CEntrance MixerFace R4R

Started by Elantric, January 12, 2018, 11:56:35 AM

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Elantric




https://www.gearnews.com/centrance-mixerface-r4-mobile-recording-interface/




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CEntrance MixerFace R4 mobile recording interface to preview at NAMM 2018
CEntrance MixerFace R4
CEntrance MixerFace R4  ·  Source: CEntrance

It may sound like it was hilariously named via crowdsourcing but the CEntrance MixerFace R4 actually looks like quite a serious piece of kit. Announced ahead of its debut at NAMM 2018 it's a 4 input recording interface with built-in audio capture.

MixerFace R4
There are actually two models, one with and one without the internal recording to SD card. It's such a cool idea they should have just gone with it, but it does add $50 to the price. Otherwise, you have two proper microphone inputs with 48V phantom power, which can also accommodate line and Hi-Z guitar inputs. There's an auxiliary stereo input which brings the input count to 4. There are balanced and unbalanced outputs and CEntrance's award-winning headphone amp technology.

Inside is a rechargeable battery which can apparently last up to 8 hours on a full charge.

A low-cut filter and direct monitoring blend control rounds off a decent set of features. The device support is excellent connecting to iOS, Android, Windows and MacOS via USB.

CEntrance also offers a matched stereo mic pair which turns the MixerFace R4 with the SD card option into a cool standalone field recorder. It's $349 with the SD option, $299 without and the stereo mic is $49. It's not beautiful but nothing by CEntrance ever is, but it does have a decent amount of flexible functionality.

More information
CEntrance website.

http://www.centrance.com/
When music comes it's nothing less than magic ... real magic. The closer you can get to capturing the initial inspiration, the purer and more emotional the music will be. But that moment of inspiration is often fleeting. Precious moments lost can cost you the groove, the feel, the emotion, the lyric and too often the basic idea itself. Getting your gear setup to capture those crucial moments can take too long, is often very cumbersome and basically not fun... Until now! It's all about the music and the MixerFace R4™ is instantly ready to capture your audio anywhere, anytime - the moment inspiration hits.

       
       
       Capture the Moment
       
Set an R4 on your coffee table, aim the tiny stereo mics (optional from CEntrance), hit the onboard red record button and you're capturing ... it's that easy. Or, plug it into your phone or tablet and launch your favorite recording app. MixerFace will serve as your professional Mobile Recording Interface™. Have a particular vocal mic that suits your voice? No problem. Mixerface has 2 XLR inputs with 48v phantom power to accommodate any high-end condenser. The custom designed Jasmine Mic Pres™ deliver a world class signal, designed to capture every nuance of the performance.

       
       
       Cut
       
Because the R4 has a high capacity rechargeable internal battery no wall plug is needed. The battery will work for 8 hours before needing a refill and your standard USB charger will charge it. It's the internal battery that allows MixerFace to provide true 48v phantom and lets it work with a phone or tablet without wall power. Without the battery, it isn't mobile.

       
       
       Take the Show on the Road
       
MixerFace R4 has 2 Neutrik™ combo inputs which accommodate microphones line level instruments, guitars or bases. You can plug your guitar straight in. R4 also has an Auxiliary stereo input that can be conveniently mixed in right on the top panel. So if you want to add a drum machine or another mixer, it's there — R4 has Balanced outputs, an Unbalanced stereo output and a Headphone output. The top panel gives easy access to all of the adjustments with familiar analog pots. No searching through menu pages to find the right adjustment — quick and easy control is always at your fingertips. R4 can work as a Mixer even if you're not using it to record!

       
       
       Key Features
       
         
         
High Dynamic Range Jamine Mic Pres™ offer plenty of clean gain

         
VelvetSound™ series converters deliver high audio quality, on the go

         
Adjustable ZLM, Hi-Z inputs and Low Cut filters let you cover all bases

         
Custom AmpExtreme™ headphone amp offers clarity, detail and volume

         
Aux input lets you mix in a stereo source for practice or performance

         
Works with Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, and most phones and tablets

         
Li-Po battery plays for 8 hours without refill

         
Aircraft-grade aluminum chassis offers scratch protection and durability

         
Balanced, Unbalanced, and Headphone outputs for true versatility

         
Two versions are available: with and without the internal backup recorder

         
Optional Precision-matched X/Y Stereo condenser microphone pair

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https://www.audiofader.com/test-centrance-mixerface-r4-dal-broadcast-alla-produzione-musicale/



