Hello, friends. Some of you have noted that NoiseAssist is too expensive or too complicated. I’d encourage you to share that with Sound Devices on their NoiseAssist video. They’re much more likely to see it there. I would prefer to spend less money, too. However, I haven’t found a less expensive option with such a small latency and that is so portable. If you know of a device, please share with us. As for those noting it is too complicated, there are two settings: applied channel and level of noise reduction. If you can think of a simpler implementation, please share with Sound Devices. In my experience, they care about their users’ experience.
THE MOST THOROUGH INFORMATIVE TUTORIALS.. Been following for years, and every time you post a new review, it's always worth a watch.. Additionally your voice it the calmest and clearest too.
Useful video as always Curtis! Whilst I'm open to paying for software updates that improve a piece of hardware, $300 for one channel of this is ludicrous. I can't help but feel like Sound Devices are taking the mickey with some of their pricing strategies in recent times... I know it's a differen't step in the process, but so much can be done in post these days, more effectively, non-destructively and for free! I recently demo'd a plugin called "GOYO" which is AI noise reduction and it works wonders (currently free).
That’s the great thing about workflows with a post stage. Hard to beat this for live-streaming at this price. I haven’t found another option anywhere close to this price.
I'm so glad you made this video. I had made that request during one of your livestreams, so nice to see fan requests being taken into consideration. Now that I've heard Noise Assist on the Mix Pre series, while $300 is still an expensive option for me, I would not hesistate to buy the plugin now, but will probably wait until a job comes around that I think I will need it to justify it. With a laptop and a phone nearby, it won't be an issue to purchase and install even on the day of.
It is expensive and locked to a single device, not transferable, and a single instance. You already pay a premium for the hardware, then pay an additional fee to enable the software feature you already paid for that is embedded in the hardware/software.
Thanks Curtis. Ive been using NA in the field for 18 months or so and it has been a big help. It's interesting hearing it coming out of laptop speakers instead of through headphones. I very seldom go past -3 because it really can impact the vocal quality - but your examples seemed to hold up better than my ears will let me push it. As for complication: applying to to a single channel couldn't be simpler. Adjusting the level on a bus is hidden away and took some work to find. You didn't mention (unless I missed it) that if you do use it on a single channel - it is burned into the ISO channel, so if you overdo it - it's overdone, and that's why many mixers use it on the mix-bus so you still can go back to the ISO if you need it. Expense, sure it stings a little plop down $300 for a plug-in, but it improves my product which should in turn make me money, it's also billable and HAS made me money. Folks mention cheaper options for post, and you astutely point out, for many, there is no post, or you can't trust what might be done in post. Good capture is better than hoping someone can clean it up. I d wish I could get at least 2 instances on the MixPre, but I'm glad I have the one I do.
Curtis, informative and clear explanation. Nice job of keeping your composure when Emma did the screaming child, lol. You were spot on about the “1 instance only”. I spoke with SD a few days ago and they confirmed their algorithm was written based on what capabilities of the processor could handle while insuring peak performance. You know what you’re talking about!
It's really great that you can demonstrate what kind of performance one can reasonably expect from the noise suppression plugin. Last week I was recording a video on a jobsite and in the middle of the take someone in the distance began operating a grinder. The noise was fairly consistent, but also very transient as well. I opted to use the noise reduction plugin that's included with Premiere Pro but now you've got me kind of curious how the Sound Devices plugin might have performed in this situation. Great video, Curtis. Very edutaining!
I've bought it because of your videos (as well as MixPre-3 II in the first place) - honestly, best purchase I've ever made. Never wanted to use sound panels in my living room, and this plugin solved it for me flawlessly. In fact, I think your initial review was quite lukewarm in comparison - for me -6db sounded almost transparent, it's an ideal solution for removing PC/laptop fan noise in my opinion. Now, the wireless monitoring of this setup would be the last piece of puzzle.
