output, as well as

ability to mute the stereo output.

2 Reverb Provides access to Reverb settings.

2 Metronome Provides access to Metronome settings.

2 Record Provides access to L&R Gain and AAC export quality.

2 SD Card Displays SD card and allows for format and empty trash card

functions.

3 System Provides settings for le transfers, setting and sending a tone

signal, limiters, Date/Time settings, adjusting LCD/LED brightness,
updating rmware, and viewing version and regulatory information.

3 Power Select the type of batteries (Alkaline, NiMH, L-Mount) being used to

ensure that the Power Status icon on the Home screen accurately
displays remaining battery level or power status.

To return to the main Menu from a submenu at any time:

X Tap .

To return directly to the Home screen from the main Menu:

X Tap .

17

User Guide

Music Control Menu

The Music Control Menu provides fast access to the the Q-List, the Solo/Mute
screen, metronome on/o, project render, and access to project history.

For more information, see Working with Cue Points, Using Solo/Mute,

Metronome, Project History and Sharing Projects.

To access the Music Control menu:

X Tap in the top left corner of the Home screen.

18

Input Channels

An input channel is the path an audio source travels before it can be mixed and
recorded along with other channels. In the MixPre-3M, think of an input channel
as the same as a ‘track’ in a DAW. An input channel can be fed by any of the
XLR mic/line sources, a 3.5mm Aux line/mic source (with or without plug-in­power), or from USB channels 1-4 from a computer.

You can also select the MixPre-3M’s mixer outputs, or a metronome click. With
its overdub capability, the MixPre-3M allows recording of up to 12 tracks, a
maximum of 3 at a time.

An input channel’s settings are adjusted in its Channel screen.

Accessing Channel Screen Settings

To access the Channel screen:

X Push in a Channel knob.

Each Channel screen provides two pages of settings—indicated by Dots icon. Tap
the Dots icon to switch pages.

Settings For More Information

Solo & Mute Using Solo/Mute

Arm Arming a Track

Input Setting Input Source

Monitor Enabling Monitoring

Gain Setting the Gain

Pan Understanding Pan

Reverb & (Vocal) Air Using Reverb & Rendering a Vocal Air Eect

Low Cut Setting the Low Cut Filter

Phase Toggling Phase Inversion

Linking Stereo Track Linking

Since the MixPre-3M has more tracks (up to twelve) than its three physical
Channel knobs, settings for tracks 4 and higher are accessed using the Track
Bank selector. For more information, see Track Bank Selector.

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User Guide

Track Names

You can edit a song’s individual track names from its associated Channel
screen. For example, changing the default names Track 1 to Drums, Track 2 to
Keyboard, Track 3 to Lead Vocals, etc.:

To edit Track 1’s name:

1. Press Channel 1 knob.

2. Tap top left corner of the Channel screen.

3. Enter a new name for Track 1 and tap OK.

The edited name will appear at the top of the track’s Channel screen and
will also be embedded in the metadata of rendered ISO (isolated) les when
using Render > Wav All Isos. See Sharing Projects for more information.

Setting Input Source

Input, on the Channel screen, lets you select the input source for a track.

Any input can be routed to any channel. This reduces the need to rearrange
instruments plugged into inputs when you want to record that input to
a dierent track. You can also select the MixPre-3M’s mixer outputs (see

Bouncing), a metronome click (see Metronome) or turn on Phantom power.

To route inputs:

1. Enter the Channel screen, tap Input. The Routing screen appears, as shown
in the following examples.

2. Select an input for the track. A track can only have one live input source.

3. Select Phantom if you want to turn on Phantom power for a Mic source.
Phantom toggles 48V Phantom on and o. Turn Phantom on if a condenser
microphone is being used.

20

L Notice in the previous screenshots how Phantom is only an option when a Mic

source is selected.

4. Select Click as an input for your track if you want to record the metronome
click into your song. This is useful should you want to later import the song
into a DAW to develop the song further. The recorded metronome will allow

INPUT CHANNELS

you to set the DAW’s tempo and internal metronome so that it is perfectly
aligned with the MixPre recording. For more information, see Metronome.

L The Click option is not available if the track is stereo linked.

Enabling Monitoring

The Monitoring feature lets you hear the live input signal during playback. This
is particularly useful when practicing along with already recorded tracks or
performing live to a backing track.

To enable monitoring:

X Enter the Channel screen, tap Monitor. The button appears orange when on,

except if input is o.

Setting the Gain

Gain sets the trim gain (pre-fader gain) for the channel. This gain determines
the signal level on the channel’s individual track—i.e. the ISO track level.

The gain range is dependant on the input type selected.

• Mic: 6dB - 76dB

• Line: -20dB - 30dB

• Aux Mic : 10dB - 40dB

• Aux Line: -10dB - 20dB

• USB: -20dB - 30dB

Using Solo/Mute

The MixPre-3M oers a few dierent ways to mute or solo tracks.

• From each track’s Channel screen, tap Mute to mute the selected track. This
removes the signal from recorded tracks, mix and all outputs. When muted,
its LED ring will glow red. Multiple tracks may be muted at the same time.

• From each track’s Channel screen, tap Solo to hear only the selected track
(pre-fade/pre-eects) in both ears of the headphone output. When a track
is soloed, its LED ring will ash orange.

21

User Guide

You can quickly solo/mute several tracks from the Solo/Mute screen. All 12
tracks’ Solos and Mutes may be viewed and set from this screen.

To solo or mute tracks from the Solo/Mute screen:

1. Tap . The Music Control screen appears.

2. Tap Solo/Mute. The Solo/Mute screen appears.

Like Mute, soloing is non-exclusive, meaning any number of inputs may be
soloed at the same time.

3. Do either of the following:

X Tap either Solo or Mute and then tap track(s) to select them. Soloed

channels appear orange; muted tracks appear red.

X Use the HP encoder to highlight (green outline) a track and then tap

either Solo or Mute.

4. Tap to exit the screen.

Arming a Track

Armed tracks appear with red numbered boxes on the Home screen’s Meter
view.

To arm/disarm a track:

X From the Channel screen, tap Arm to enable or disable a track for

recording.

Understanding Pan

Pan sets the position of the track in the LR stereo mix.

Pan range has 33 positions from L16 (fully left) to C (Center) to R16 (fully
right).

Using Reverb

Reverb sets how much reverb is added to a track in the LR mix. Only the mix is
aected, not the individual recorded tracks.

