888 PORTABLE PRODUCTION MIXER-RECORDER
Legal Notices Product specifications and features are subject to change without prior notification. Copyright© 2019 Sound Devices, LLC. All rights reserved. This product is subject to the terms and conditions of a software license agreement provided with the product, and may be used in accordance with the license agreement. This document is protected under copyright law. An authorized licensee of this product may reproduce this publication for the licensee’s own personal use.
Welcome to the 888 UNPRECEDENTED RECORDING POWER - ON A CART OR OVER THE SHOULDER. Meet the 888 - the portable mixer-recorder that’s compact and light enough to use in a bag, yet has the high channel count and power required for mobile cart productions. The 888 is the smallest portable mixer-recorder on the market that offers Dante for sending and receiving audio over Ethernet.
Table of Contents FRONT PANEL 3 LEFT SIDE PANEL 4 RIGHT SIDE PANEL 5 REAR PANEL 6 TOP PANEL 6 HOME SCREEN 7 CHANNEL SCREEN 8 CHANNEL INPUT 9 VIRTUAL KEYBOARD 10 PHRASE MANAGER 11 CHANNEL EQ 12 MENUS 13 POWER MENU 14 CHANNEL SETUP 15 CHANNEL GROUPS 15 BUS MENU 16 OUTPUT MENU 17 HEADPHONE PRESETS 18 LIMITERS 18 AUTOMIXER 19 DUGAN AUTOMIX 19 MIXASSIST 20 METERS 21 TIMECODE 22 RECORD/PLAY 23 FILES 24 SLATE/COMS/RETURNS 27 SYSTEM 28 C
Panel Views FRONT PANEL Channel Trim Meter Button Channel Fader Channel Ring LED LCD Display Transport Control PFL Switch Power Switch/LED Indicator Menu Button Headphone Knob Select Knob Mic/Tone Switch */** Switch Rtn/Fav Switch CHANNEL TRIM Turns the channel on/off and sets the input sensitivity for the channel. To conserve power, turn off unused channels by rotating channel trim fully counterclockwise. METER BUTTON Push to view and select various metering presets. Used with Select knob.
LEFT SIDE PANEL Mic/Line Inputs 1-4 female XLR jacks AES3/AES42 on XLR Input 1 Mic/Line Inputs 5-8 TA3 jacks INPUTS 1-4 FEMALE XLR JACKS Active-balanced analog microphone or line-level inputs. Input 1 can also accept AES3 or AES42 signal. [pin-1 = ground, pin-2 = hot (+), and pin-3 = cold (-)] MIC/LINE INPUTS 5-8 TA3 JACKS Active-balanced analog microphone or line-level inputs. [pin-1 = ground, pin-2 = hot (+), pin 3 = cold (-)] COM RTN TA3 JACK Balanced connection for Com Return audio input.
RIGHT SIDE PANEL Antenna SMA connector SD Card slots 1 & 2 1/4” headphone jack LTC/Wordclock/5-pin X1-X4 TA3 jacks LEMO jack X5/X6 3.5 mm jack ANTENNA RP-SMA-MALE CONNECTOR Connects to included external antenna for Bluetooth LE. ¼” HEADPHONE JACK 1/4-inch TRS headphone output. Warning! This output can drive headphones to potentially dangerous levels. [Sleeve = ground, tip = left, ring = right] SD 1 AND 2 CARD SLOTS Insert SD card media for recording. Insert label side down.
REAR PANEL Battery 1, Battery 2 Docking BATTERY 1, BATTERY 2 DOCKING Sony L-Mount type batteries may be used. When connected to an external DC source the L-Mount batteries can be charged if enabled in the Power menu. Dante /Ethernet RJ-45 jack DANTE RJ45 JACK 1 GbE port serving as a Dante audio network connection. The Dante interface provides 16 inputs and 16 outputs simultaneously. Routing is defined through the Channel Source and Output menus.
HOME SCREEN Power icon and smart battery telemetry Media space remaining indicators Current take name Individual channel meters LR mix bus meters Selected headphone preset File elapsed time Timecode Current frame rate Temporary Level Display Current sample rate Metering for Returns A and B CURRENT TAKE NAME Shows the filename of the currentlyselected take. During playback, displays the elapsed and remaining time in hours, minutes and seconds.
