Mackie VLZ 1604 vs. Alesis 32

Richie Basic

New member
Hey there,
Can anyone tell me if the Mackie 1604 has 16 outputs? I mean, will I be able to use it to record 16 tracks at the same time? The Alesis 32 has a Direct Out for each channel. My friend has an older Mackie 1604 and he can only do 8 at a time. Are the "INSERT"s the same as Direct outs on the Mackie? Please help. thanks.
 
The big difference in most boards is that the inserts are unbalanced, whareas their direct outs are balanced. Good boards have indiviual jacks for effect sends and returns.
 
I just searched and found other posts prety much asking the same question...duh. Thanks for the quick responce. I'm going to need 16 direct outs, though, so I'll prolly go with the Alesis. Is there any way to record 16 tracks at the same time with the Mackie 1604?
 
I had the same problem with choosing a mixer. The two boards are almost identical. Eventually i chose the alesis. One thing i LOVE about this board is the fact that monitor the signals coming back from the tape without having to repatach everything. It saves so much time and is so much easier to deal with. the sweepable and fully parametric midrange has really done alot so far as well. I listented to both and its really hard to tell the difference, except for the mic pres on the mackie, i think they are just a little bit better (but not by much). I dont think the mackie has 16 direct outs though, but i dont know too many home recorders who would record more then 8 tracks at a time.
 
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