22

INPUT CHANNELS

To render the reverb eect into the individual recorded tracks, you must use the
Bounce feature.

L Reverb is unavailable when recording at 96kHz sample rate.

To adjust reverb:

X From the Channel screen, tap Reverb and turn encoder. Range is O, -50dB

to 0 dB in 1 dB increments.

You can also select dierent reverb characteristics—such as type, decay,
predelay, etc.

To congure Reverb:

1. Tap .

2. Page through submenu and tap Reverb.

3. Tap any of the following settings and adjust values accordingly:

Setting Options

Reverb Type O, Plate, Hall, Room

Reverb Decay 0.1 - 5.0 seconds

Reverb Pre-Delay 0 - 40 ms

Reverb HF Damp O, 0-20

Rendering a Vocal Air Effect

Applying Air to a lead vocal can help it stand out in a mix. It adds a desirable
‘airy’ sheen to vocals.

Vocal Air sets how much “Air” is added to a track in the LR mix. The range is
O, 1%-100%. Only the mix is aected, not the individual recorded tracks.

To render the Air eect into the individual recorded tracks, you must use the
Bounce feature.

L Air can only be applied to one track at a time. If you want to apply Air to a

track, but it appears grayed out on that track’s Channel screen, and is therefore

unavailable, you must rst turn Air o on the track to which it is currently applied.

If you want to add Air to multiple vocals, you can use the Bounce feature.

Setting the Low Cut Filter

Use Low Cut to attenuate undesirable low frequencies such as mic handling
noise and wind noise.

23

User Guide

The Low Cut setting activates and sets the Low Cut lter. Range is O, 40-160
Hz in 40 Hz steps.

Toggling Phase Inversion

Phase inversion, also known as polarity reversal, can be used to prevent signal
cancellation when a source is dual-mic’d from opposite directions (e.g. snare
top/bottom on a drum kit) or to compensate for incorrectly wired, balanced
cables.

The Phase setting toggles Phase Inversion on and o.

To toggle a track’s phase inversion:

X From the Channel screen, tap Phase.

Stereo Track Linking

Used to link a pair of tracks when the input is a stereo source. Linking enables
control of the overall level of the pair using a single channel knob. If using a
stereo source, such as keyboard or drum machine, plug that instrument into a
neighboring pair of inputs such as 1-2, 3-4, etc. Link the tracks by setting the
pair’s rst Channel Screen>Linking menu to 1-2, 3-4, etc. Linking allows you to
control the level of both channels with just the odd-numbered knob.

For example, the following procedure links tracks 1 and 2.

To link tracks 1-2:

1. Push Channel 1 knob to access that Channel screen.

2. Tap Linking.

3. Select 1-2 for a stereo source.

You’ll now be able to control the level of both tracks 1 and 2 with the
Channel 1 knob.

Configuring Aux In Mode

To congure the Aux/Mic In connector:

1. Tap .

2. Tap Inputs > Aux In Mode.

3. Select one of the following options:

24

◦ Mic: Select this option when the Aux/Mic In is to be used with a mic. The

MixPre provides bias voltage for PiP (plug-in-power) mics.

◦ Line: Select this option when the Aux/Mic In is to be used with an

unbalanced 2ch line source, such as smartphone headphone output,
stereo line source, etc.

When any of the options above are selected as the Aux In Mode, they are
available as input sources to any track by selecting an Aux.

◦ O: Select this option to turn o the Aux/Mic input.

Track Bank Selector

Since there are more tracks (twelve) than physical Channel knobs (three), a
Track Bank selector—shown as a white box in the meter view—is used to select
which group of tracks you want to control.

In the following example, tracks 10-12 are controlled by Channel knobs on the
recorder’s front-panel.

INPUT CHANNELS

To switch track banks:

X Tap meters to toggle through each trio of tracks: 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12.

For instance, when the white box is around tracks 10-12, you can control
tracks 10-12 with the knobs. A tap on the meters moves the box to around
1-3, which indicates you can now control tracks 1-3 with the knobs. Another
tap moves control to tracks 4-6, and so forth.

When a track bank is switched, rotating a Channel knob in the newly selected
bank will not have an eect on level until it reaches its previously stored fader
value. As soon as it reaches that value, the gain will adjust normally in relation
to the knob’s rotational position.

L Upon switching track banks, if the knob’s rotational position is not aligned with its

fader value, the LEDs for that knob will illuminate with a pulsing orange light. This
will stop once position and value are re-aligned.

When adjusting the Channel knob, its fader value along with the previously
stored value is shown in orange text at the top of the Home screen and Channel
screens until it reaches its previously stored value, at which point it changes to
black text.

For example:

25

User Guide

In this example, the Channel knob for track 9 must be rotated clockwise, as
indicated by the arrow, from its current fader value of -18dB. Once it reaches
the track’s previously stored value of -15dB, the mix level will start to be
aected.

L Adjust the Channel knob a small fraction to display the stored value and arrow in

orange text. The displayed arrow and stored value will inform you which way to
rotate the knob.

26

Outputs

The MixPre-3M has a 3.5mm unbalanced output on its left side panel.

To route the L/R stereo output:

1. Tap .

2. Tap Outputs.

3. Tap Stereo Out to route 3.5mm output.

The stereo outputs can be fed from the LR mix (stereo or mono) or can be
set to follow whatever is being output in the headphones (stereo or mono).
This is useful for providing a secondary headphone output feed.

Adjusting Output Level

Adjust output gains to optimize the level feeding downstream devices, such as
active speakers, external mixers, PA gear, etc.

To adjust output gain:

1. Tap .

2. Tap Outputs.

3. Select St. Out Gain.

You can adjust L/R output gains from +20 to -40dB.

Headphone Output and Presets

The MixPre-3M’s audiophile-grade headphone amplier provides high power
and very low noise performance so that you can accurately hear the audio
being handled, regardless of headphones or environment. Connect headphones
via 3.5mm jack to the headphone jack (located on the right side panel). The
volume of the headphones can be set with the encoder directly adjacent to the

27

User Guide

headphone jack.

From the HP Presets menu, you may select various HP presets.

⚠ Since the headphone amplier is capable of very high output levels, please

use caution when wearing headphones as hearing damage could result
with inappropriate volume levels.

