MixPre II Series Quick Start Guide

April 11, 2026 02:46

Versatile. Durable. High-Performance.

If you record field audio, sound effects, audio for film, podcasts, voice-overs, music, or are just starting your audio journey, the MixPre II Series is for you. Lightweight, durable, and small, this powerhouse audio recorder and USB interface will help you capture audio for any application.
This Quick Start Guide will help you quickly set up your new MixPre II. For further details and instructions, please download the full user guide.

We are honored to be part of your kit.

Getting to Know Your MixPre II

Transport Controls

MixPre-3 II and MixPre-6 II

The three Transport controls (illuminated buttons) on the front panel are used to perform recording and playback functions.

MixPre-10 II

The three Transport controls (illuminated buttons) on the front panel are used to perform recording and playback functions.

Quick Setup in Basic Mode (MixPre-3 II and MixPre-6 II)

INSERT SD CARD

Find the SD card slot on the back of the MixPre II and insert an SD Card. Sound Devices highly recommends using an SD card currently listed in the MixPre II approved media list.

CONNECT YOUR PREFERRED POWER SOURCE

To power the MixPre II, you may use:

AA Batteries, using the MX4AA four AA battery sled or the MX-8AA eight AA battery sled. Sound Devices recommends using NiMH or Energizer Ultimate Lithium rechargeable AA batteries. Alkaline batteries are not suitable and short run times are expected.
L-Mount batteries, using the optional MX-LMount.
USB-C: The MixPre-3 II and MixPre-6 II can be powered with a USB-C cable connecting to a computer, USB-C power brick, or a wall outlet with the included MX-PSU.

Use the power switch on the left panel to turn on the MixPre II.

The power status icon on the top right corner of the screen should be green. If it is orange or red, find an alternative power source.

FORMAT THE SD CARD

Formatting deletes all files on the SD Card and prepares it for use with the MixPre II.

Tap the menu icon.
Navigate to the second page by tapping the page icon.
Tap SD Card > Edit > Format.

The status bar indicates remaining record time of the inserted SD card. Your total recording time will depend on card size, sample rate, bit depth, and track count.

HOME SCREEN LAYOUT

CONNECT HEADPHONES
Plug headphones into the headphone output located on the right panel. Use the headphone encoder on the right side of the MixPre II to adjust headphone volume.

The MixPre II can drive headphones to potentially dangerous levels. Do not listen at high volume levels for long periods of time.

SET UP YOUR MICROPHONE

Plug one end of the XLR cable into your microphone and the other into input 1 of your MixPre II.
Press in the channel 1 knob on the front panel to enter the Channel Screen.
If your microphone requires phantom power, tap Phantom.
Adjust your levels using the front panel knob. Turn the knob clockwise to increase the amount of signal sent to the LR mix. Turn the knob counter-clockwise to decrease the amount of signal sent to the LR mix. The MixPre II User Guide covers other possible channel sources and their setup.

UNDERSTANDING MIX LEVELS

The ring LED around each channel knob and the LR meter on the
home screen display the status of your signal.

Solid Green - the louder the signal, the brighter the LED
Red - when peaking
Orange - when limiting, also appears as orange bars to the right of the meters.
Blinking Orange - when soloed

We recommend setting your level so the meters on the LCD show a healthy green signal that only occasionally reaches the yellow. If a signal is too loud, the limiter will engage. If the limiters are engaging frequently, turn down the channel gain.

Quick Setup in Advanced Mode (MixPre-10 II)

INSERT SD CARD

Find the SD card slot on the back of the MixPre II and insert an SD Card. Sound Devices highly recommends using an SD card currently listed in the MixPre II approved media list.

To power the MixPre-10 II, you may use:

AA Batteries, using the MX-8AA eight AA battery sled. Sound Devices recommends using NiMH or Energizer Ultimate Lithium rechargeable AA batteries. Alkaline batteries are not suitable and short run times are expected.
L-Mount batteries, using the optional MX-LMount or MX-LM1.
Hirose, using the included XL-WPH3 from a wall outlet to the Hirose input.