Thank you so much, Curtis. You showed me it is possible to NA over -5 with close to no colouration. I am a novice in EFP with only cheap lavs and a cheap shotgun set-up, I can never go below -3 on lavs and -5 for boom on my MP6II. As you mentioned, it helps a lot when close micing, and in my personal experience, it helps a little in room-echo, not a lot though, about -1 to -2 db worth, and ground hum too, again not too much~ Best wishes~
This was extremely helpful. I purchased the NoiseAssist and use the Rode NTG-5 and Earthworks Icon Pro. They both need the assist as my studio is in a three car garage with zero sound treatment. I didn't know I would control the gain in channel. sometimes my wife joins me on livestreams but I purposely put her on the RE-20 and keep the noiseassist on my channel with the icon pro. Does MixAssist only "bake in" the mix settings or can I use MixAssist when livestreaming?
Thanks Curtis, very informative. As usual, your comments were concise and clear. However, it was an unusual surprise to hear the acting talents of Emma! 🎉🎉. From what i could gather, if i am getting pleasing results with the Expander/Gate on my dbx 286s, then I don't need this equipment and software? Or would this set-up complement the dbx 286s? Many thanks.
Hey Curtis, you should review the Comica vm30. It's the first built in wireless shotgun mic, it doesn't need phantom power, and it has a stepless gain knob. A worthy contender to the Rode NTG 😃
Hello, Curtis. Are you planning to do a review of the +2 plugin for the MixPre-3's? Just purchased a MixPre-3 II and wondering if the +2 plugin is worth the extra $79 for the type of field recordings I do. The 3 channels alone are an upgrade from what I have done in the past, since I have only ever had stereo capabilities in the field.
Not so much a review but I’d say it is useful for those who need to record a mix plus 5 isolated channels (XLR inputs 1-3, stereo mix + either the 3.5mm stereo input or audio from USB). You can start without it and if you find you need it later, you always add it.
This is just based on my experience since installing NoiseAssist (major concern for me as well)…my living room is untreated and, because of the layout, has some serious reverb. I placed my Sennheiser MKH 50 in the center of the room and it was roughly 30cm above my head. The MKH 50 did reject/handle a lot of the reverb on its own which probably contributed to me only applying NoiseAssist @ -4dB. NoiseAssist worked amazing and was even better @ -6dB. I am sold on both that microphone in combination with NoiseAssist. Sound Devices has something figured out!
@@curtisjudd It noticeably reduced the reverb. I had the windows open and the birds were chirping as if arguing yet NoiseAssist allowed that to pass through as well as my dialogue. It’s really a bit wild, but the lateral rejection of the MKH 50 helped I’m sure because I did test other rooms with the windows closed and applied less NA (~-4dB) and it was still effective. However, when tried with my Rode NTG2 in the same larger untreated room, an increase to -10/-12dB was enough to calm the reverb while allowing other sounds to pass through. Untreated sheet rock walls with standard fiberglass insulation. No concrete and deep grout for the 1/2” raised/exposed tile.
NoiseAssist filters noise at all frequencies and does so adaptively. A low cut filter is not adaptive - either on or off - and only filters low frequencies.
amazing video again, thank you! I have the mix pre 10 ii and it would be so helpful in my usecase to run it on a mixbus , so I can deliver files to the client with both options. it is expensive? obviously yes. but it is totally fine for what it is doing. I dont mind spending on software upgrades, and sound devices is a company that seems to be caring about enhancing their products with firmware updates etc. so why not support that.
For people who prefer clean unfiltered audio to work with later, I'm assuming one scenario is to turn it on, but only for one of the stereo mixes, then you still get the unaltered version in the isolated channel. Right? This makes me wonder if the reverse is true... So, if you turn it on for Input 1, will the mix have the filtering baked in, or will it reflect the unfiltered version (still giving you two versions, one filtered, one clean)? If that's the case, the only workflow that would give you both versions is to turn it on only in the mix.
Hello~! I have a question. Does the noise assistant work on the channel when I record only that channel with poly mode? Or should I always record LR bus track when I want to use noise assistant?
It depends on what you need. Apply it to the track if you are ok with some potential artifacting. But if you need a clean backup, record the mix and isolated channel and only apply NoiseAssist to the left mix.
Hi Curtis, I was hoping to know what your thoughts on the Comica VM30 wireless shotgun microphone? What are the best uses for it and how does it compare to low to mid range shotgun mics?