From the main Menu screen, the headphone presets (HP Presets)
may be accessed by pressing this icon in the upper left corner of the
screen. Above this icon, the currently selected HP preset is displayed.

Options include: LR Stereo, LR Mono, Preset 1-4 and Edit HP Preset.

To create a custom HP Preset:

X In the HP Preset submenu, select Edit HP Preset to edit and name any of

the four User HP Presets.

28

Metering

Recorder Transport Controls

Channel Knob Ring LEDs

Power Light

Touchscreen

LEDs and Metering

There are several basic methods for observing input and output levels on the
MixPre-3M: Channel knob ring LEDs, Channel screen meter, and Home screen’s
meter view.

Channel Knob Ring LEDs

Channel knob ring LEDs - Each LED ring is capable of displaying green, orange
and red colors. The brightness of the light ring indicates the level of the input:
green = signal present, red = signal peaking, orange = signal limiting. In
addition, a channel’s ring LED will ash orange when soloed or illuminate solid
red when muted.

The LEDs around any of the three knobs will also pulse orange if, upon
changing track banks, the knob’s rotational position is not aligned with its
fader value; this pulsing stops once position and value are realigned. For more
information, see Track Bank Selector.

Channel Screen Meter

The Channel screen provides a meter beneath the Track name.

For more information, see Accessing Channel Screen Settings.

29

User Guide

Meter View

The Home screen’s meter view displays vertical metering for the 12 tracks and
horizontal stereo L/R mix. The meter view also provides the Track Bank selector,
which is a white-outlined box (or boxes) surrounding a group of neighboring
meters in the meter view. For instance, the Track Bank selector in the following
example shows tracks 10-12 selected. For more information, see Track Bank

Selector.

Track labels, each bearing the track number, appear along the bottom of the
meter view and will change color based on routing and transport status.

30

The following table shows the various options you may see during the music

creation process:

Track Label Description

Solid red Track is armed for recording and is monitoring live input.

Red with green outline Track is armed for recording, but is currently monitoring track

playback. (Input monitor is o.)

Solid green Track is currently playing back and is not armed for recording.

Gray (Stop only) Track has an input source routed to it but is not armed for

recording.

Black Track has no input source routed to it.

Projects

Each song or composition in the MixPre-3M is known as a Project. A Project
is essentially a folder on the SD card that stores all your song’s audio les
and settings. This makes it easy to organize, share, and copy your musical
creations. The project folder also includes a special ‘session’ le that enables
the MixPre-3M to control precisely where on the timeline and on which track the
project’s recorded audio les should be played back.

Conceptually, a Music project operates like a typical DAW and as such you can
visualize it in much the same way. A play cursor moves across a horizontal
timeline and audio tracks (referred to as ‘channels’ in the MixPre) are laid out
as rows. A song always starts at 00:00:00:0 (hh:mm:ss:tenths), bar 1.

You can store many projects on an SD card, which is great if you are working
on multiple songs or an album, because you can quickly switch between them.

Only one project is active at any one time.

All project audio les and settings (e.g. mix parameters, track names, project
history, etc.) are saved automatically so don’t worry about having to manually
save.

If power is lost in the middle of recording, the MixPre returns to the project
state prior to the loss of power, and no previously recorded audio is lost or
corrupted.

On power up, the MixPre-3M automatically loads the last open project.

31

User Guide

Creating Projects

MixPre-3M will automatically create a project if record is pressed without rst
creating a new project.

To create a new Music project:

1. Tap .

2. Tap Project > New.

3. When the New Project screen appears, you can do any of the following:

X Name the project.
X Set the sample rate. Options include: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, or 96kHz.

L Be sure to choose the correct sample rate when you create a new project; you

cannot change it once created.

When using the MixPre as a USB audio interface, ensure that you set the computer
OS, DAW application, and the MixPre project to the same sample rate. This
prevents clocking and/or o-speed playback issues.

Reverb is unavailable when sample rate is set at 96kHz.

4. Tap Create when you’re ready to create the new Music project.

L The new project’s name is shown at the top of the Home screen.

For more information, see Project History and Project Folder Structure.

Import Recording

When creating a new project, you may choose to import a .wav audio le (up
to 12 tracks) as the foundation for your project. This is ideal for importing
multitrack audio from a DAW should you want to continue developing your
composition in the MixPre. Or perhaps you’ve created a backing track in your
DAW for a live performance and want to use the MixPre as your all-in-one
playback device and mixer during the show.

32

L You may also import .wav les from Audio projects recorded using the MixPre-3,

MixPre-6, or MixPre-10T models.

To create a project based on a non-native poly WAV le:

1. Tap .

2. Tap Project > New > Import Recording.

3. Select your le from the those available on the SD card:

X Use the HP encoder to select a .wav le from the root of the SD card.
X Scroll to and select the an Audio project folder rst, then choose a .wav

le to import it from within the folder.

Opening Projects

When switching from the current project to another project, you do not need to
worry about saving the current one; the MixPre automatically saves the current
project’s state.

To open an existing project:

1. Tap .

PROJECTS

2. Tap Project > Open. A list of all projects, identied by a music notes
icon, on the SD card is displayed.

3. Rotate the HP encoder to highlight the chosen project; push in encoder to
open the project.

Once selected, the project is opened and the Home screen is displayed. You
are ready to start recording.

Trashing Projects

Since SD cards are capable of holding many gigabytes of data, the list of
projects can become quite long. You can trash any project apart from the one
that is currently active.

To trash a project:

1. Tap .

2. Tap Project > Trash Project.

3. Select a project to trash.

4. Tap OK to conrm deletion of selected project. This actually moves the
selected project and all its les to the TRASH folder on the SD card. Projects
in this folder are still accessible using a computer.

L To free up space on the SD card, you can permanently delete projects in the SD

card’s TRASH folder from the MixPre-3M’s SD Card > Empty Trash sub-menu.

33

User Guide

Project History

Each recording is logged as an item (revision) in the History list. This makes it
easy to “undo” to an earlier recording or “redo” to a later recording—ideal for
quickly redoing a bad take or comparing dierent takes. The History list is in
chronological order with the most recent recording at the top.

To access the History list and switch to an earlier or later recording:

1. Tap at the top left corner of the Home screen.

2. Tap History. The History list appears.

3. Use the HP encoder to select a le in the list. The current recording is
indicated by an asterisk (*) after its revision’s le name.

