Is a new year, and we’re only roughly a week into 2020 and I’ve already purchased yet another sound recorder for myself! Just couldn’t resist adding the cute little Sound Devices MixPre3 to my collection of sound recorders.

Now the first question on my mind is what would be the best method for powering the Sound Devices MixPre3? (am planning to run it with phantom power on one channel for a hardwired boom mic, plus a Lectrosonics SR for channels 2/3)

The way I see it is there are four main options:

1) Sound Devices MX-LMount (2x horizontal L Mount batteries. This seems like an awkward choice for a compact bag to have the batteries sticking out at an angle, works with 2x slim NP-F550 batteries perhaps? But the run time would be a little too lean. Yet 2x NP-F970 would stick out too much! I suspect a compromise would be a NP-F550 on my “belly side” so the MixPre3 sits flush against that side of the mixing bag, and a large NP-F970 on the opposite side which a receiver would then sit on top of)

2) Hawk-Woods SD-2 (this is a single NP-F battery in the horizontal orientation, solving the problems with the MX-LMount. But would a single NP-F battery be enough?? Not sure at all. I’ve read a MixPre draws up to 7.5W? So would a NP-F970 be enough to always get through to lunch break every day? Seems likely, but perhaps the MX-LMount with an extra NP-F550 with the NP-F970 would be the safer bet. There is a low power mode, which seems perfect for what I want! As I don’t need HDMI/USB or more than two phantom power channels, however from reading the manual it seems there is no way to turn that mode on yourself?)

3) Hawk-Woods SD-1 (gives you a Hirose input, that I could use with my BDS. However I can ditch the BDS entirely, because I can use a Lectrosonics SRBATTSLED on my receiver, and power that via a NP-F550. There is also the Cable Techniques MX-POWERSLED which does the same thing and is a little cheaper at US$99 vs US$131.52, but the Cable Techniques option is over 50 grams heavier and I feel like the Hawk-Woods SD-1 would protect the Hirose connector better)

4) USB-C powering (a USB connection seems too fragile to me to handle the hurly burly knocking about during a fast paced run & gun production)

5) something else I’m not thinking about? (don’t think the existing AA battery sled would be the best option, neither using the 8x AA option. That’s too many extra unnecessary batteries to juggle at the end of each day!)