Curious as to how noise assist compares to post noise reduction in apps like Audition? If you don’t need the live processing, would you get similar results with say an f6 or f8n pro? Love your channel btw. Thanks for all the great info!
Do you think you could get a Cedar-Plug-in as a test for the 8-series? I would be very interested in the difference to noise assist, as it is much more expensive.
Maybe it's because I'm getting older, Curtis, but this is soooo complicated! When you have to scroll through multiple screens to get something to work, for me, this is a negative. I like simple, and the more simple, the better. But this "Noise assist" does sound great, even at the lowest setting. Too bad it is so complicated. And at $300 for the plugin, it is almost unconscionable that Sound Devices is charging this much for so much complexity.
@@curtisjudd Well, instead of having to drill down through so many prompts until you arrive at the correct setting, simplicity would be to reduce all those steps down to a minimum to say, two or at the very most, three steps: one or two would be ideal. I'm no expert on how to do this, Curtis, just an average guy who despises drilling down into seemingly endless menu choices to get something to work on a field recorder. Again, I love and prefer simplicity and ease of use. I have an Olympus LS-100 recorder that puts out fantastic recordings but is so complicated to use that I dread using it.
@@adobemastr NoiseAssist requires a good bit of processing so it can only be applied to a single channel. I’m not sure how to make it easier. I LOVE that you have one setting in the channel menu - 0 to 20 dB of attenuation.
@@mattcarlson12 not sure what to say. Have to be able to assign which channel you want to apply it to and how much. 2 settings. I don’t see how to make it easier other than make a far more expensive device that has enough processing power to apply NoiseAssist to ALL channels and just leave it on all the time.
I like not having to synch audio in post: can you use the mix pre 6 ii to record synched audio plugged into the canon c70 instead of recoding separate audio ?
Yes you can route the MixPre output to a C70, but just keep in mind you'll lose the 32bit audio if you bake it down into 24bit of the C70. Food for thought but great time savings for 24bit workflow and proper gain staging!
It's annoying that you cant select an individual channel for the noise assist if you're in basic gain mode in custom setup. Basic Gain mode is better, because you can control your levels with the knobs on the front of the machine. Controlling the levels for your individual tracks using the dial on the side is a pain in the but. It doesnt say this is the case in any manual, but if I turn the basic mode on for Gain, i loose the option to select channel 1,2 or 3 on my mixpre 3... If I stay in that mode, and focus on controlling the signal to left and right with the dials.... I cant solo L or R... It seems to me I loose a lot of the practical functionality of this sweet little recorded if I want to use Noise Assist!!! Any tips for my dilemman? I wrote to SD and asked if it's intentional or a bug, as its not mentioned in the literature, but havent heard back...
SD support should be able to help. They’ve answered my questions in the past so I’d follow up. I don’t usually use basic mode (or basic gain in custom mode) and I don’t have my MixPre with me at the moment to check.
Thanks for your quick reply. SD got back to me telling me there is no way to change it. If you don’t mind me asking… Why is separating the trim and fade gain important for your recording? Don’t you loose the benefits of the interface? I.e having a nice big screen to monitor your channels, using a conveniently placed set of knobs to control your levels… feel free to paraphrase I’m sure you’re busy.
@@jimmypurtill3933 The MixPre is, at its very core, a MIXER. So the the thinking is this: You set the gain at the start of the recording session or show. You normally gain up to a healthy level - so that the audio signal sits well above the noise floor but you also keep a good bit of headroom in case things get louder. So for times when I'm mixing a short film, I'll set up the gain so that the dialogue on each input peaks around -18, maybe -12dB at the most. Then the knobs are for making the MIX. So at the end of the session, I have isolated channels recorded at the levels where I set the gain (so I can do a more meticulous mix in post) plus I also have the mix I made with the fader knobs DURING the session. This is how all traditional mixers work and that's what the MixPre is setup to do in Advanced mode. In basic mode, I guess SD assumed you would always want to apply NoiseAssist on one of the mix channels and so they don't have a way around that if you're in custom mode with the gain knobs set to basic mode. 🤷♂
@@benjaminlachenal2822 I found the MixPre to work a little better, but neither are magic. You still have to position the participants and microphones optimally and manage room reflections and noise.