L The revision’s le name is derived from the date and time the recording was

nished. For example, a recording nished at 2:22 PM (14:22) on the 12th of
March 2018 would have a name like this: 001-031218-142200

To restart the current project from scratch:

X From the History list, scroll to the bottom, and select Restart Song.

⚠ This will clear all audio from the project and cannot be undone. However,

the audio les themselves are not actually deleted; they remain in the
project folder, which can be accessed using a computer.

Project Folder Structure

A Project folder contains the following les:

• The project’s recorded audio WAV les. Each track is represented by a
single monophonic WAV le.

L The le name is derived from the date and time the recording was nished. For

example, a recording nished at 1:33 PM (13:33) on the 23rd of March 2018
would have a name like this: 001-032318-133300

34

• A render folder containing all rendered audio les and a SESSION.XML le
which manages how audio les are played back as well as storing settings
for the project.

You can view the contents of a Project folder on a computer.

Sharing Projects

Sharing projects is as easy as transferring to a computer (see USB File

Transfer) and uploading to colleagues via the internet or simply handing them

an SD card.

There are multiple ways to share a project:

• Copy Project Folder - ideal for collaborating with other MixPre-3M users.
They can load the whole project from an SD card and continue working
from where you left o.

• Render a Wav or AAC Stereo File - ideal for sharing your latest mix with
friends and band members

L An AAC le is like an .mp3 audio le, except it has better quality for similar bit

rates.

• Render all individual tracks (also known as ISOs) as monophonic les - ideal
for importing into a DAW for further production.

To render a project:

PROJECTS

1. Tap .

2. Tap Render.

3. Select a format. Options include:

◦ Wav Stereo - performs a real-time render of the LR mix to an

uncompressed 2ch stereo wav le. All track level, pan, mute, reverb and
air adjustments made during rendering are reected in the resulting
stereo wav le.

◦ AAC Stereo - performs a real-time render of the LR mix to a compressed

2ch stereo AAC le. AAC les are much smaller in size than a WAV le and
so are faster to share over the internet. All track level, pan, mute, reverb
and air adjustments made during rendering are reected in the resulting
AAC le.

L The bit rate for AAC rendering is set via Main Menu > Record > AAC Quality.

Options for AAC bit rates are: 32, 64, 128, 192, or 256 kbps. The higher the

number, the better the quality. See Record Settings for more information.

◦ Wav All Isos - performs a real-time render of all isolated (individual)

tracks each to their own monophonic wav le. This is the ideal option for
importing all tracks into a DAW. Just drag them all to zero on your DAW’s
timeline to sync all of them up perfectly.

35

User Guide

36

Recording and Playback

The MixPre-3M can record and playback up to twelve audio tracks at 96 kHz,
24-bit to an SD card (SD, SDHC,or SDXC).

You can record to the SD card even when using the MixPre-3M as a USB audio
interface. This opens up cool opportunities for recording the computer’s USB
audio output and mixing it with other mic and line sources plugged into the
MixPre.

This simultaneous recording/USB audio streaming capability also makes the
MixPre ideal as a backup to a computer - highly desirable in mission critical
applications where relying on a computer might be a risk.

Formatting SD Cards

SD cards must be formatted by the MixPre-3M for reliable recording and
playback.

⚠ Be sure to backup any wanted audio recordings or data before formatting

since the formatting process erases all data.

We highly recommend using Sound Devices branded SD cards as these have
been optimized to provide the best performance. If these are not available,
most reputable manufacturers’ cards (such as SanDisk or Delkin) that meet or
exceed class 10 speeds are acceptable.

To format an SD card:

1. Insert an SD card in the slot located on the rear panel.

2. Tap .

3. Tap SD Card > Edit > Format.

4. When asked to conrm the command to format the card, tap OK.

Cards with a capacity of 32 GB or less will be formatted with the FAT32 le
system. Cards with a capacity greater than 32 GB will be formatted with
the exFAT le system.

37

User Guide

Transport Controls

On the MixPre-3M, the transport controls works in a similar fashion to how
transport controls work in a typical DAW, i.e. they control a playback cursor
(typically indicated by a moving vertical line in most DAWs) that moves
horizontally across a timeline indicating the current position in the song. The
current position is indicated by the time counter at the top of the Home screen.
All projects start at 00:00:00.0.

Function Control Action

The button illuminates red while recording is underway.

Record

Stop

Play

Scrub

Push the REC button to manually start recording from the
current position on the timeline. You can manually start
recording during playback or when stopped. Only armed
channels are recorded.

Press Stop to stop recording or playback at the current
position.

Pressing Stop when already stopped returns the playback
cursor to the start of the song.

While stopped, press and hold the headphone encoder, then

rotate it to move the playhead forward or backward in 1/10

second steps

The button illuminates green while playback is underway.

Press to start playback from the current position. Press again
during playback to pause at the current position.

If at the end of the song, pressing play does nothing.

While playing or paused, press the headphone encoder to
enter Scrub mode. Then rotate clockwise for fast forward or
counter-clockwise for rewind at speeds of 0x, 1/8x, 1/4x,
1/2x, 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x and 16x. The audio may be heard in
Scrub mode up to 2x speed. TO exit scrub mode, press the
headphone encoder again.

Record Arming

Armed tracks are recorded when REC is activated. They play back when Play is
activated.

Disarmed tracks play back during recording and playback unless their input
monitor is on, in which case they monitor the live input.

To arm a channel:

1. Press the Channel knob.

2. Tap Arm.

38

Armed tracks are indicated in the Home screen’s meter view by red
track labels surrounding the channel number. See Meter View for more
information on possible colors of track labels and what they mean.

If neighboring channels are linked, their labels are merged to indicate that
they are linked. See Stereo Track Linking for more information regarding
linking.

Working with Cue Points

The MixPre-3M uses cue points to make it easy to locate quickly to points of
interest and set up automatic punch in/out regions.

There are dierent types:

Icon Type Description

Cue mark
(01, 02, etc)

Play In Denes when playback begins. Typically used as pre-roll before

Record In Denes when automatic recording begins (the start of the Punch

RECORDING AND PLAYBACK

Cue marks are cue points that dene a specic position of interest
within a song, which may be used to “cue” or relocate to that
point quickly and easily. For example, set a cue at the start of a
verse or chorus. You can name cues for easy identication.
A cue mark may also be set as any other type of cue point.

punch in (Record In).

In/Out region).