Use the power switch on the left panel to turn on the MixPre-10 II.

The power status icon on the top right corner of the screen should be green. If it is orange or red, find an alternative power source.

FORMAT THE SD CARD

Formatting deletes all files on the SD Card and prepares it for use with the MixPre-10 II.

Tap the menu icon.
Navigate to the second page by tapping the page icon.
Tap SD Card > Edit > Format.

The status bar indicates remaining record time of the inserted SD card. Your total recording time will depend on card size, sample rate, bit depth, and track count.

CONNECT HEADPHONES
Plug headphones into the headphone output located on the right panel. Use the headphone encoder on the right side of the MixPre-10 II to adjust headphone volume.

The MixPre II can drive headphones to potentially dangerous levels. Do not listen at high volume levels for long periods of time.

SET UP YOUR MICROPHONE

Plug one end of the XLR cable into your microphone and the other into input 1 of your MixPre-10 II.
Press in the channel 1 knob on the front panel to enter the Channel Screen.
If your microphone requires phantom power, tap the page icon , then tap Phantom.
Return to the first screen by tapping the page icon .
Tap gain and use the up and down arrows or the headphone encoder to change the amount of gain applied to the microphone.
Adjust the level of channel 1 being sent to the LR mix using the front panel knob. Turn the knob clockwise to increase the amount of signal sent to the mix. Turn the knob counter-clockwise to decrease the amount of signal sent to the mix.

The MixPre II User Guide covers other possible channel sources and their setup.

UNDERSTANDING MIX LEVELS

The ring LED around each channel knob and the LR meter on the home screen display the status of your signal.

Solid Green - the louder the signal, the brighter the LED
Red - when peaking
Orange - when limiting, also appears as orange bars to the right of the meters
Blinking Orange - when soloed

Function	Control	Action
Record		Press to begin recording a new file. The button illuminates red while recording is in underway. In Stop mode the record button flashes red while auto-copying to a USB thumb drive.
Stop		While recording, press once to stop recording. While in playback, press once to stop playback. While in standby, press and hold to display next name. While in Standby and auto-copying is in progress, press Stop to optionally suspend auto-copying.
Play/Pause		Press to begin playback of the last file recorded or file currently loaded. The button illuminates green during playback. While in playback, press once to pause, and press again to resume playback. Whenever playback is paused, the button and the current file name will flash green.
Scrub		While playing or paused, press and hold 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 is heard in Scrub mode up to 2x speed. Scrubbing at speeds < 1x are not available with 32-bit float.

Function	Control	Action
Record		Push up the Transport control to begin recording a new file. The LED ring illuminates red while recording is underway.
Stop		Press in the Transport control to stop recording or playback. While in standby, press and hold to display next take name. The LED flashes red while auto-copying to a USB thumb drive. While in Standby and auto-copying is in progress, press Stop to bring up a dialogue box which gives the option to suspend auto-copying.
Play		Push down the Transport control to begin playback of the last file recorded or file currently loaded. While in playback, push down again to pause playback. The LED ring as well as the active file in the display will flash to indicate that Pause is active. Push down again to continue playback.
Rewind / Load previous take		While in standby, push left to load the previous take. While in playback, push and hold left to rewind. When the MixPre is playing back or paused, moving the joystick to the left (<<) rewinds at 2x speed, then after holding for 5 seconds, it increases to 16x speed.
Fast forward / Load next take		While in standby, push right to load the next take. While in playback, push and hold right to fast forward. When the MixPre is playing back or paused, moving the joystick to the right (>>) fast forwards at 2x speed, then after holding for 5 seconds, it increases to 16x speed.
Scrub		While playing or paused, press and hold 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. Scrubbing at speeds < 1x are not available with 32-bit float.