Can't the audio recorders be used as audio interfaces for music production? I mean why is there a separate thing as audio interfaces whereas recorders can do both the jobs?
Yes, but when a device fills both purposes, it usually isn’t as great at one of the jobs. The MixPre is ok as an audio interface, but isn’t what I use every day as my audio interface.
The low latency is about the only thing that is great about it. I will say though if you are live streaming, and you can compensate for the delay, getting a plug-in like the clarity vx even if you pay for the pro version you’re not limited to a single channel processing. The lack of processing power on the MixPre pretty much guarantee this to have a very narrow use case. I recently purchased the C-Vox on my UAD I can vouch for the advantage to have real time built-in noise suppression, but even then, it is licensed to any UAD product that I own, and is usable on multiple channels, as long as I have enough processing power… with a price of 175. Yes, $300 for this thing on the mix-pre is really difficult for me to swallow.
Due to only working on one channel or bus I feel that Noise Assist on the Mix Pre series just isn't a useful solution and quite expensive. In a live situation you really need to apply equal amounts of noise resolution to both the L and R bus and for recorded audio, post processing is far more cost efficient and effective.
Perhaps for youtube livestreams. We often have multiple open mics (panel discussions, multiple presenters, etc.) as well as audience q&a and ambient mics. We pan them all to produce a stereo mix that gets sent into the L/R inputs on our switcher. It is a much better live stream experience than panning everything to a single channel then dual mono inputs to the switcher.
300 $ one channel is an arrogant act from sound devices in front of amazing AI plugins! Why I need to play dangerous games with sound quality in real time? We know very well that in field has a lot of rush and work in long hours. I can edit calmy in studio in a new day, with calmy ears, and with profesional monitors
![[BAEMON NEWS 7] NEW ALBUM COMING IN](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wtVeAPimOyo/mqdefault.jpg)
Hello, friends. Some of you have noted that NoiseAssist is too expensive or too complicated. I’d encourage you to share that with Sound Devices on their NoiseAssist video. They’re much more likely to see it there.
I would prefer to spend less money, too. However, I haven’t found a less expensive option with such a small latency and that is so portable. If you know of a device, please share with us.
As for those noting it is too complicated, there are two settings: applied channel and level of noise reduction. If you can think of a simpler implementation, please share with Sound Devices. In my experience, they care about their users’ experience.
Ive been using this plugin in many of my recordings and.. its amazing. Its really useful and a great 300$ invest.
@@Nacho.100 Glad to hear it is working well for you!
Kudos to Emma for providing the realisitic live foley-ish sound FX. Did demonstrate the point quite clearly what one can expect out of Noise Assist 👍
LOL! She had fun with that!
THE MOST THOROUGH INFORMATIVE TUTORIALS.. Been following for years, and every time you post a new review, it's always worth a watch..
Additionally your voice it the calmest and clearest too.
🙏
Useful video as always Curtis!
Whilst I'm open to paying for software updates that improve a piece of hardware, $300 for one channel of this is ludicrous. I can't help but feel like Sound Devices are taking the mickey with some of their pricing strategies in recent times...
I know it's a differen't step in the process, but so much can be done in post these days, more effectively, non-destructively and for free! I recently demo'd a plugin called "GOYO" which is AI noise reduction and it works wonders (currently free).
That’s the great thing about workflows with a post stage. Hard to beat this for live-streaming at this price. I haven’t found another option anywhere close to this price.
I'm so glad you made this video. I had made that request during one of your livestreams, so nice to see fan requests being taken into consideration. Now that I've heard Noise Assist on the Mix Pre series, while $300 is still an expensive option for me, I would not hesistate to buy the plugin now, but will probably wait until a job comes around that I think I will need it to justify it. With a laptop and a phone nearby, it won't be an issue to purchase and install even on the day of.
Thanks for the request and glad to find it is quite effective.
It is expensive and locked to a single device, not transferable, and a single instance. You already pay a premium for the hardware, then pay an additional fee to enable the software feature you already paid for that is embedded in the hardware/software.
