Sound Devices MixPre 3 Audio Recorder

The Sound Devices MixPre-3 is a compact audio recorder and mixer with three XLR inputs and USB audio streaming. It brings Sound Devices preamp quality to small crews, documentary work and field recording.

The MixPre series uses Sound Devices' Kashmir preamps, which are discrete, Class-A and hand-built, with analogue limiters and 32-bit analogue to digital converters. The result is clean, low-noise recordings that hold up well in post. The recorder is light and tough enough to sit in a small bag or on a camera rig, without giving up the controls a sound recordist expects.

The three mic preamps accept 48V phantom power and have a quoted noise floor of -130dBV. It records up to five tracks and can stream up to three analogue inputs plus a two-channel mix over USB, so it works as an audio interface for a computer. The recorder measures 144 x 110 x 36mm. It suits location sound, interviews and podcasts alongside a shotgun mic or lavaliers.