CHANNEL SCREEN Channel designation and user-defined name Channel Meter view Channel Trim value Channel Fader Value Channel to ISO routing Channel Input selection Channel Linking Channel EQ HPF (High Pass Filter) Polarity Channel to Bus routing Channel delay HP Preset Limiter Slate Mic Channel Mute L C R pan select CHANNEL DESIGNATION AND USER-DEFINED NAME Indicates the mixer channel designation and the user-defined name. Both are overlaid onto the channel audio meter.
CHANNEL INPUT SOURCE CHANNEL BUS SENDS 888 User Guide 9
Virtual Keyboard Action Function Rotate HP Scrolls orange highlight through the keyboard characters. Press HP Inserts the highlighted character in text field. ‘abc’ switch Quick flick toggles between A-Z and a-z in keyboard. Hold ‘abc’ switch Momentary selection of other case. Delete Deletes character to the left of flashing cursor. Hold Delete Repeatedly deletes characters to the left of flashing cursor. Space Inserts space at the flashing cursor position.
Phrase Manager CLEAR Clears all phrases. DELETE Deletes selected phrases. NEW Create new phrase. EDIT Edit selected phrase. INSERT Inserts selected phrase into text. REPLACE Replaces text with current selected phrase.
Channel EQ 1. EQ Selects channel EQ state. [Off*, On] 2. LOW FREQ Selects low frequency EQ filter parameters. a. Type- Indicates Shelf or Peaking filter. [Shelf, Peak] b. Freq- Indicates frequency of the filter, continuously-variable from 20 Hz to 20 kHz (100Hz*). c. Gain- Indicates gain of the filter, continuously-variable from -15 dB to +15 dB in 1 dB increments (0 dB*). d. Q- Indicates “Q” or bandwidth of the filter, continuously-variable from .5 - 10 in .1 increments (1.0*). e.
Menus MAIN MENU 888 User Guide 13
Power Allows configuration of various power settings. POWER SOURCE ICONS (Batt1, Batt2, DC, TC Batt) Indicates the power condition of each power source. [Green = normal, yellow = below normal, red = warning] 1. DC REF Allows proper power level indicator calibration based upon the type of DC power source used. [12V DC*, 14 V Li-Ion, 12 V Lead Acid, Full Range (10-18 V), Smart Battery] 2. DC LOSS Selects how the unit should operate when DC power is lost. [Switch to Next Supply*, Turn Off] 3.
Channel Setup 1. PHANTOM VOLTAGE Selects phantom power voltage for all inputs. [12 V, 48 V*] 2. PFL MODE Selects the source of the PFL feed. [Auto* Pre-fade, Post-fade] Auto = pre-fade if channel is routed to ISO track pre-fade, post-fade if channel is routed to the ISO track post-fade. 3. CHANNEL GROUPING Selects grouping of faders, record arming, and mutes across channels. The lowest channel number in the group controls the other channels grouped.
Buses Selects routing for Buses L,R and 1-8. 1. BUS METER Audio level meter for the selected bus. 2. LINK *-* Selects linking for two odd-to-even numbered adjacent buses. Links bus Gain, Mute, Coms, and Mute All functions. 3. ISO Any ISO channel contributes to Bus mix. [Green fill in text box = Pre-fade, Orange fill in text box = Post-fade] 4. BUS Not available in L and R Bus Screens. Bus 1 and 2 allow routing of [Bus L or R]. Bus 3-8 allow routing of [Bus L, R, 1, or 2]. Bus Meter Link Iso 5.
Outputs 1. LR, X1-X8 Output Routing Selects routing for L,R and X1-X8 outputs. [L Out, R Out, X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, and X8 Out] Only a single source can be routed to an Output. If multiple sources need to be routed, use a Bus. Link A. ISO Selected source will contribute to the Output. (Green = Prefade, orange = Post-fade [1-16]) B. BUS [L, R, 1-8, HP-L, HP-R] C. COM Routes Com Return directly to the output. D. RETURN Routes Return 1 or 2 directly to the output. E.
5. HP Presets Selects the list of headphone presets available and allows for editing and creation. Function Description Name Displays virtual keyboard and allows for naming of the headphone preset. Edit Allows selection of routed sources to both HP Left and HP Right. Select HP LEFT or RIGHT and then select desired source. i. ISO- Any source selected will be routed to the selected HP output. Green = Pre-fade, orange = Post-fade. [1-16] ii. Bus- [L,R, 1-8] iii. Com- [Rtn] iv.