TEST: CENTRANCE MIXERFACE R4, FROM BROADCAST TO MUSIC PRODUCTION
HARDWARE , NEWS , POST PRO , PRO AUDIONOVEMBER 2, 2018BY LUCA PILLA
VALUE FOR MONEY 8
CONSTRUCTION 9
SOUND 8
EASE OF USE 8
8.3
It's in the palm of your hand and promises to be the perfect audio interface with a six-channel analogue mixer for those who work in broadcast on tablets, smartphones and digital SLRs, but also for online transmission for professional field systems. A tool for recording high quality audio with all the necessary analogue and digital connections, powered by internal battery.
We welcome in Italy CEntrance, an American manufacturer that deals with high quality portable audio since 2000, which has worked to lay off technologies and digital products to myriad names like Waves, Benchmark, Lavry, Mackie, Lexicon, Empirical Audio, McDSP , DiGiCo, Dangerous Music and many others. Like CEntrance, in 2008 it created MicPort Pro, a Class A preamplifier with a 192-kHz 24-bit USB connection, which then evolved into a series of products, all portable, that blend professional audio with portability and connections digital. MixerFace R4 gathers the experience of these years to arrive at an audio interface that includes two audio inputs, which can work as XLR microphone inputs with Phantom or high impedance with TS jacks, HPF filters, Jasmine preamps, known in the world of Hi -Fi, separate headphone amplifier, stereo Aux input, balanced or unbalanced audio outputs and, of course, digital connection and full compatibility for Android, iOS, Mac, Windows and smartphone / tablet. A version with internal backup of the recording is planned.

CEntrance MixerFace R4 audio mixer broadcast interface
Control switch, Aux stereo input and Aux stereo output, headphone output and USB connections

Hardware
Constructed in solid aeronautical aluminum, MixerFace R4 uses the short sides for the connections, front and rear and the surface for the control of some functions and for the mixer. On the short front side we find the two Neutrik Combo XLR / jack inputs for 1 kΩ impedance microphone signals, 10 kΩ line signals and 1 MΩ high impedance signals. Beside, in TRS mini-jack format, there are the two balanced audio outputs to connect external monitors (+13.1 dBu for balanced outputs), whose level is directly managed by the mixer Monitor potentiometer. The rear short side includes the power button, next to which there are three LEDs that indicate the charge level of the lithium polymer battery. At the ends there are the USB C ports (full compatibility with USB 2.0 and USB 3.1), one for computer connection, smartphone or tablet for digital signal and charging (a power supply of at least 2A is recommended), the other to connect a power pack or power supply from an external 5-volt transformer. We then find the Aux In stereo line input that accepts signals up to +9.2 dBu, in mini-jack format, to connect external sources and whose mix level is controlled by the Aux In potentiometer and which can be mixed to the two main channels , the Aux Out stereo analogue output always with mini-jack (+7.1 dBu), for possible connections to a camera or as an accessory output with respect to the two main ones, the headphone output on a 1 Ω mini-jack able drive headphones from 16 to 600 Ω. The internal battery allows operation for about eight hours, if the phantom power and filters are not active, and is recharged at 90% in about four hours. The battery cannot be replaced by the owner, however its position is easily accessible by opening the interface. For iOS a Lighting To USB cable is required, not supplied as standard. The equipment includes the USB C / USB connection cable and a canvas bag for protection.

On Mac, Android and iOS, MixerFace R4 is recognized without any driver, while on Windows you can download the low latency ASIO driver. The USB interface is recognized as two outputs and two audio inputs. Each of the two channels records input 1 or 2 and the mix with Aux In, but always and only as two tracks derived from the internal audio mixer. The Aux Out output has zero latency, because it repeats the analog Aux In signal without going through the conversion.

The AD / DA converter is an AKM 4556, low-voltage 24-bit 192 kHz converter with 103 dB of dynamic for AD and 106 dB for DA. The overall signal-to-noise ratio stands at 103 dB with a crosstalk of -95 dB. Headphone amplification uses proprietary AmpExtreme technology. Finally, on the lower panel there is the standard hook for the screw, to be used for stands and not only.



CEntrance MixerFace R4 audio mixer broadcast interface
The internal card with potentiometers

Control
The upper part of R4 is designed to control input signals. The two inputs have gain control of the preamplifier, up to +55 dB, with two LEDs for Peak (-6 dB) and presence of the signal (-40 dB), a Blend control between USB digital input and analog signal, activation of 130 Hz HPF filter 6 dB / Oct and high impedance switches, independent for the two audio inputs. Two additional potentiometers allow you to change the input level of the Aux In and the Monitor signal, which controls both the balanced outputs and the headphone volume. Below the USB connections, Aux inputs and headphone output, we find the Phantom power switch for both inputs, which is obviously not applied using a jack for line signals,

