CEntrance MixerFace Review

Long-Term Test
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CEntrance is a company that you’ve probably never heard of and if you weren’t reading this review, you’d probably never consider the brand if you were shopping for a high-end audio recorder. We’re not patting ourselves on the back for investing months into a this long-term review, carried out by five different evaluators (their comments in quotes below), we’re simply pointing out this this concern doesn’t devote a substantial budget to marketing their own products. This is a shame since besides the MixerFace R4R and PivotMic PM1, they do have some compelling offerings, including the MicPort Pro, a portable mic pre with a built-in USB audio interface, and the PortCaster, a four-input streaming audio interface, as well as a few portable headphone amplifiers. But there is a good reason for this…

CEntrance’s audio recorders are a much smaller part of their overall business, which is supplying the backend digital audio technology to companies such as Mackie, Crest, Harman, Korg, KRK and Behringer. In fact, it took the company seven years after their launch in 2000 to debut their own product, the MicPort Pro, which converts any analog microphone into a USB mic. From the MicPort and subsequent releases that CEntrance’s founder, Michael Goodman, developed, each one aimed to solve an audio problem faced by consumers. After the MicPort, Goodman turned his attention to portable Hi-Fi as digital files became the way that users consumed music. CEntrance debuted several hi-fi products to allow audiophiles to listen to quality audio on the go. Eleven years later, Goodman returned to the pro audio market to announce the MixerFace at NAMM.

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“[The MixerFace R4R] is an outstanding portable field recorder in terms of sound quality,” remarked one reviewer who took the R4R with him to Wyoming on an epic trip to the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park. He brought CEntrance’s PivotMic PM1’s, as well as RØDE’s NTG5 Shotguns to test the capabilities of the R4R in the wild. Literally. “The long battery life, quality pre’s and a very low noise floor really made the biggest impressions, however the lack of metering meant there were many times I was never quite sure what exactly I was recording, which was gut wrenching when I got back to my studio and realized several of my recordings were just too low.” The lack of pro metering ended up being a common theme, and wound up haunting many of our reviewers throughout our long-term test.

CEntrance’s PivotMics are worth mentioning here. The two micro condenser microphones are specifically designed to fit into the MixerFace and can either be positioned in an “X” configuration or a “Y.” The X is great for typical stereo recording and gives the MixerFace a nice silhouette in the field. The Y is well-suited for interviews or if you need to “exaggerate the stereo field for pronounced doppler effects.” The PivotMics “are quiet” and “naturally reproduce sound” with “a round and neutral profile.” For just under $200, all our reviewers felt purchasing the the matched pair was a “no brainer” and “would recommend them without hesitation.” In addition, our evaluators found them to be “quite robust” while being transported and utilized in many different environments “without any degradation to their quality.”

One of the things that CEntrance really got right was “how quickly you can deploy” the MixerFace. You can take the MixerFace out of its protective case, turn it on and start recording in well under 10 seconds. Unlike several other portable recorders in our arsenal, which can take what seems like forever to boot up and be ready to record, the MixerFace is “incredibly fast.” Simply hold the power button for a couple of seconds, hit the red record button and you’re recording. The High Pass Filter should also be cited. It’s a true analog HPF, which eliminates artifacts that can be found on digital versions and sounds “natural and transparent.”

Guitarists looking for a methodology to record their practice sessions, jams or sudden inspirations, may want to think twice before considering the MixerFace. Our Guitarist-In-Arms used the MixerFace R4R during his “noodling sessions, “but struggled to dial in the right levels. “The white lights were igniting as if I was getting a solid signal, but when I imported my recording into my computer, it was very, very low.” Again, the nonexistence of metering proved to be the undoing, despite the guitarist “being appreciative” of the Hi-Z feature, in addition to the Neutrik Combo A XLR/1/4″ jacks.

For producers and musicians who make videos with their DSLR camera, CEntrance included a 3.5 mm minijack output on the MixerFace R4R. Thus, not only can you use the MixerFace’s XLR microphone inputs to support quality mics, but you can also record the audio simultaneously on the MixerFace while outputting the signal to your camera. One of our reviewers utilized this scenario when recording a live performance by Gang Of Thieves using external shotgun microphones and Droids On Acid via XLR soundboard inputs. “For some reason the MixerFace doesn’t have actual stereo meters, so the only way I could tell what type of signal I was getting was by using the meters on my Canon.” Notice a common theme here? “The recording ended up to be satisfactory, but with the gain way up (on the MixerFace), I was nervous during the whole first set.” Our reviewer switched to his TASCAM DR-701D for the second set and was able to make a comparison. “I found the noise floor of the R4R to be lower than the TASCAM, but ultimately I was able to get a better recording on the 701D because I could precisely control the levels. In addition, the TASCAM has the ability to sync with my Canon, so when I start video recording the TASCAM starts as well and syncs with Timecode. Therefore, while the MixerFace can be used as a backup…without metering, it will never be my first choice.”