Automixer Selects the Automixing mode and the channels included in the automixer group(s). MODE Selects the Mode of Automix [MixAssist, Dugan Automixer] and whether it is disabled* or enabled. Tip: Set a toggle shortcut or mapped controller button to enable/disable the selected automixer mode to allow you to quickly compare the effect of the automixer being on or off. RING LED INDICATION Set to On to display automix meter levels on the ring LEDs.
MIXASSIST MODE MIXASSIST OFF-ATTENUATION Sets the amount of attenuation applied to inactive input channels. Range: 6dB to 40dB. Default: 15dB When a channel is active (not attenuated), it’s ring LED (channels 1-8 only) and LCD meter view channel indication illuminate green. There are two independent MixAssist processing groups, Bus L and Bus R. Channels 1-16 can be routed to Bus L, Bus R, both equally (Center), or both unequally (L or R pan increments) by using a channel’s pan control.
Meters Selected Preset METER PRESETS 1-8 (Horizontal) 9-16 (Horizontal). A. PEAK HOLD TIME Selects the peak hold time for the meter preset. [Off, 1*-5 s, Infinity] B. METER RANGE Selects the range of the meters from bottom to top of scale. [50 dB*, 40 dB, 20 dB] C. METER VIEW Selects the meters to be viewed in the current preset.
Timecode TIMECODE MODE Selects the timecode mode of operation. [Off, Record Run, Free Run*, Free Run Auto Mute, Free Run Jam Once, 24 Hour Run (ToD), 24 Hour Run Auto Mute, Ext TC, Ext TC - Auto Record, Ext TC Continuous, Ext TC Cont. - Auto Record] FRAME RATE Selects the current frame rate. [23.98*, 24, 25, 29.97 ND, 29.97 DF, 30 ND, 30 DF] HOLD OFF Selects the amount of time incoming Timecode needs to be valid prior to entering record when in auto-record mode. [0.0*-8.0 seconds in steps of 0.1 sec.
Record/Play SAMPLE RATE Selects the current sample rate. [44100, 47952, 48000*, 48048, 96000, 192000] BIT DEPTH Selects the current bit depth. [16, 24*] PRE-ROLL TIME Selects the amount of Pre-roll recording. Adjustable in 1 second increments. *0 s [0-10 s] POST-ROLL TIME Selects the amount of Post-roll recording. Adjustable in 1 second increments. [0-10 s] If a recording is stopped prematurely, press record within the post-roll time. The machine will continue to record into the original file.
Files USB FILE TRANSFER Enters USB file transfer mode. Files may be transferred between a Mac or PC and the 888 via USB-C port. When in USB file transfer mode, playback, record and controller functions are suspended. TAKE LIST Enters the Take List. The Take List shows a running list of recorded takes in chronological order with most recent at the top. Various details of each take are indicated on the right side of the display: TC (timecode), Duration, Media, Folder, Scene, Take, Date, and Notes.
TAKE EDIT MENU 1. Notes: Edit notes for the selected take. Maximum 200 characters including Sticky Notes. 2. Sticky Notes (next take only): edit sticky notes that are automatically prepended to subsequent takes. Maximum 50 characters. 3. Scene: Edit scene name. Maximum 50 characters. 4. Take: edit Take Number. 5. Circle (current or previous takes only): circle a take. Prepends “@” symbol to take name. 6. Project Edit Project name. Maximum 20 characters.
File List Allows navigation and management of files and folders on the SSD, SD1 and SD2 drives. File List Options COPY FOLDER/FILE Provides support for copying Folders and Files between drives from the File List’s Options Menu. DELETE FOLDER/FILE Delete Folders and Files from the File List’s Options Menu. CREATE SOUND REPORT Creates a CSV sound report for the selected folder’s takes. EMPTY TRASH Empties the trash folder. EMPTY FALSE TAKES Empties the false takes folder.
Slate/Coms/Returns SLATE/COM MIC SOURCE Selects the slate and com mic source. [Off, Int Mic*, Ext Mic, Ext 12 V Mic] SLATE/COM MIC GAIN Selects the gain for the slate/com mic. [020 dB in 1 dB steps for the internal mic, 0-60 dB in 1 dB steps for the external mic]. SLATE ROUTING Selects the destination(s) for the slate mic. a. Track- [1-16] b. Output- [L,R, X1-X6] c. Bus- [L,R, 1-8] d. HP- [HP-L, HP-R] e. Duck Bus Program (Prgm) By: [0- -40 dB, -inf] f.
