Tune Up: Mackie ONYX

posted in: Reviews & Playlists

It’s high time we shared some useful information about mixing boards. Anyone who has ever wanted to play music, record tracks or even been to a live music club knows that a mixer/mixing board is an integral part of the live music setup. This week, we’ll turn your attention to Mackie®’s line of ONYX mixers. Not only do these work as great, live analog units, but they’re extremely diverse.

Mackie® ONYX 1220i:

-12 Channels

-4 Boutique-quality preamps

-Built-in DI (Ch 1 and 2)

-Individual 48V switches

-16×2 Firewire capabilities

Obviously this mixer has a pretty standard set of input features. The 12 channel input set is great for most home studio uses (as well as small practice/club uses). The ONYX line does, however, have several more mixers with more inputs and feature sets but this particular mixer is a great value. The preamps on this (that Mackie advertises as boutique-style) are actually very full, which is a rare find in a standalone mixing board.  The built-in Hi-Z inputs for 1 and 2 give you the capability to record direct-in quite effectively (without the need for a separate DI box). Beyond this, the 48v switches for each individual input allow you to cater your setup to whatever mics you want (some phantom power mics in certain channels, and those that don’t require 48v in others).

The most interesting aspect of the ONYX line is the fact that it has firewire connectivity. This essentially makes your mixing board a simultaneous audio interface. Obviously, this is a great feature because, while a mixer can have a lot of inputs, a computer won’t read them as separate tracks once recorded (like a USB/Firewire interface would). Rather, it reads a stereo output. This gives you very little flexibility afterwards if you want to, say make the drums louder or the guitars quieter. Therefore, if you’re mixing a full band in your small club and would also like to record the audio into your computer and be able to mix it later, this is the board for you. Be sure to check out Mackie®’s explanation to get more details.