My Sound Devices MixPre-3 screen has developed blotches and may need an expensive replacement — not what I would expect from a premium, high-priced product.
The recorder itself is well respected, and for good reason: excellent sound quality, strong analogue limiters, and solid overall performance. However, I’ve always found the menu system rather fiddly, and setting up simple tasks can feel more complicated than it should be. That may just be my ageing brain talking, but it has never felt especially intuitive to me.
The headphone volume control, which also doubles as the input gain adjustment, is particularly frustrating to use. The power switch is similarly awkward.
I’m now looking forward to trying the new Tascam DR-40XP when it arrives in the UK — I already have one on order. With 32-bit float recording now available, the appeal of the MixPre-3’s analogue limiters begins to fade.