Thanks Curtis. Ive been using NA in the field for 18 months or so and it has been a big help. It's interesting hearing it coming out of laptop speakers instead of through headphones. I very seldom go past -3 because it really can impact the vocal quality - but your examples seemed to hold up better than my ears will let me push it. As for complication: applying to to a single channel couldn't be simpler. Adjusting the level on a bus is hidden away and took some work to find. You didn't mention (unless I missed it) that if you do use it on a single channel - it is burned into the ISO channel, so if you overdo it - it's overdone, and that's why many mixers use it on the mix-bus so you still can go back to the ISO if you need it. Expense, sure it stings a little plop down $300 for a plug-in, but it improves my product which should in turn make me money, it's also billable and HAS made me money. Folks mention cheaper options for post, and you astutely point out, for many, there is no post, or you can't trust what might be done in post. Good capture is better than hoping someone can clean it up. I d wish I could get at least 2 instances on the MixPre, but I'm glad I have the one I do.
Thanks, John, for the insight re: baking the effect in to the ISO track. 👍
For ages i've been searching for a doorbell chime that will effectively scare off unwelcome intruders........thanks Emma !! 😁
LOL!
Curtis, informative and clear explanation. Nice job of keeping your composure when Emma did the screaming child, lol. You were spot on about the “1 instance only”. I spoke with SD a few days ago and they confirmed their algorithm was written based on what capabilities of the processor could handle while insuring peak performance. You know what you’re talking about!
Thanks 👍
Looks pretty neat, I can see it being useful for specific scenario like live streaming possibly certain types of live sound depending on the latency
Exactly. Latency is 2ms if memory serves.
It's really great that you can demonstrate what kind of performance one can reasonably expect from the noise suppression plugin. Last week I was recording a video on a jobsite and in the middle of the take someone in the distance began operating a grinder. The noise was fairly consistent, but also very transient as well. I opted to use the noise reduction plugin that's included with Premiere Pro but now you've got me kind of curious how the Sound Devices plugin might have performed in this situation. Great video, Curtis. Very edutaining!
Thanks, yes, good question!
I've bought it because of your videos (as well as MixPre-3 II in the first place) - honestly, best purchase I've ever made. Never wanted to use sound panels in my living room, and this plugin solved it for me flawlessly. In fact, I think your initial review was quite lukewarm in comparison - for me -6db sounded almost transparent, it's an ideal solution for removing PC/laptop fan noise in my opinion. Now, the wireless monitoring of this setup would be the last piece of puzzle.
👍
Great review Curtis! With the new firmware update 9.01 MixPre now gives 2 channels of noise assist!
🎉
Thank you so much, Curtis.
You showed me it is possible to NA over -5 with close to no colouration.
I am a novice in EFP with only cheap lavs and a cheap shotgun set-up,
I can never go below -3 on lavs and -5 for boom on my MP6II.
As you mentioned, it helps a lot when close micing,
and in my personal experience, it helps a little in room-echo, not a lot though, about -1 to -2 db worth,
and ground hum too, again not too much~
Best wishes~
👍
Awesome review/tutorial.
Thanks for sharing.
👍
This was extremely helpful. I purchased the NoiseAssist and use the Rode NTG-5 and Earthworks Icon Pro. They both need the assist as my studio is in a three car garage with zero sound treatment. I didn't know I would control the gain in channel. sometimes my wife joins me on livestreams but I purposely put her on the RE-20 and keep the noiseassist on my channel with the icon pro. Does MixAssist only "bake in" the mix settings or can I use MixAssist when livestreaming?
MixAssist ONLY applies to the mix tracks, not the isolated tracks.
Being very new to audio, I've found NoiseGates are quite effective. But in combination with some Denoiser the results can be outstanding.
👍
Hi Judd , thank you for the great information, i noticed that when you turn noise up the dialogue has deesser . Hope iam wrong
If you turn it on too aggressively, it does impact dialogue quality. Just need to back off.
Thanks Curtis, very informative. As usual, your comments were concise and clear. However, it was an unusual surprise to hear the acting talents of Emma! 🎉🎉.