Record Out Denes when automatic recording ends (the end of the Punch In/

Out region).

Stop Denes when playback stops. Typically used as post-roll after a

punch out (Record Out).

To add Play In and Record In/Out and Stop cue points:

1. While stopped, tap the Q icon , located at the top of the Home screen.
The Cue Points menu appears.

2. Tap each button (according to icons shown in previous table) to add that
cue point at current song position. This may be done while stopped,
paused, or during playback.

39

User Guide

Alternatively, you can create cue marks and set them as Play In, Record In/Out,
or Stop points from the Cue-List.

To add cues marks:

L It is not possible to place an In point after an Out point. It is also not possible to

have more than one In or Out point of each type (Play or Record).

X During recording, playback, or pause, tap , the Q icon at the top of

the Home screen to add a cue mark exactly at that point in the song. A
cue mark number (starting from 01 and incrementing each time a new cue
mark is added) is displayed next to the Q icon.

X Alternatively, when stopped, tap , the Q icon at the top of the Home

screen to access the Cue Points menu. Then, tap , the Q button to add a
cue at current song position.

The MixPre automatically renumbers cue marks if one is inserted between
existing cue marks to maintain their ascending numerical order from the start
of the song—01, 02, 03, etc.

Cues appear in numerical order in the Cue List, such as 01 shown in following
image, below the Play In, Record In/Out and Stop points.

You may have up to 99 such cues per song. Cues may be named, moved,
deleted or set as Play In, Record In/Out, or Stop points from the Cue List.

40

L You cannot rename Playback or Record In/Out points.

RECORDING AND PLAYBACK

To access the Cue List:

X Tap Cue List from the Music Control menu.
X Tap Cue List from the Cue Points menu.

To custom name a cue mark :

1. Access the Cue List. The Cue List screen appears.

2. Select a cue mark, using the HP encoder.

3. Tap Name and enter a new name, such as Chorus or Bridge.

To set a cue as a Play In, Record In/Out, or Stop point:

1. From the Cue List, select a cue.

2. Tap Set As.

3. Tap Play In, Record In, Record Out, or Stop to set the selected cue mark as
an In/Out point for recording or playback.

Moving Cue Points

You can nely tune the position of In and Out points in 0.1 second increments.

To move Cue Points:

1. Tap Cue List.

2. Use the HP encoder to select a cue point.

3. Tap Move and rotate the HP encoder to adjust the selection in 0.1 second
increments.

41

User Guide

Previewing Cue Point Positions

To aid in ne tuning the position of any cue point, you can preview it. Preview
plays a few seconds from the cue point. If the cue point is slightly late or early,
use the move function to ne tune its position.

To preview Cue Points:

1. Select one in the Cue List and press Play.

Clearing & Deleting Cue Points

You can delete cue marks and clear Play In, Record In/Out, or Stop points via
the Cue Points menu or Cue List screen.

To clear all In and Out stored values:

X Tap Clr In/Out.

To clear an individual Play In, Record In/Out, or Stop point:

X Select one from the Cue List and tap Disable.

To delete a cue mark:

1. From the Cue List, select a cue mark.

2. Tap Delete.

Locating to Cue Marks

You can “cue” the song to a certain point—that is, quickly jump to specic cue
marks within a song using the Play button and HP encoder.

To jump between cue marks:

X While playing, paused or stopped, press in and hold the Play button, and

then turn the HP encoder to jump to the next or previous cue mark.

Punching In/Out

42

Punching allows you to drop in and out of record on armed tracks while
playing back existing unarmed tracks. Automatic punching is a commonly
used technique that allows you to play along with existing audio and have
the recorder automatically and seamlessly drop into and out of record at
predetermined points—a cool tool for getting just the right performance. You
can punch in/out on a new track or over existing tracks.

Punching in/out over existing material (known as overdubbing) replaces the

RECORDING AND PLAYBACK

existing track audio between the Record In and Out points with new audio.

To manually punch in/out:

1. Arm the tracks on which you want to punch in/out.

2. While playing back, at the desired point, press REC to punch in; the MixPre
will start recording on the armed tracks. The REC control illuminates solid
red.

3. Press REC again to punch out; the MixPre will stop recording but continue
playing back.

To automatically punch in/out:

1. Set Record In and Record Out points to where you want the MixPre to
automatically punch in and out. If a Record In or Out point is set, a ‘P’ is
displayed in the status bar to indicate that automatic punching is enabled.
See Working with Cue Points.

2. Use Play In and Stop cue points to set pre-roll and/or post-roll as necessary.
Setting a few bars of pre-roll allows you to play along with existing audio to
help you get up to speed and ‘into the groove’ before the Record In point.
Use the Track ‘Monitor’ button to monitor either track playback or your live
input during pre-roll and post-roll, depending on your preference.

3. Press REC. The Play button will illuminate green and the MixPre will start

See Working with Cue Points for more information on clearing Play In, Record
In/Out, and Stop points.

Bouncing

The MixPre-3M oers up to 12 tracks which is enough for many situations. For
example, four for drums, one for bass, two for vocals, two for guitars, two for
keyboards plus a spare!

However, sometimes you may want to add more layers. Bouncing, sometimes
known as Ping-Ponging, is a technique dating back to the days of the Beatles
and Beach Boys that allows you to combine multiple tracks into just one or two
thereby freeing up tracks for further overdubbing. It is also used to simplify
mixdowns by grouping multiple tracks, or burning in reverb or air eects into an
ISO track.

playing from the Play In point if set, or from the current playback cursor
position if not set. Once the Record In point is reached, the MixPre will
automatically start recording on the armed tracks and REC button will
illuminate red. Recording will continue until the Record Out point is reached
(if set) at which point the MixPre will return to playback and the Play button
will illuminate green. Playback will stop when the Stop point (if set) is
reached.

In the MixPre, the bounce mix is derived from the LR mix.

43

User Guide

To bounce:

1. Decide which track(s) you want to bounce. Let’s call these the destination

2. In the destination tracks’ channel screens, set Input to MixL, MixR, or both.

3. Decide which track or tracks you want to bounce from. Let’s call these the

4. Mute all tracks except the source and destination tracks.

5. Disarm all tracks except for the destination tracks.

6. Set the source track levels, pans, reverb and air eects as required. Eects

tracks.

