- Posts: 705
- Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:23 am
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
Hi Everyone,
As requested, I've done some very quick tests with a Sound Devices MixPre-D connected to a Blackmagic Cinema Camera EF.
For all of these tests I had a MixPre-D mounted underneath the BMCC, and connected via custom made 2 x Female XLR to 2 x 6.35mm TRS Balanced Jack with a Unbalanced 3.5mm Mini-Jack to 3.5mm Mini-Jack return feed.
Here are some photos:
Connected to the MixPre-D was a Sennheiser ME 66 on the left channel and a Rode NT3 on the right channel, with both obtaining Phantom Power from the MixPre-D. I picked these microphones because they are common place with low-budget productions - and also because they can be self-powered if required. I've done tests previously with these microphones connected directly to the camera - so I don't see the point of doing this again.
To work out the gain structure, I connected the BMCC to a MacBook Pro laptop, and use UltraScope to adjust the levels so that the 1 kHz tone oscillator from the MixPre roughy matches -20dB in Audition. For tests done with the 1.2.1 firmware, I removed the DC Offset. The Limiter on the MixPre-D was set to OFF for all of these tests.
All of the below dialogue tests were done with the exact same microphone setup, and the exact same gain settings on the MixPre-D. For the dialogue tests, I recorded RAW on the camera, then brought the individual WAV files into Adobe Audition for trimming. No processing or adjustments were applied with the exception of the DC Offset, so you're basically hearing exactly what the camera recorded.
For the purposes of comparison, here is the same lines of dialogue recorded on a Sound Devices 552 using the same microphone setup.
Here are the results:
Test One
Camera Firmware: 1.2.1
Camera Input Level: Line 80%
MixPre Output Switch: Line
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
Test Two
Camera Firmware: 1.2.1
Camera Input Level: Mic 12%
MixPre Output Switch: Mic
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
Test Three
Camera Firmware: 1.5.1
Camera Input Level: Line 100%
MixPre Output Switch: Line
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
Test Four
Camera Firmware: 1.5.1
Camera Input Level: Mic 85%
MixPre Output Switch: Mic
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
The MixPre-D also has a Unbalanced TA3-M Stereo Mic Output (-36 dBu), which I did a quick test with:
Test Five
Camera Firmware: 1.2.1
Camera Input Level: Mic 7%
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
Test Six
Camera Firmware: 1.5.1
Camera Input Level: Mic 55%
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
The MixPre-D also has a Unbalanced 3.5mm Tape Output (−10 dBV), however, I don't really see the point of using this consumer output with the BMCC.
Hopefully the above tests and information are helpful to people. The MixPre-D is an absolutely awesome product - and has fantastic sound quality. Attaching it to the BMCC however makes the camera pretty heavy and bulky - so I'm not sure I'd recommend this product for solo run-and-gun productions.
Any questions let me know!
Best Regards, Chris!
As requested, I've done some very quick tests with a Sound Devices MixPre-D connected to a Blackmagic Cinema Camera EF.
For all of these tests I had a MixPre-D mounted underneath the BMCC, and connected via custom made 2 x Female XLR to 2 x 6.35mm TRS Balanced Jack with a Unbalanced 3.5mm Mini-Jack to 3.5mm Mini-Jack return feed.
Here are some photos:
Connected to the MixPre-D was a Sennheiser ME 66 on the left channel and a Rode NT3 on the right channel, with both obtaining Phantom Power from the MixPre-D. I picked these microphones because they are common place with low-budget productions - and also because they can be self-powered if required. I've done tests previously with these microphones connected directly to the camera - so I don't see the point of doing this again.
To work out the gain structure, I connected the BMCC to a MacBook Pro laptop, and use UltraScope to adjust the levels so that the 1 kHz tone oscillator from the MixPre roughy matches -20dB in Audition. For tests done with the 1.2.1 firmware, I removed the DC Offset. The Limiter on the MixPre-D was set to OFF for all of these tests.
All of the below dialogue tests were done with the exact same microphone setup, and the exact same gain settings on the MixPre-D. For the dialogue tests, I recorded RAW on the camera, then brought the individual WAV files into Adobe Audition for trimming. No processing or adjustments were applied with the exception of the DC Offset, so you're basically hearing exactly what the camera recorded.
For the purposes of comparison, here is the same lines of dialogue recorded on a Sound Devices 552 using the same microphone setup.
Here are the results:
Test One
Camera Firmware: 1.2.1
Camera Input Level: Line 80%
MixPre Output Switch: Line
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
Test Two
Camera Firmware: 1.2.1
Camera Input Level: Mic 12%
MixPre Output Switch: Mic
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
Test Three
Camera Firmware: 1.5.1
Camera Input Level: Line 100%
MixPre Output Switch: Line
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
Test Four
Camera Firmware: 1.5.1
Camera Input Level: Mic 85%
MixPre Output Switch: Mic
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
The MixPre-D also has a Unbalanced TA3-M Stereo Mic Output (-36 dBu), which I did a quick test with:
Test Five
Camera Firmware: 1.2.1
Camera Input Level: Mic 7%
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
Test Six
Camera Firmware: 1.5.1
Camera Input Level: Mic 55%
UltraScope: Screenshot
Media Express: Screenshot
Adobe Audition: Screenshot
Dialogue Test: Download
The MixPre-D also has a Unbalanced 3.5mm Tape Output (−10 dBV), however, I don't really see the point of using this consumer output with the BMCC.
Hopefully the above tests and information are helpful to people. The MixPre-D is an absolutely awesome product - and has fantastic sound quality. Attaching it to the BMCC however makes the camera pretty heavy and bulky - so I'm not sure I'd recommend this product for solo run-and-gun productions.
Any questions let me know!
Best Regards, Chris!