The MixerFace also touts itself as an audio input solution for mobile phones. We had one evaluator test that claim it with an iPhone 11 Pro Max. First off, you can’t simply plug an iPhone into the MixerFace R4. You’re going to have to purchase Apple’s infamous “Camera Connection Kit” or what is now called the Lightning To USB 3 Camera Adapter, which will set you back 40 bucks. Worse, is that our evaluator found it to be a hit or miss based on what app will recognize the MixerFace as the audio input. That said, if you can get it to work properly, it can really enhance the sound of your iPhone when recording video, going live on TikTok or Instagram or used as an audio interface for other apps like Clubhouse.

Finally, the MixerFace can be tasked as a computer audio interface. That’s right, you can simply plug the MixerFace into a USB port on your computer and it will appear natively as an audio interface. It worked quite well, and didn’t suffer from the metering issue since the inbound signal could be evaluated by software. Our evaluator used it to do a voice over for a social media post and was pleased with the results. She also tested its capabilities when recording acoustic guitar and was satisfied with the “natural” and “clean” recordings she made.

Recording:

• Records to: Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, laptops, phones and tablets
• Supported by most smartphone, tablet and computer recording apps
• High Dynamic Range Jasmine Mic Pre’s
• 48V phantom power for condenser mics
• Two Neutrik combo XLR jacks for mic, line or instrument sources
• Dual Hi-Z inputs for recording electric guitar or bass
• Analog High Pass Filters to cut the wind noise when recording on location
• DSLR-ready line/mic output for a radical improvement in audio quality

Audio Playback:

• Adjustable Low Latency Monitor control
• Aux input to mix in a stereo music source for practice or live performance
• Custom AmpExtreme headphone amp
• Balanced and Unbalanced outputs for flexible speaker monitoring
• Works as a mixer for a small gig and also allows to record the performance

Conclusion

So, after this long-term evaluation, how do we ultimately feel about the CEntrance MixerFace? Mostly shaking our heads as to why CEntrance decided not to include the same multi-segment LEDs found on several of their other products. If there was any sort of product testing, Michael Goodman had to have heard over and over and over again how not having real metering was a huge deficit. With the incredible versatility that the R4R possesses for its diminutive size, it is dumbfounding that CEntrance would cripple the MixerFace by not including this critical feature. The MixerFace has so much going for it as the “Swiss Army knife” of digital audio recorders, but this “big miss” is just too much to overlook in an unbiased accounting.

CEntrance’s MixerFace R4 costs $449.99 | PivotMic PM1 Matched Pair $199.99.

The Future: “MixerFace? Why MixerFace??” – observed one reviewer. We’ve been doing this for so long that we stopped even commentating on strange product names. The influx of Chinese music products has delivered their own sense of amusement in the creative uses of the English language, but they get a pass because, well, it’s a second language (although they could certainly ping some 20 something on TikTok and say “Does this make any sense?”) However, CEntrance doesn’t really get that out. We guess that MixerFace isn’t that far away from Gaga’s Poker Face, but to the great Lady’s credit, at least Poker Face is a thing. Again, there are much bigger fish to fry when CEntrance looks to upgrade the MixerFace R4, but naming it something that pertains to audio recording, or its incredible versatility would be something to consider.
The real achilles heel here, as mentioned probably ad nauseam above, is the lack of real metering. This really should be Priority One for CEntrance. Sure, we’re certain the company could come up with a host of reasons as to why they decided not to include professional metering, but none of it matters when you’re in the field and have only a single chance to record a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Without knowing – precisely – what your levels are at, none of those reasons matter. It’s also a feature that every professional audio recorder contains, so there is just no excuse. Finally, adding multi-segment metering would allow the MixerFace to decimate the competition at this price point and launch the unit out of obscurity.
The “Manual” also needs to be addressed. What CEntrance offers as their manual is basically just a mediocre Quick Start Guide, at best. Again, the company may put forth that their customers are professionals and know how to operate a recorder, but the MixerFace is no ordinary audio recorder and has a ton of features that need to be described comprehensively.