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High Five

A bit late to the game with this one, but my reviews are like fine wines: in addition to their getting better with age, they are also spendy and I wouldn’t know one if it were thrown in my face by a lady offended by yet another inappropriate comment by myself in a public establishment.

So...yeah.

This won’t be the typical introductory review, full of tech details and the like (many fine examples of which can be found here, here and here). This is about usability, specifically at the level where I and many other mixers operate: a mix of ENG/reality and film-style gigs, 4 or so wireless mics, and a separate multi-track recorder in an over-the-shoulder rig.

Firstly, the 552 feels more evolutionary than anything else, a refinement of an already impressive bit of engineering in the 442. The new model offers the obvious fifth input channel, and manages to stuff a 2-channel recorder into a form factor not much bigger than its predecessor. Many of the toggles have been moved from the sides to the front panel, and a retooling of the user menu brings accessibility without having to cycle the unit’s power. This really speaks to a level of efficiency that can ease the burden for a solo mixer in a run and gun environment.

Speaking of speaking, they’ve chosen to go with a synthesized voice for menu prompts. They’ve named it SVEN, and it sounds like a Vocoder remix of Stephen Hawking’s latest deep house tracks. I recommend stepping through the menu whilst reading the included laminated cheat-sheets to familiarize yourself; you do not want to try to figure that out in the field under the gun. A couple of passes with it at home before I took it out on a gig, and I was fine with it.

In terms of adjustments from the 442, there weren’t many. It slipped into the same space in the bag seamlessly, and general mixing was similar and effortless. I also run a Sound Devices 744T, and that’s where the upgrades started to shine for me. The slate mic is now routed to the direct outs; with the 442, I had to run the main stereo bus into the 744T’s first two inputs in order to slate my tracks. Workable, but inelegant. Another welcome change is the ability to choose either pre- or post-fader for the direct outputs. Now, if I have talent that’s wired and they go the bathroom or take a private phone call, I no longer have to power down my Comtek Tx or the receiver to give them their privacy. I can merely pot them down and keep everything set as before. The fewer things I have to think about with this muddled brain, the better.

And then there’s the recorder. It offers uncompressed recording in WAV format, up to 96/24, as well as MP3, and while it doesn’t generate timecode internally, it can read and stamp to either file type. This can be especially convenient for transcription files, as the unit allows you to either simply stamp an MP3 with timecode, or replace either the left or right channel with LITC, depending on the needs of the transcription service. In conjunction with a 744T (as I’ve used it), you can feed TC to the TA3F B return on the 552 and gain an addition 2 channels. The files are stamped in the year/month/day format by default, so post will need to do some housekeeping to keep things organized, but the 552’s files can by synced with the 744T’s via timecode instantly and seamlessly, as a short test recording proved. Simply pull the SD card from the back of the unit at the end of the day, and you can deliver your files and be done with it.

Which leads me to my quibbles, minor though they be. The SD slot is located on the rear of the mixer, which, if it’s in a bag setup (which it most likely will be), it’s in the least convenient place. Additionally, it’s covered by a rubber gasket-type plug, which is not tethered to the mixer. Trust me: at some point at the end of a long day, you will lose that little sucker. Not a deal breaker, but annoying. Also, the SD card is the only way to retrieve files from the unit. They included a micro USB port adjacent to the SD slot, but it’s for firmware upgrades only.

The 552 is an improvement upon the venerable 442, though, again, iterative rather than an exponential leap. If you’re starting to build a new ENG kit, then absolutely the 552 is a good choice. Should you switch out from a 442? If you’re operating at the edge of what can be done in a bag over the shoulder, the 552 might make things easier for you. If you’re doing just fine with your setup as is, then consider the 552 a luxury upgrade.

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