System TONE SETUP Selects the level, frequency, and routing of the internal tone generator. a. Level- Selects the level of the tone generator from -20 - 0 dBFS in 1 dB increments. [-20 - 0 dBFS] b. Frequency- Selects the frequency of the tone from 100 to 10 kHz in 10 Hz steps. [100-10 kHz] c. Track- [1-16] d. Output- [L,R, X1-X6] e. Bus- [L,R, 1-8] (Use toggle Switch Action menu to select tone as Continuous or L-ident.) NOTIFICATION BELLS Selects settings for the notification bells. a.
Controllers The 888 can by controlled from the Sound Devices CL-12 linear fader controller or supported third-party external controllers that conform to the MCU protocol. Controllers connect via the 888’s USB-A port either directly or via a USB hub. MAPPING Selects Mapping menu. a. Name- Allows for custom naming of controller button. b. MIDI- Toggles between the button name and MIDI code of the selected button function. c. Load- Loads a saved button mapping preset. d.
SUPPORTED THIRD-PARTY CONTROLLERS The 888 supports some third-party external controllers that conform to the MCU protocol. Two controllers may be connected simultaneously for extended control. The CL-12 Linear Fader Controller cannot be used with another control surface. ICON PLATFORM M+ AND D2 DISPLAY Eight channel fader bank with control over gain, bus, sends, coms, trim and pan. Dedicated Select, Mute, Solo and Arm buttons for each channel. Bank switch to access 888 channels 1-16 in blocks of 8 banks.
Nav Up Moves the highlighted selection down one in matrix screens, emulates HP knob up In Home screen. Out Mode Selects the output masters mode. Play Remain Time Selects the remaining time in the LED timecode display. Rtn A Selects Rtn A toggle on/off. Rtn B Selects Rtn B toggle on/off. Rtn Toggle Emulates the Rtn toggle on the 888. Scene Increment Brings up the Scene Increment Dialog box for incrementing Scene Name according to the setting in Files>Scene Increment Mode.
Toggle Switch Action SELECT + MIC, HP + MIC, MIC Selects Slate, Slate (Latch), Slate (Moment), Com Send, Com Send (Latch), Com Send (Moment), or No Action. SELECT + TONE, TONE Selects Continuous Tone, L-ident Tone or No Action.
Front Panel Shortcuts The Menu + PFL Shortcuts are set by default. They can be customized by going to System > Menu + PFL Switch Action. Menu + PFL Shortcuts Action Menu + PFL 1 Power Menu Menu + PFL 2 Channel Setup Menu Menu + PFL 3 Channels 9-16 Menu + PFL 4 Buses Menu Menu + PFL 5 Outputs Menu Menu + PFL 6 Limiters Menu Menu + PFL 7 Meters Preset Menu Menu + PFL 8 Timecode/Sync Menu Toggle Switch Shortcuts Action Mic Toggle As defined in the System/Toggle Switch Action menu.
USB Keyboard A USB keyboard may be connected to the 888 via the USB-A port. The keyboard may be used for metadata entry as well as the following shortcuts: Keystroke Description F1 Enters Main Menu F2 Enters Take List F3 Toggles Meter view F12 Returns to LR, 1-8 Meter View Ctrl+R Record Ctrl+S Stop Space Bar Play/Pause Up arrow Emulates HP knob rotating clockwise on most screens, except channel screens where it emulates the Select knob rotating clockwise.
SD-Remote SD-Remote is an Android tablet application, available in the Google Play Store, designed to pair with the 888. SD-Remote offers control and display parameters, including the following: 1. Channel Meters 2. L/R Meters 3. Channel Name 4. Channel Solos/Mutes 5. Channel Record Arm/Disarm 6. Transport Controls 7. Metadata Editing 8. Info 9. Timecode 10. Take List 11. Reports SETUP PROCEDURE 1. Download and install SD-Remote from the Google Play Store. 2.