Your choice will depend on whether you want to do a mono, stereo, or dual
mono bounce. For instance, if you are doing a stereo bounce to tracks 1 and
2, set track 1 to MixL and track 2 to MixR. If you are doing a mono bounce
to track 3, set track 3 to both MixL and MixR.

L Any track that is set to MixL or MixR is removed from the LR mix to prevent

feedback. You can adjust the level of the recorded bounce using the LR gain

control - tap the L(left) mix meter in the home screen to quickly access LR gain.

source tracks.

are burned in to the destination track(s).

7. You are now ready to bounce.

8. Manually start recording or use auto-punch to begin bouncing from the

required location. As with normal recording, bouncing is a real-time process
where you can dynamically adjust the source track levels, pans, and eects.

9. Press stop to nish the bounce at any time.

10. Disarm and unroute MixL and MixR from the destination tracks.

11. To hear your bounce, start playback from roughly where the bounce started.

Adjust mix level, pan, reverb and air accordingly.

You may want to mute or clear the original source tracks so that you can hear
your bounce in isolation.

To clear a track:

1. Access its Channel screen.

2. Tap Input, and then tap Clear.

44

Clear is only displayed if the track contains audio.

⚠ Clearing tracks removes them from the project entirely. The les still

exist, but they can only be accessed from a computer.

3. Tap Yes to conrm removal of track audio from the project.

Metronome

The metronome is an audible click that may be used to help you perform in
time while recording and also provide a count-in so that you know when to start
playing. The rst beat of the bar is represented by a higher pitched click than
the other beats of the bar. The metronome click is summed with the LR mix and
as such can be heard when the headphones or outputs are set to LR.

The metronome may also be recorded to a track. Select Click in a track’s Input
screen.

To set up the metronome:

RECORDING AND PLAYBACK

1. Tap .

2. Tap Metronome, then do any or all of the following:

L You will hear a preview of the metronome while in this screen.

X Tap Signature and set the beat (time signature) for the song. Options

include: 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 8/4, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8.

X Tap Tempo and set the song tempo (metronome click rate) by tapping

the arrows or using the HP encoder to adjust the tempo bpm (beats per
minute) value. Range is 40 to 240 bpm.

X Tap Volume to set the volume of the metronome click.
X Tap Count-in to set the number of count-in bars you want before

recording starts. Range is 0 to 8 bars.

X Tap On During... to set when the metronome is active. Options include:

Record, Play, or Count-in.

To enable the metronome, do either of the following:

X From the Music Control menu, tap the Metronome button. The

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User Guide

Metronome icon will illuminate orange when active.

L The Metronome button will be disabled (appearing grayed out but with an orange

icon) whenever Click is assigned as a track’s input source.

Record Settings

The Record submenu provides access to the settings detailed in the following

table:

Sub-menu Description Options

L&R Gain Sets the gain for the LR mix. • -30 - 0 dB (1 dB increment)

AAC Quality Sets the quality value for AAC rendering.

L Tip: You can quickly access L&R Gain by tapping the L (left) horizontal meter

on the Home screen.

• 32 kbps

For more information, see Sharing

Projects.

• 64 kbps

• 128 kbps

• 192 kbps

• 256 kbps

To access the Record submenu:

X Tap , then Record.

46

RECORDING AND PLAYBACK

47

User Guide

48

USB

USB Audio Interface

The MixPre-3M has an integrated 5-in, 2-out core audio-compatible interface for
use with a Mac or PC computer.

For PC users, the MixPre-3M will appear as a 2x2 audio interface unless a
specic ASIO® driver is installed. The latest ASIO driver, along with install
instructions, is available for free at www.sounddevices.com/support/downloads.
See the MixPre-3M’s Downloads page.

To work with the USB audio from a host computer, it is necessary to route the
USB 1 - 4 sources appropriately. Should you want to mix the USB audio from
the host computer with live audio from the MixPre-3M’s inputs to the LR bus,
use the channel screen and select input source.

The MixPre-3M is capable of recording and streaming audio to a USB host
simultaneously. It is also capable of recording the USB audio stream out of a
computer directly to its SD recorder. This is an amazingly useful feature for
recording any computer-based audio.

See the table below detailing the MixPre-3M’s channel to output assignments.

Tracks USB Output Assignment

Track 1 USB stream 1

Track 2 USB stream 2

Track 3 USB stream 3

Track 4 USB stream 4

Track 5 USB stream 5

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User Guide

Low-latency Monitoring

We’ve worked really hard with our hardware and software design teams to
minimize latency. We’ve found that in many scenarios, latency when monitoring
through a DAW (digital audio workstation) is perfectly acceptable, depending
upon DAW software, computer hardware and plug-ins.

In situations where the throughput latency is higher than desired, the input to
the MixPre-3M can be directly monitored in the headphone output.

For example...

To monitor with zero-latency through the MixPre-3M:

1. Connect MixPre-3M to computer.

2. Conrm that the LR Stereo HP Preset is selected.

3. Select USB1 for Channel 1 source and Pan L.

4. Select USB2 for Channel 2 source and Pan R.

5. Connect microphone or other input to Channels 3.

6. Select Mic for Channel 3 source. This input will appear to your computer as
USB stream 3.

7. Setup your DAW software for a new track with its source being Channel 3
and be sure that record monitoring is disabled for this track. (Optionally,
you may mute the channel’s output in the DAW).

8. You should now be able to hear and adjust the output of your DAW audio
through Channels 1 and 2 while adjusting your low-latency feed in your
headphones and to the DAW with Channel 3. Use the channel 3 knob to
adjust the send level to the DAW. Use channel 1 and 2 knobs to adjust the
mix of the DAW audio with channel 3 to taste.

USB File Transfer

The MixPre-3M supports USB le transfer between its SD card and a computer
by connecting the MixPre-s USB-C port to a host computer’s USB port. To use
this feature, connect the recorder to a computer and then put the MixPre-3M
into File Transfer mode. (USB audio will be suspended.)

To enter File Transfer mode:

50

1. Tap .

2. Tap System > File Transfer.

3. When le transfer is complete, disconnect the recorder from the computer,
then tap Exit on the USB-C File Transfer Mode screen to return to the
previous operating state.

USB Keyboard

The use of standard USB computer keyboards is supported with the USB-A port
on the recorder’s left panel for situations such as text entry.

L Keyboards with an embedded USB hub and Apple brand keyboards are not

compatible. Additionally, some keyboards must be connected only after the
recorder is turned on.

