Behringer or Mackie (HELP)

[Robert Parent]

My vote is for the Mackie. I own the smaller 1202-VLZ and it has worked very well for a couple years. The Behringer compressor I owned required shipment to Germany for warranty service. If you add that to the real cost of ownership their products are not so inexpensive. Mackie is built and serviced in the US which is a plus in my opinion.

[Fmmahoganyrush]

I'm in the market for a small mixer. I'm looking at the Mackie 1402-VLZ PRO, vs the Behringer(s) MX1604A / MX2004A Eurorack mixers. I know the quality of Mackie because I've owned one of their mixers. I know nothing about Behringer, however I haven't heard anything really good in support of their product. Typically when Behringer is brought up I get people saying that they're "cheap knock-offs" of the "real thing", however I am impressed with the features their products offer. HELP!

[Track Rat]

INHO the Mackie is the better mixer. Mackie just sued Berringer and won for ripping off their designs. Now the Berringer compressors on the other hand look very appealing.

[Proveras]

- Behringuer.

I know it is not a Mackie, but I really like the price and the 6 aux it has...

I know it can do it well with good mics, good cables and a GOOD sound enginner.

good recordings.

[Cpt. Cool Breeze]

I use the 1402 VLZ in my studio and have been very pleased with it. I have also used it for live gigs and it worked great!

[dragonworks]

Sonusman is up on this mixer stuff. I have a
mackie 1604 which I am very happy with but I
have no ex. with other boards so cant make a
comparison. Sonusman among others says the preamps are junky and I take their word for it. From all I have read here at the site the
vote is in for Spirit boards (I think thats the name) when it comes to app. the same amount of money you are going to lay out for
the mackie. I would try and check back on some of sonusmans posts for more info on this.

[c7sus]

If the Mackie pres are so crappy then how do you explain that the Mackie out performed all comers in the pre shoot-out blind listening held in Nashville? By that I mean to say it was judged the best "sounding" by the consensus of those who attended...

[MISTERQCUE]

We had an informative discussion on this very same topic of which we considered both the neg/pos. of both these mixers.
Check out http://homerecording.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000400.html .

[thelonious]

I own a mackie 1202 and it has crummy trims.

I could recognize them out of a crowd for sure. Plus the trim control doesnt scale right esp when using more than one. I hear they fixed some trim stuff when the 1202VLZ newer model. They needed too.

A mixer for recording is going to be something you use so much that you really owe it to yourself to listen to someone who has owned many mixers rather than one and somebody who has really used lots buses and tracks at once ... Cuz you'll soon be that guy. So, learn from his mistakes.

[dragonworks]

I never said the pres on the mackies are crummy, if you read my post again you will see that I wrote I am happy with mine.

[Track Rat]

No mistakes here. Get a Mackie.

[dobro]

Thelonius - crummy trims in what way, and compared to what other mixer in the same price range?

[John Sayers]

hey track rat - I understood it went the other way - behringer won the court case!!

[c7sus]

I've posted this answer before...

If you want gear made by Chinese knock off artists that pay less than living wages buy the Behringer. If you want gear made under fair conditions in the good old US of A then spring for the Mackie.

A lot of us here are spending a lot of money on gear, looking for a particular "sound." Now, where I can, I try to buy American-made products because I believe in supporting companies that keep their work here at home. Maybe that means nothing to a lot of folks out there. But someday, there will only be so-called "service" jobs here. I'm sure most of us would prefer to not have to work in a manufacturing environment. But the fact is that in the last 50 years these types of jobs built the American middle-class. Obviously, some products, such as tennis shoes or alarm clocks, just aren't made here anymore. But just about any recording-related item you can name by a foriegn manufacturer has an American counterpart. I hope some of you out there will at least take this into consideration as you contemplate your next big-ticket purchase.

The job you save may very well be your own.