From what i could gather, if i am getting pleasing results with the Expander/Gate on my dbx 286s, then I don't need this equipment and software? Or would this set-up complement the dbx 286s? Many thanks.
This works differently but if you’re happy with the results, no need to buy more stuff. 👍
Thank you for the great content.
I am very interested in this device, but do you think it best to wait for Gen 3 before buying it?
Thanks.
I have no idea when or if a Gen 3 is coming. Also it depends on if you really need a recorder now. If you do, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy this.
Great video as always. Would it work on my MIxpre3? Can definitely hear some aliasing beyond -l6db.
It works on all of the 2nd series MixPre models.
Hey Curtis, you should review the Comica vm30. It's the first built in wireless shotgun mic, it doesn't need phantom power, and it has a stepless gain knob. A worthy contender to the Rode NTG 😃
I've had bad luck with several Comica products so I'm pretty skeptical and probably won't review it.
Hello, Curtis. Are you planning to do a review of the +2 plugin for the MixPre-3's? Just purchased a MixPre-3 II and wondering if the +2 plugin is worth the extra $79 for the type of field recordings I do. The 3 channels alone are an upgrade from what I have done in the past, since I have only ever had stereo capabilities in the field.
Not so much a review but I’d say it is useful for those who need to record a mix plus 5 isolated channels (XLR inputs 1-3, stereo mix + either the 3.5mm stereo input or audio from USB). You can start without it and if you find you need it later, you always add it.
Wow great demo.
🙏
Great explanation (as always!).
Will Noise Assist help with reverb of yourr own voice? Sometimes it's not possible to treat the room sound wise.
No, not in my experience. More for fans and HVAC.
This is just based on my experience since installing NoiseAssist (major concern for me as well)…my living room is untreated and, because of the layout, has some serious reverb. I placed my Sennheiser MKH 50 in the center of the room and it was roughly 30cm above my head. The MKH 50 did reject/handle a lot of the reverb on its own which probably contributed to me only applying NoiseAssist @ -4dB. NoiseAssist worked amazing and was even better @ -6dB. I am sold on both that microphone in combination with NoiseAssist. Sound Devices has something figured out!
@@aSimpleChat interesting. It reduces reverb or other room noise? In my experience it didn’t help a lot with reverb.
@@curtisjudd It noticeably reduced the reverb. I had the windows open and the birds were chirping as if arguing yet NoiseAssist allowed that to pass through as well as my dialogue. It’s really a bit wild, but the lateral rejection of the MKH 50 helped I’m sure because I did test other rooms with the windows closed and applied less NA (~-4dB) and it was still effective. However, when tried with my Rode NTG2 in the same larger untreated room, an increase to -10/-12dB was enough to calm the reverb while allowing other sounds to pass through. Untreated sheet rock walls with standard fiberglass insulation. No concrete and deep grout for the 1/2” raised/exposed tile.
@@aSimpleChat cool, glad that’s working well for you! 👍
Hello , Q : what are the differences between low cut and noisesssit plugin
NoiseAssist filters noise at all frequencies and does so adaptively. A low cut filter is not adaptive - either on or off - and only filters low frequencies.
amazing video again, thank you! I have the mix pre 10 ii and it would be so helpful in my usecase to run it on a mixbus , so I can deliver files to the client with both options. it is expensive? obviously yes. but it is totally fine for what it is doing. I dont mind spending on software upgrades, and sound devices is a company that seems to be caring about enhancing their products with firmware updates etc. so why not support that.
👍
For people who prefer clean unfiltered audio to work with later, I'm assuming one scenario is to turn it on, but only for one of the stereo mixes, then you still get the unaltered version in the isolated channel. Right? This makes me wonder if the reverse is true... So, if you turn it on for Input 1, will the mix have the filtering baked in, or will it reflect the unfiltered version (still giving you two versions, one filtered, one clean)? If that's the case, the only workflow that would give you both versions is to turn it on only in the mix.
Turn it on for the mix if you want unprocessed iso recordings.
What do you think about NoiseAssist vs SDNX on the 8-series?
Also probably worth noting that you can now do 2 channels on the MixPres.