On trial
Having understood a couple of symbols on the connections, we used MixerFace R4 as an audio interface for our tablet and for the Mac. There were no connection or recognition problems on Android, with Samsung tablets, and on iPad. On Windows we switched from the ASIO2 driver, again with no problems whatsoever. R4 provides two input and two output audio channels, which integrate with the analogue mixer, which includes two preamplifier inputs, the Aux 3-4 stereo input and the stereo signal from the USB. In total there are therefore six channels, two mono and two stereo, in input. Channels 1 and 2, the preamplified ones, are not equipped with a pan and are assigned to the Right output and one to the Left output. Each of them is equipped with a potentiometer to mix the preamplifier signal to the stereo signal coming from the USB port, but without pan. The mixer stereo signal is sent to the balanced Line outputs, whose level is controlled by the Monitor potentiometer which also manages the headphone listening level and the Aux stereo output, whose level is fixed and controllable only by switch to reduce it 46 dB for digital SLRs. The stereo output of the mixer, without the stereo signal received from the USB port, is then sent in parallel to the USB port and contains the two preamps and the Aux 3-4 input. Flexibility is therefore total and allows R4 to be inserted in contexts that are very distant from each other. It can be used in broadcast as an excellent double preamplifier, in field recording using a couple of microphones, or in simple musical or live productions using its four analog inputs and monitoring a stereo signal coming from the USB, or even as an extremely portable USB audio interface for the traveling producer, for presentations that also include two microphones or, to the extreme, to replace even a simple mixer in karaoke situations. There is no limit to the imagination in its use! That the mixer works in analog is understood by the behavior of the two potentiometers that balance the preamplifier signal with the one provided by the USB; moving them all on the channel, they never completely reset the incoming USB stereo signal. Including the signal flow and its analogue and digital outputs, we move on R4 very quickly and smoothly.



CEntrance MixerFace R4 audio mixer broadcast interface
MixerFace R4 can also be used with digital SLR cameras

Used for hours, it has shown to have an excellent battery, whose life can be extended by recording at lower sampling frequencies in broadcast situations. It is not always necessary to use high sample rates when working in the field. The AD conversion quality, combined with the preamps, was a surprise: even with low-quality condenser microphones or with difficult dynamics, the resulting sound has a natural dynamic and does not exalt sibilants. The quality of the pramps is also noted by the level of gain applied, which has always remained around half, often less, than the run for the microphones and just over half for line sources not too exuberant. The DA converters are good, with some exaltation of too much towards the higher spectrum and some hissing a little harder than necessary, however it only concerns the incoming signal via USB. Using it as an analog mixer, the quality is above average for quietness and dynamics. Headphone amplification is another plus: no problem even with studio headphones, such as AKGs, or three-channel in-ear monitor systems. By maximizing the Monitor without any input signal, however, you can hear digital spurious noises at the headphone output, but not at the Line or Aux outputs. In no case will you hear these noises in your daily work during recording: probably the level of amplification of the headphones is so high that it also amplifies some spurious parts of the signal. In real situations, however, we never got past the monitor level in listening, either with headphones or with in-ear monitors.



CEntrance MixerFace R4 audio mixer broadcast interface
The connections for the two preamps and the two balanced audio outputs

Conclusions
MixerFace R4 is one of those products dedicated to analog and digital audio that elevate the intrinsic quality of a portable object. The first to adopt it will be the broadcast audio operators for situations that require a high level of quality, a long battery life and a great flexibility of connections, even to digital SLRs. There will be music producers or anyone involved in music, because in such a small space it is difficult to find a good quality audio interface with two preamps, also for musical instruments and instruments with pickups, of this caliber. Sturdiness is another plus for R4 and far surpasses many other plastic products. It's the classic Swiss army knife for professionals,



PRO
Small dimensions

robustness

Battery life

Signal to noise ratio

Excellent preamps

Flexible connections

VERSUS
In live music situations the pan for the two main inputs is missing



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https://www.gearnews.de/centrance-r4b-pivotmic-pm1-mikrofone-bundle/



More than a year ago, CEntrance introduced the MixerFace R4 and the MixerFace R4R - an interface that includes the R4R, an SD card slot and 16-bit and 24-bit recording and common samplerates. With the MixerFace R4B now the matching XY microphones "PivotMics PM1" are presented.

CEntrance MixerFace R4B + PivotMic PM1
The MixerFace R4R becomes the R4B - but the name does not change. It remains an audio interface, which also accommodates mobile microSD card with a maximum of 24 bits and 192 kHz. It can also be used by the smartphone or tablet in addition to the computer. The special feature is a completely different one.

The MixerFace R4B is a bundle that delivers the regular R4 with a pair of matching microphones. Specifically, it involves the PivotMic PM1 , two XY-clip- with cardioid , which are directly connected to the two inputs at the top. The PM1 are designed with metal housing and fixed orientation and are therefore supposed to be particularly stable and durable. But that means that you have to change the two for the 180 ° version .



Despite the metal case, they should not be noticeable in the weight, although I feel 39 grams per piece then not as "nothing", especially if you use the recorder in the hot shoe or L-mount on a DSLR . The signal-to-noise ratio is 74 dB and the maximum sound pressure is 140 dB . The frequency response is good, but little unusual 20 Hz to 20 kHz , it is interesting in the low bass range, whether it is spongy or taut.

price
The CEntrance R4B including the PivotMic PM1 microphones costs 499 USD directly from the manufacturer's shop. Maybe there is something else when the bundle arrives at the dealer. I have heard nothing bad about the recorder so I assume that the microphones are also very useful. Unfortunately, experiences in the net are still mau.

More info
https://centrance.com/store/MixerFace-R4B-Mobile-Recording-Interface-with-micro-SD-Card-Recorder-and-XY-Stereo-mics-p130315198