ROAD
TEST
CEntrance MixerFace R4B Mobile
Audio Interface & SD Recorder
By Drew Robertson
L
et’s take a close look at the Mixer-
Face R4B from CEntrance, a com-
pact, lightweight, battery-operated
recording interface for the record-
ing engineer, videographer, or con-
tent creator on the go.
Overview & Features
The MixerFace is a very well-put-together piece
of hardware, coming in at 12 cm long and
weighing only 120 g (4.5 in. and 4.2 oz. for those
using freedom units) with an all-metal construc-
tion. The chassis is comprised of two halves held
together with hex screws, with separate plates
covering the front I/O and rear controls held on
with smaller screws. Why does this matter? Well,
because it means you can easily and quickly
disassemble one and make a repair if necessary
– a must feature on any professional piece of
audio gear I intend to use in the field.
Speaking of features, the MixerFace has
been loaded to the gunnels with them. On
the front, you’ll find two custom Jasmine
preamps with Neutrik XLR combo jacks as well
as two balanced 3.5-mm outputs. The top of
the interface is where you’ll find your recessed
micro switches for Hi-Z input and hi-pass filters,
gain pots, USB blend pots, the aux input control,
and monitor control. You’ll find the rest of the
controls and I/O on the rear of the device.
The top row consists of the playback controls
and microSD slot. The playback controls are
satisfyingly robust and well-spaced so that you
won’t accidently hit more than one at a time –
no small feat on something this compact. Below
that, you’ll find the USB I/O connector, line in,
line out, headphone out, battery indicator, and
separate USB charging/mounting port. Last but
not least, you’ll find the 48-V phantom switch,
mono collapse switch, line level switch, and
power button. On the bottom, you’ll find a quick
start guide and a convenient 3/8-in. mounting
point.
The action of all the control knobs is very
satisfying; they’re also rubberized so you get
a clean grip to their surface and the large
indicator stripe makes them easy to see even
in the dark, although I would appreciate a gain
scale with actual numbers.
W W W. C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N . CO M
The product ships with a SIM tray tool to
operate the micro switches dotted about the
body. Thankfully, none of these switches is asso-
ciated with a feature you are likely to need rapid
access to, so it’s a fair compromise given the
limited space on the device.
The MixerFace R4B model also comes
with a pair of condenser mics configured
for X/Y stereo recording. They’re also
made of metal and sound excellent.
They fit into the interface snuggly and
have no play or wiggle, so you won’t
pick up any ambiguous movement noise
when handling the interface. Nicely done,
CEntrance.
One of the prime focus points of the Mix-
erFace R4B is its ability to interface with a mo-
bile device and provide you with high-quality
audio, which you can then stream to YouTube,
Instagram, or other platforms of your choice.
More on that later...
In Use
Once you acquaint yourself with the controls,
you’ll likely want to connect your MixerFace to
your mobile device. For this, you’ll need the
appropriate adaptor or cable for your device.
Armed with a micro USB-to-appropriate op-
posite connector cable, you can plug the unit
in, power it up, and get right to streaming. It
really is that simple! I got a little prompt on my
device asking if I wanted to use it for audio, and
once allowed, it worked just fine. Dead easy.
Now, let’s examine the MixerFace as I ac-
tually intended to use it: as a super-light field
recorder for video shoots. It was easy to mount
to my Lumix GH5 and route a short audio cable
from the rear of the device to the camera input.
Audio pass-through was clean and clear and
the fact that I could simultaneously record au-
dio to the onboard microSD was great.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Mix-
erFace will only record stereo files, unless you’re
using it as an interface with software on a com-
puter or mobile device – not a big deal if you are
using the XY capsules; however, I was using two
mics in different positions and thus had to split
the audio into separate left and right tracks in
post. Again, not a big deal, but something to be
aware of, and perhaps in the future, CEntrance
would include mono recording ability for the
individual channels along with the stereo mix.
Regardless of that workaround, the fact
that I can both send audio to my camera or
live stream while simultaneously recording
the audio directly to the device is excellent. It’s
a built-in back-up system, which any serious
creator will appreciated.
Summary
The MixerFace R4B from CEntrance is a unique,
micro-sized studio for the professional on the
go. Whether it’s used for live steaming, record-
ing your band’s live gigs, or capturing crystal-
clear interview audio, the MixerFace can tackle
it all with ease and a refreshingly low-impact
footprint. I was pleasantly surprised by the
robust build quality and simple-to-use con-
trols. The Jasmine preamps are smooth and
clear with no distortion to the audio over the
gain range. None of the ports conflict or in-
terfere with one another either; it’s all rather
well thought out. There’s really nothing bad to
say about the MixerFace; CEntrance really got
it right. If you’re in the market for a mobile in-
terface on a reasonable budget, I would handily
recommend the MixerFace R4B for your needs.
Until next time, happy mixing!
Drew Robertson is a freelance audio engineer, in-
dependent broadcaster, and live sound specialist
based out of London, ON. He can be reached at
[email protected].
CANADIAN MUSICIAN
23