Both work nicely on continuous noise like fans, but SDNX seems a tiny bit better. But you pay the price $$$.
Hello~! I have a question. Does the noise assistant work on the channel when I record only that channel with poly mode? Or should I always record LR bus track when I want to use noise assistant?
It depends on what you need. Apply it to the track if you are ok with some potential artifacting. But if you need a clean backup, record the mix and isolated channel and only apply NoiseAssist to the left mix.
Hi Curtis, I was hoping to know what your thoughts on the Comica VM30 wireless shotgun microphone? What are the best uses for it and how does it compare to low to mid range shotgun mics?
I haven’t had a good experience with several Comica products so I’d be skeptical, to be honest.
I wonder if they will ever offer multiple instances on the MixPre series. Possibly a hardware processing limitation? Anyone know?
That’s my guess - hardware limitation. It might also be another way to differentiate from the 8xx series.
Curious as to how noise assist compares to post noise reduction in apps like Audition? If you don’t need the live processing, would you get similar results with say an f6 or f8n pro? Love your channel btw. Thanks for all the great info!
Post noise reduction can be a bit more effective. I see this as mainly for live.
I think I will still use ordinary gating, like in drum recordings. This NR sounds amazing, but I like to control it a little more than a -db dial.
Ok
Do you think you could get a Cedar-Plug-in as a test for the 8-series? I would be very interested in the difference to noise assist, as it is much more expensive.
Done! th-cam.com/users/livehBeWvkWWO64?feature=share
Maybe it's because I'm getting older, Curtis, but this is soooo complicated! When you have to scroll through multiple screens to get something to work, for me, this is a negative. I like simple, and the more simple, the better. But this "Noise assist" does sound great, even at the lowest setting. Too bad it is so complicated. And at $300 for the plugin, it is almost unconscionable that Sound Devices is charging this much for so much complexity.
Ok. Would love to hear how you’d rather have it set up in the menus. 🙏
@@curtisjudd Well, instead of having to drill down through so many prompts until you arrive at the correct setting, simplicity would be to reduce all those steps down to a minimum to say, two or at the very most, three steps: one or two would be ideal. I'm no expert on how to do this, Curtis, just an average guy who despises drilling down into seemingly endless menu choices to get something to work on a field recorder. Again, I love and prefer simplicity and ease of use. I have an Olympus LS-100 recorder that puts out fantastic recordings but is so complicated to use that I dread using it.
That was my first thought too watching him go through all those menu settings. So clunky.
@@adobemastr NoiseAssist requires a good bit of processing so it can only be applied to a single channel. I’m not sure how to make it easier. I LOVE that you have one setting in the channel menu - 0 to 20 dB of attenuation.
@@mattcarlson12 not sure what to say. Have to be able to assign which channel you want to apply it to and how much. 2 settings. I don’t see how to make it easier other than make a far more expensive device that has enough processing power to apply NoiseAssist to ALL channels and just leave it on all the time.
I love it
👍
I like not having to synch audio in post: can you use the mix pre 6 ii to record synched audio plugged into the canon c70 instead of recoding separate audio ?
Yes
Yes you can route the MixPre output to a C70, but just keep in mind you'll lose the 32bit audio if you bake it down into 24bit of the C70. Food for thought but great time savings for 24bit workflow and proper gain staging!
They need to make this plug in for the f6 zoom
That’d be neat.
It's annoying that you cant select an individual channel for the noise assist if you're in basic gain mode in custom setup. Basic Gain mode is better, because you can control your levels with the knobs on the front of the machine. Controlling the levels for your individual tracks using the dial on the side is a pain in the but. It doesnt say this is the case in any manual, but if I turn the basic mode on for Gain, i loose the option to select channel 1,2 or 3 on my mixpre 3... If I stay in that mode, and focus on controlling the signal to left and right with the dials.... I cant solo L or R... It seems to me I loose a lot of the practical functionality of this sweet little recorded if I want to use Noise Assist!!! Any tips for my dilemman? I wrote to SD and asked if it's intentional or a bug, as its not mentioned in the literature, but havent heard back...
SD support should be able to help. They’ve answered my questions in the past so I’d follow up.