SD-Remote Take List SD-Remote Sound Report CREATE SOUND REPORT 1. Touch “Reports” icon on the bottom of the screen. 2. Select the source(s) from which the desired info resides. Sibling folders (folders at the same directory level) may be included in the same report by selecting ”Sibling Folders”. 3. Select“Email” to email as CSV file. Additionally, a PDF file may be mailed by selecting the “Include PDF” option. 4. Touch the “Create Report” button.
Quick Setup LOAD GLOBAL SETTINGS Selects a saved settings file for loading. [User-saved Global Settings] SAVE GLOBAL SETTINGS Saves Global Settings to various destinations. [SSD Drive (internal), INT1-4 (internal), SD1 and SD2] LOAD FACTORY SETTINGS Selects Factory Settings to be loaded for entire unit.
The 888 is capable of connecting to a Dante network, simultaneously receiving and sending up to 16 channels of audio at sample rates from 44.1kHz up to 192 kHz. 888 channels 1-16 may be sourced from Dante receive channels 1-16. Each Dante input may be selected as a source in the Channel Setup menu. Each Dante output may be sourced from ISOs (pre- or post-), Buses and Outputs (post-delay). All network routing should be done through Audinate’s Dante Controller application, found at www. audinate.com.
Specifications Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. For the latest information available on all Sound Devices products, visit our website: www.sounddevices.com. FREQUENCY RESPONSE 10 Hz to 80 kHz ± 0.5 dB (192 kHz sample rate, re 1 kHz) THD + NOISE 0.
TIMECODE AND SYNC Modes Supported: Off, Rec Run, Free Run, 24h Run, External, including External Auto-Record and Continuous modes. Frame Rates: 23.98*, 24, 25, 29.97 DF, 29.97 ND, 30 DF, 30 ND Sample/Timecode Accuracy: 0.1 ppm (0.25 frames per 24 hours) Timecode Input: 20k ohm impedance, 0.3 V - 3.
Glossary ¼-inch jack Common analog audio connector used as both an audio input and output. When a ¼-inch jack is described as TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) it can be wired as either a balanced connection or as a two-channel connection. ¼-inch headphone jacks are typically wired as TRS stereo jacks. 3.5 mm jack Common small-format audio connector. Often used for headphones and -10 dBV signals for portable audio devices. AES3 A standard for the exchange of digital audio signals between professional audio devices.
Ethernet A family of computer networking technologies. Ethernet commonly refers to the physical interconnection of the network typically using twisted-pair copper connections on CAT cable with RJ-45 connectors. Common Ethernet data speeds include 10 Mbs, 100 Mbs, and 1000 Mbs. exFAT A storage volume format that can be read and written from current versions of MacOS and Windows.
Mid-side linking (inputs) When mid-side (MS) stereo inputs are used and the inputs are set to MS linking and MS decoder is activated for those inputs. This yields a stereo signal with one fader controlling overall input level and the other fader controlling the “width”, or amount of the side signal added. With an MS matrix at the input, the signal is sent to an output bus as left/right stereo. Mixers with MS matrices often allow for discrete mid and side signal recording.
Post-roll An extra period of time that is appended to the end of a recording when stop is pressed. If record is pressed during this period of time, recording will resume within the same file with no audio lost. This is particularly useful should a Director call ‘cut’ prematurely or accidentally. Project An option available for file organization on Sound Devices recorders. Projects are the highest level of file folder organization.
User bits Static, numeric data that is available as part of a timecode signal. User bits are often used to indicate the date of a file. User bits are four sets of two-digit hexadecimal numbers from 00 to ff. WAV File A universal, well-supported file type for sound file recordings. WAV files can contain one or more (up to 65,535) tracks of PCM audio data at any sampling rate and bit depth. A standard WAV file is limited to a maximum file size of 4 GB.
FCC & ISED Compliance Statements This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
Declaration of Conformity Manufacturer’s Name: Manufacturer’s Address: Sound Devices, LLC E7556 State Road 23 and 33 Reedsburg, WI 53959 USA Declares under sole responsibility that the product as delivered Product Name: 888 Model Number: 888 Description: Portable Mixer-Recorder Product Options: This declaration covers all options of the above product.
This product incorporates software subject to the BSD license: Copyright 2001-2010 Georges Menie (www.menie.org) All rights reserved. Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
Post Office Box 576 E7556 State Rd. 23 and 33 Reedsburg, Wisconsin 53959 USA support@sounddevices.com +1 608.524.0625 main +1 608.524.0655 fax 800.505.0625 toll free www.sounddevices.
