Mackie Onyx, heard em yet?

[Hearing Loss]

I'm new to this board. Looks lke a good resource. I'm looking for info from people who have used and heard the new Mackie Onyx. I think they are shipping now. Most online info I find is from earlier this year and mostly speculation.

Lets hear it...

[Adam P]

Sorry to bring this back, but I'm really interested in hearing more "real-world" reviews of these units as well, especially in the pre and EQ departments. I'd like to find out how they stack up against stuff like the Soundcraft M series and A&H MixWizard stuff. I know they claim to have pretty much designed everything new from the ground up, but I haven't heard whether its a step up, down, or sideways from stuff like the VLZ Pro or anything. Given the price range, they seem like a horribly good bang for the buck since they're quite feature-laden. I'm especially interested in the 1640 since its a 16 ch/4 buss with direct outs on all 16 channels, which is more than the A&H MZ14:4:2, which was quite high on my list of consoles to check out. I guess what I'm ultimately looking for is if the pres and EQ are good enough that they make the 1640 as good a buy for the money as the A&H.

[SonicAlbert]

I don't think the 1640 is out yet, just the two smaller boards.

What I'm curious about is if they are going to migrate the Onyx design to new 8 buss analog boards. Looking at the 1640, I'm thinking it would be very cool if they'd add four more busses and put it into 24 and 32 channel configurations.

[sonarman]

i just bought the 1620 and the pres are awesome in the few test i have done.
the eq is awesome the way it is set up. ill try and post some stuff in the next week or so for you guys to hear i just reformatted and am waiting for sonar 3 producer to arrive before doing anymore recording.

[ssscientist]

I'm quite interested in the Firewire option --- it effectively turns even the smallest Onyx into what looks to be a very capable I/O. Anybody know if the Firewire card is shipping yet?

[Adam P]

Originally Posted by SonicAlbert

I don't think the 1640 is out yet, just the two smaller boards.

What I'm curious about is if they are going to migrate the Onyx design to new 8 buss analog boards. Looking at the 1640, I'm thinking it would be very cool if they'd add four more busses and put it into 24 and 32 channel configurations.

It says on Mackie's site that they're not out yet, but I think Sweetwater is shipping them, for $1,299.97 plus free shipping. I was surprised by the price, since most Mackies seem to have you paying through the nose for the name. Also, I think with the FireWire I/O you can link two of those boards together, for 32 channel/4 buss (if I'm understanding that correctly). Not quite a 32/8 all in one console, but still, not too shabby.

The FireWire card *appears* to be shipping from Sweetwater, as well, for $399.97.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/1640
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/OnyxFWCard

[gemsbok]

as far as eq and mic pre would you go with the onyx or a m series soundcraft?

[deepwater]

I second the Soundcraft M series. As good and maybe better for less money. The Soundcraft EQ and pres are hard to beat. I never figured out why this board was not more popular than the Mackie VLZ. Thet are both in the same price range. And the Soundcraft blows the Mackie VLZ away. I guess is was marketing.


The Soundcraft E series sounds better than the Mackie VLZ.

[John Mayes]

What I would like to see is a Mixer with individual outputs for each channel. I would like to be able to use the preamps in them individually if needed. Do these things do that?

[deepwater]

Yes, Both the Mackie and Soundcraft have whats call direct outs. This sends the signal back out the board just before the fade, but after the pre and Eq.

[foreverain4]

Originally Posted by deepwater

Yes, Both the Mackie and Soundcraft have whats call direct outs. This sends the signal back out the board just before the fade, but after the pre and Eq.

if you are using firewire, the audio is pre eq. there is no way to switch it... this may be the downfall of this series.

[John Mayes]

Originally Posted by deepwater

Yes, Both the Mackie and Soundcraft have whats call direct outs. This sends the signal back out the board just before the fade, but after the pre and Eq.

Where are the direct outs on this?

[SonicAlbert]

The 1620 doesn't seem to have direct outs in the usual sense. It has 16 channels of what they call "recording outs" on DB25 connectors. Post gain, pre insert. These are found on the back panel.

[Treeline]

I think you can get a db25 / TRS conversion snake easily enough. Looks like about a hundred bucks for a 10 - 12' eight channel snake. http://www.digidesign.com/support/im...ableMatrix.pdf

[acorec]

Originally Posted by John Mayes

Where are the direct outs on this?

This boqard does not have direct outs. However, you can use the inserts for direct outs if you want. This would allow you to use the board pre-amp only. Propbably not the EQ.

[Adam P]

Originally Posted by acorec

This boqard does not have direct outs. However, you can use the inserts for direct outs if you want. This would allow you to use the board pre-amp only. Propbably not the EQ.

It does have "recording outs" on a pair of DB25 sockets that are taken post-gain and pre-EQ/fader from each channel. One would just need a pair of DB25-TRS cables (or something equivalent) to utilize them.

[Treeline]

The DB25 interface takes eight channels at a time; there are two. If you use adapter cables you end up with TRS or XLR balanced analog outputs on every channel.

[bgavin]

I was very interested in the Onyx, but passed it over when I dug in and found it does not have group inserts.

As with all new products, the 1640 is a One-Dot-Oh product. Like computers, it will go through a number of board revisions before stabilizing. That was another reason for me to pass it over... or wait a year or ?? until the revisions are done.

Near the same price, one can buy a Crest XR20, which is a whole lot more board. If you have money to burn, buy a Midas.

My needs are strictly for live performance mixing (PA), so I scored a mint Mackie SR24-4 VLZ Pro at a killer price off eBay.

[youngm78]

Hello,

Great info everybody! Yea, I'm in the same boat; Mackie Onyx Vs. Souncraft. From what I'm seeing the soundcraft is a much better sounding board with their mic pre's. I like old synths and old guitars so the pre is important to me because I don't want to lose any of those great warm frequencies, but I would like a musical sounding pre-amp that adds a little kick.

[SonicAlbert]

Originally Posted by youngm78

From what I'm seeing the soundcraft is a much better sounding board with their mic pre's.

That may or may not be true, but unless you've actually compared them, you can't really make that statement with any authority. Some of the reports you are seeing on message boards are also from people who haven't tried the board out, I've seen those posts as well.

The only way to know what this board sounds like is to try one out and then form your own judgement. Who knows, if you actually did that you might find you like the way it sounds better. No point in closing of fyour options before even exporling them properly.

[ncc]

I just got the mackie onyx board (1620) a few days. The preliminary testing I've done has blown me away. That said with me comparing it to the neve preamp I've used for the last few years. I'm actually ordering cables (DB25) so that I can utilize the mackie directs and pres as an alternative to the neve with my setup.
Has anyone actually tried to order the firewire option from sweetwater??
Thanks!

[minofifa]

i am seriously considering the 8 channel rackmount version of the onxy 800r. it defninately ooks pretty sweet but for 1000 bucks (that's what i have heard) that may be a bit too much for what you get. Although it is probably better than the maudio octane, i think for the price, the octane offers more value.

[Recording Chick]

Wow!! Ncc, are you saying you feel the Onyx Pres are conquerable to Neve. Again, wow.