I don’t usually use basic mode (or basic gain in custom mode) and I don’t have my MixPre with me at the moment to check.
Thanks for your quick reply. SD got back to me telling me there is no way to change it. If you don’t mind me asking… Why is separating the trim and fade gain important for your recording? Don’t you loose the benefits of the interface? I.e having a nice big screen to monitor your channels, using a conveniently placed set of knobs to control your levels… feel free to paraphrase I’m sure you’re busy.
@@jimmypurtill3933 The MixPre is, at its very core, a MIXER. So the the thinking is this: You set the gain at the start of the recording session or show. You normally gain up to a healthy level - so that the audio signal sits well above the noise floor but you also keep a good bit of headroom in case things get louder. So for times when I'm mixing a short film, I'll set up the gain so that the dialogue on each input peaks around -18, maybe -12dB at the most. Then the knobs are for making the MIX. So at the end of the session, I have isolated channels recorded at the levels where I set the gain (so I can do a more meticulous mix in post) plus I also have the mix I made with the fader knobs DURING the session. This is how all traditional mixers work and that's what the MixPre is setup to do in Advanced mode. In basic mode, I guess SD assumed you would always want to apply NoiseAssist on one of the mix channels and so they don't have a way around that if you're in custom mode with the gain knobs set to basic mode. 🤷♂
NoiseAssist is excellent. However if cost is a concern, Nvidia Broadcast Noise Removal isn't too bad. if you have Nvidia 3000 series or above GPU.
👍 and don’t have any issues with the latency.
You talked about mix assist. Does it hold up to mackie dlz creator's auto mix or is it completely different? Thanks for your answer.
It is actually better on the MixPre than the DLZ.
@@curtisjudd ok so for a three persons podcast mixpre is better to aliminate mic bleed?
That’s my experience.
@@curtisjudd ok thanks because i have the zoom f6 ans find it doesn't work very well
@@benjaminlachenal2822 I found the MixPre to work a little better, but neither are magic. You still have to position the participants and microphones optimally and manage room reflections and noise.
Can't the audio recorders be used as audio interfaces for music production? I mean why is there a separate thing as audio interfaces whereas recorders can do both the jobs?
Yes, but when a device fills both purposes, it usually isn’t as great at one of the jobs. The MixPre is ok as an audio interface, but isn’t what I use every day as my audio interface.
Can you give me the copy? For mix pre 10
The low latency is about the only thing that is great about it. I will say though if you are live streaming, and you can compensate for the delay, getting a plug-in like the clarity vx even if you pay for the pro version you’re not limited to a single channel processing. The lack of processing power on the MixPre pretty much guarantee this to have a very narrow use case. I recently purchased the C-Vox on my UAD I can vouch for the advantage to have real time built-in noise suppression, but even then, it is licensed to any UAD product that I own, and is usable on multiple channels, as long as I have enough processing power… with a price of 175. Yes, $300 for this thing on the mix-pre is really difficult for me to swallow.
Portability is another advantage.
Due to only working on one channel or bus I feel that Noise Assist on the Mix Pre series just isn't a useful solution and quite expensive. In a live situation you really need to apply equal amounts of noise resolution to both the L and R bus and for recorded audio, post processing is far more cost efficient and effective.
In live situations for spoken word content, you generally only need one channel.
Perhaps for youtube livestreams. We often have multiple open mics (panel discussions, multiple presenters, etc.) as well as audience q&a and ambient mics. We pan them all to produce a stereo mix that gets sent into the L/R inputs on our switcher. It is a much better live stream experience than panning everything to a single channel then dual mono inputs to the switcher.
@@TheUnMarketingGroup 👍 There’s beauty when you find a workflow that works well for your show.
It's available for two channels on mixpre
@@BrookStockton It is now!
🙂👍
🙏
That's powerful. I bet that could eliminate my need to have a dbx 286s in my chain.
👍
300 $ one channel is an arrogant act from sound devices in front of amazing AI plugins! Why I need to play dangerous games with sound quality in real time? We know very well that in field has a lot of rush and work in long hours. I can edit calmy in studio in a new day, with calmy ears, and with profesional monitors
I see it mainly for live use, such as a livestream.