A connected wired or wireless USB keyboard may also be used as a wired
remote control for certain functions of the MixPre-3M. See the table below for
available USB keyboard shortcuts.

USB Keyboard Shortcuts

When a USB keyboard is attached, the following key-combinations or shortcuts
are available.

Keystrokes Action

F1 or Menu key Accesses the Main menu

F12 Home

Ctrl + R Record

Ctrl + S Stop

Spacebar Play

Left Arrow Main screen: Rewind, skip back to Q-point

USB

Menu and Channel screens: Toggles through pages

Right Arrow Main screen: Fast forward, skip forward to Q-point

Menu and Channel screens: Toggles through pages

Up / Down Arrows Main screen: Adjusts headphone volume

In menus: Duplicates encoder rotation, such as moves highlight,

scrolls list

While editing parameters: Changes the value

Enter In menus: Activates current selection. (Same as encoder press.) Also,

same as choosing OK when virtual keyboard is on screen

Q In menus: select top left option in quad button view

W In menus: select top right option in quad button view

A In menus: select bottom left option in quad button view

S In menus: select bottom right option in quad button view

1-3 Channel screen for 1-3

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User Guide

52

User Presets and System Settings

Saving and Recalling Presets

Flexibility is the MixPre-3M’s M.O. To make it easy for you to use the recorder
in a wide variety of situations, we created a slick feature where you can store
and recall snapshots of all of MixPre settings. There are four internal Preset
slots available. Also, the SD card can store virtually unlimited Presets.

To save a Preset:

1. Tap .

2. Tap Presets > Save to Internal 1-4 or SD Card

3. Enter a Preset Name and tap OK.

To recall a Preset

1. Tap .

2. Tap Presets > Load Preset.

3. Select preset with encoder.

4. Tap OK.

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User Guide

System Settings

To access system settings:

1. Tap .

2. Tap System.

Page Sub-Menu Description

1 USB-C

Lets you indicate whether you intend to use the USB-C port
for power only or as an audio input.

1 USB Audio

1 File Transfer

1 Tone

2 Limiters

2 Brightness

2 Date/Time

2 Regulatory

Lets you set the USB Audio interface to output only two
channels to increase compatibility with applications that do
not support multichannel USB audio.
Options include: Normal or Stereo Out

L When set to Stereo Out, the MixPre does not receive USB

audio from a computer.

Lets you transfer les between the MixPre and a host
computer.

Lets you turn tone on/o, set the tone’s level (from -20dBFS
to 0dBFS in 1 dBFS increments) and mode (to either
Continuous or L-Ident).

Lets you turn limiters on/o.

Lets you independently adjust the brightness of the touch
screen and the ring LEDs.

Provides access to set the date, time, and formats for both.

Provides full Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
compliance information specic to MixPre-3M.
FCC ID: 2AKLX-739M3
IC: 22225-739M3
HVIN: MIXPRE3M

54

3 Version

3 Update Firmware

Provides the current rmware version and serial number.

Lets you update the MixPre rmware from a le on the
SD card. The latest MixPre rmware can be downloaded
from the Sound Devices website: www.sounddevices.com/

support/downloads

Specifications

Specications are subject to change without prior notice.

For the latest information available on all Sound Devices products, visit our

website at: www.sounddevices.com.

Audio Inputs

Name Description

Frequency Response

10 Hz to 40 kHz +/- 0.5dB re 1 kHz @ 96 kHz sample rate

Total Harmonic Distortion

(THD)

Equivalent Input Noise
(EIN)

Inputs

Gain

ADC Dynamic Range

Maximum Input Level

Limiters

0.005% max (@1 kHz, 22-22 kHz BW, gain=20 dB, -10 dBu in)

-130 dBV (-128 dBu) max (A-weighting, gain=76 dB, 150 ohm source impedance)

• Mic: XLR active-balanced; 4k input Z

• Line: XLR active-balanced; 4k input Z

• Line: ¼-inch TRS active-balanced; 4k input Z

• Aux/Mic in: 3.5mm TRS, 2-channel unbalanced; 100k input Z

• USB Audio: 4 channels

• All inputs fully RF-filtered and overload protected.

• Mic input: +6 dB to +76 dB

• Line input: -20 dB to +30 dB

• Fader: -inf to +20 dB

• Total, Mic-to-recording (max): +96 dB

• Aux In (Mic): +10 dB to +40 dB

• Aux In (Line): -10 dB to +20 dB

• Total Aux Gain including Fader, Mic-to-recording: +60 dB

32 bit precision; 120 dB dynamic range min (A-weighted, gain=10 dB, fader=0 dB)

• Mic XLR: +14 dBu (limiters on or off)

• Line XLR / ¼-inch: +28 dBu (limiters on or off)

• Aux In (Mic): -10 dBu

• Aux In (Line): +10 dBu

• Limiter at all gain stages, range > 40 dB.

• First stage analog, subsequent stages digital

Low Cut Filters

Microphone Powering

40 Hz to 160 Hz (adjustable), 18 dB/oct. First stage analog, subsequent stages digital

• Mic XLRs: 48 V via 6.8k resistors, 10 mA each

• Mic 3.5 mm: 3 V @ 3k source Z

55

User Guide

Audio Outputs

Name Description

Stereo Out

3.5 mm TRS stereo unbalanced, 500 ohm output impedance, +7.8 dBu max output level

DAC feeding Stereo Out,

Headphone Out

Headphone Out

Output Limiters

32 bit precision; 115 dB dynamic range (A-weighted)

3.5 mm TRS stereo unbalanced, for use with any impedance headphones

Digital

Recorder

Name Description

Maximum Record Tracks

Sampling Frequency

Bit Depth

Media Type

Maximum Storage Size

Card Format

File Type

12 tracks

• 44.1 kHz

• 48 kHz

24

• Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC)

• Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC)

• Secure Digital (SD)

512 GB (SDXC)

• FAT32 formatted (32GB or less), exFAT for (>32GB)

• Monophonic WAV

• AAC (render)

• Stereo WAV (render)

• 96 kHz

Max WAV File Size

Eects

• 4GB; Files seamlessly auto-split at 4GB

• Reverb types: Plate, Room, Hall (48 kHz max sampling rate)

• Vocal Air

USB

Name Description

Audio Interface (USB-C)

Mass Storage (USB-C)

Keyboard (USB-A)

5-in/2-out; 44.1 to 96 kHz; 16/24 bit; Class compliant USB 2.0 high speed or
ASIO driver (supplied via download from Sound Devices’ website)

USB 2.0 high speed

Text entry and control

Touch Screen

Name Description

Display

Resolution

1.6-inch, color, sunlight-viewable IPS LCD

320 x 256

56

Remote Control

Name Description

Keyboard (USB-A)

Text entry and control

Power

Name Description

AA Batteries

4x AA sled or 8x AA sled (NiMH or Lithium recommended)

SPECIFICATIONS

L-Mount Batteries

From Computer

AC Adapter

MX-LMount: 2x L-mount sled for hot-swappable Li-Ion batteries

Bus-powered via USB-C port. Use either:

• USB-C to USB-C cable

• MX-USBY: USB-C to dual USB-A Y-cable

MX-PSU: 15W PSU w/USB-C connector; includes wall adapter plugs for US, UK, Australia,
and Europe

Environmental

Name Description

Operation and Storage

• Operating: -20° C to 60° C

• Storage: -40° C to 85° C

• 0 to 90% relative humidity (non-condensing)

Dimensions and Weight

Name Description

Size (H x W x D)

• 1.4 in x 5.68 in x 4.35 in

• 36 mm x 144 mm x 110 mm

Weight

• 16.8 oz (unpackaged, without batteries)

• 0.48 kg (unpackaged, without batteries)

L All specications at 48 kHz sample rate unless otherwise noted.

57

User Guide

58

Software License

End-user license agreement for Sound Devices MixPre Series Software / Embedded Firmware

Important Read carefully:

This Sound Devices, LLC end-user license agreement (“EULA”) is a legal agreement between you (either an
individual or a single entity) and Sound Devices, LLC for the Sound Devices, LLC software product identied
above, which includes computer software, embedded rmware, and may include associated media, printed
materials, and “online” or electronic documentation (“SOFTWARE PRODUCT”). By using, installing, or copy­ing the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, you agree to be bound by the terms of this EULA. If you do not agree to the
terms of this EULA, do not use or install the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.

Software Product License

The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as
other intellectual property laws and treaties. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed, not sold.
Grant of license. This EULA grants you the following limited, non-exclusive rights: In consideration of
payment of the licensee fee, Sound Devices, LLC, as licensor, grants to you, the licensee, a non-exclusive
right to use this copy of a Sound Devices, LLC software program (hereinafter the “SOFTWARE”) on a single
product and/or computer. All rights not expressly granted to licensee are reserved to Sound Devices, LLC.
Software ownership. As the licensee, you own the hardware on which the SOFTWARE is recorded or xed.
Sound Devices, LLC shall retain full and complete title to the SOFTWARE and all subsequent copies of the
SOFTWARE, regardless of the media or form on or in which the original copies may exist. The license is not
a sale of the original SOFTWARE.

Copyright

All rights, title, and copyrights in and to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT (including, but not limited to, any im­ages, photographs, animations, video, audio, music, text, and “applets” incorporated into the SOFTWARE
PRODUCT) and any copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT are owned by Sound Devices, LLC or its suppliers.
The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is protected by copyright laws and international treaty provisions. Therefore, you
must treat the SOFTWARE PRODUCT like any other copyrighted material, except that you may make copies
as only provided below. You may not copy the printed materials accompanying the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
Restrictions on use. Licensee may not distribute copies of the SOFTWARE or accompanying materials to
others. Licensee may not modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or create de­rivative works based on the SOFTWARE or its accompanying printed or written materials.
Transfer restrictions. Licensee shall not assign, rent, lease, sell, sublicense, or otherwise transfer the SOFT­WARE to another party without prior written consent of Sound Devices, LLC. Any party authorized by Sound
Devices, LLC to receive the SOFTWARE must agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this agree­ment.

Termination

Without prejudice to any other rights, Sound Devices, LLC may terminate this EULA if you fail to comply
with the terms and conditions of this EULA. In such event, you must destroy all copies of the SOFTWARE
PRODUCT and all of its component parts.

Limited Warranty

No warranties. Sound Devices, LLC expressly disclaims any warranty for the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. The
SOFTWARE PRODUCT and any related documentation is provided “as is” without warranty or condition of
any kind, either express or implied, including, without limitation, the implied warranties and conditions of
merchantability, tness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. The entire risk arising out of use or
performance of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT remains with you.
No liability for damages. In no event shall Sound Devices, LLC or its suppliers be liable for any damages
whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business prots, business interruption, loss
of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of or inability to use this Sound

59

User Guide

Devices, LLC product, even if Sound Devices, LLC has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In
any case, Sound Devices, LLC’s entire liability under any provision of this evaluation license shall be limited
to the greater of the amount actually paid by you for the SOFTWARE PRODUCT or U.S. $5.00. Because some
states/jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damag­es, the above limitation may not apply to you.

Governing Law

This agreement and limited warranty are governed by the laws of the state of Wisconsin.

FCC & ISED Compliance Statements

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1)
This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation. FCC Part 15.19 (a) (3)

Changes or modications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the
user’s authority to operate the equipment.

FCC Interference Statement

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to
part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful inter­ference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy
and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined
by turning the equipment o and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:

—Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
—Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
—Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit dierent from that to which the receiver is connected.
—Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

FCC & ISED User Statement

This device complies with FCC and ISED RF Exposure SAR limits exposure limits for general population /
uncontrolled exposure.

Cet appareil est conforme à la norme FCC et USED RF Exposure SAR limite les limites d’exposition pour la
population générale / l’exposition incontrôlée.

This Device complies with Industry Canada License-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: 1) this device may not cause interference, and 2) this device must accept any in­terference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

Cet appareil est conforme avec Industrie Canada, exempts de licence standard RSS (s). Son fonctionne­ment est soumis aux deux conditions suivantes: 1) ce dispositif ne peut pas causer d’interférences, et 2)

ce dispositif doit accepter toute interférence, y compris les interférences qui peuvent causer un mauvais
fonctionnement de l’appareil.

60

®

Sound Devices, LLC

E7556 Road 23 and 33
Reedsburg, Wisconsin 53959
USA

Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Customer Support

Toll Free: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

http://www.sounddevices.com/support
http://forum.sounddevices.com

Product Information

For more information about products
and accessories, visit us on the web at

www.sounddevices.com.

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