is this considered a soundcard, if so what do you think?

  • Thread starter Thread starter minofifa
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minofifa

minofifa

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I've been scoping several options out for my next audio interface and i came across this:
http://www.mackie.com/products/onyx1220/index.html

it is the mackie onyx series analog mixers. it has a lot of great features and at first i though it was just an analog mixer but then it says that you can hook it up to your computer and have 14 channels of 24/96. Does this sound too good to be true? Originally my plan was to get an E-MU 1820M and then get a mackie onyx 8 channel preamp but this route looks like it would offer me the same function and may be cheaper. Also i could use the mixer in live settings as a stand alone unit as well.

Any comments or adivce on this piece of gear?
 
That is just a mixer you will still need a soundcard.
 
ocnor said:
That is just a mixer you will still need a soundcard.
Click to expand...
Did you even look at the link? This board has "96kHz FireWire option card for streaming 14 independent channels of audio to computer with near-zero latency."

Is it too good to be true? Time will tell. Since it just came out, I'm betting there will be some initial problems with it and that later versions of the Onyx will be very usable.
 
ya that is what i was thinking, but it definately looks pretty cool. I think what i would do is, since there the 16 channel model comes with 8 onyx preamps, i would use those for like intruments and stuff, but with the other channels i would get like a RNP preamp for the vocals. the 16 channel model that has 8 preamps is $779 at musiciansfriend.com.

I think the talkback feature is pretty cool as well. It says that you can put it in a rack as well but how does that work? how do you put a mixer in a rack?
 
minofifa said:
the 16 channel model that has 8 preamps is $779 at musiciansfriend.com.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but the FireWire option will be extra, and it's not even available yet.

how do you put a mixer in a rack?
Click to expand...
You attach some rack ears to the sides of the mixer.
 
Yeh that looks good doesn't it.
It's nice to have the a/d convertors outside the box. Those pres are supposed to be good quality too.

Best thing about that is the flexibility. You can hook it up to a laptop and drag it around to record on location
 
Without the firewire option it is just a mixer and needs to be connected to a soundcard. Read the manual. The specs show nothing about A/D or D/A converters.
 
ocnor said:
Without the firewire option it is just a mixer and needs to be connected to a soundcard. Read the manual. The specs show nothing about A/D or D/A converters.
Click to expand...

However with the firewire option, it's not just a mixer and does not need to be connected to a soundcard
 
But one of the main selling points of the new onyx IS the firewire option. Definately a feature few other mixers have in their price range, card included. Id like to hear some real world use reports of these. I may end up with one sometime in the future.

H2H
 
i found out the kicker....
the middle-of-the-road unit is $749 at americanmusic.com but they also have on there (which is out of stock right now) the firewire card which is another $399! ouch....

So that's 1200 bucks .... that is definately a hit to the wallet. i am seriously considering this way or my other route: the E-MU 1820M and a mackey onyx 8-channel preamp (depending upon how much it is) http://www.mackie.com/newproducts/800r.html
or an M-audio octane.
http://www.midiman.com/index.php?do=products.main&ID=fb3e9310bc0341f272b3b31d2cbf4e97

Any advice?
 
serious!? why would the preamps alone be more than the entire mixing board when the mixing board has the same 8 onyx preamps? dam mackie and their shit! nah i'm just kiddin but both routes are still expensive... i'm gonna have to do my homework...
 
minofifa said:
i found out the kicker....
the middle-of-the-road unit is $749 at americanmusic.com but they also have on there (which is out of stock right now) the firewire card which is another $399! ouch....
Click to expand...

Remember what you're getting for that though. 14 channels. That's right 14 simultaneous tracks.

A Delta 1010 will cost you $450, and you only get 8 inputs. And you don't have the mobility or flexibility to just plug into any firewire capable computer.

Plus you're getting some quality mic pres. The only question mark is around the A/D convertors, but how nasty are they likely to be?

I think it still stacks up pretty well
 
For that price you could buy the Delta 1010 and build a nice computer to go with it.
 
Bulls Hit said:
It's nice to have the a/d convertors outside the box.
Click to expand...

But you've taken them out of one box and put them in another. ;)

It does look like a cool product, though, and those prices are very competitive even with the extra hit for the FW add-on. Just think, no more patch cables, no need to worry about balanced/unbalanced, etc.! The big question is: will the product survive the driver development trial-by-fire. Lots of companies take several iterations to get it right, and it'd be a shame to see such cool product go that way...

- Keith
 
kbaccki said:
But you've taken them out of one box and put them in another. ;)
Click to expand...

Heh yeah, they're always gonna be in some kind of box
 
ocnor said:
For that price you could buy the Delta 1010 and build a nice computer to go with it.
Click to expand...

And with the money left over, get yourself a quiver of pres or a nice mixer
 
ocnor said:
For that price you could buy the Delta 1010 and build a nice computer to go with it.
Click to expand...

But you won't have any way to record with the Delta. The 1640 gives you 16 mic pres, and you can (eventually) record all of those channels plus a couple of more. To do the same thing with, let's say, the Delta, you'd need two Deltas plus a mixing board that'll run you at least $900 (e.g., for a Mackie 1604VLZ Pro). That's $1700 right there, and you haven't even thought about a couple of $60 snakes to hook everything up (and alot more than that if you insist on balanced connections).

The onyx is a much better deal if you break it down like that, assuming the converters are good and the drivers are stable. Plus the convenience of the all-in-one package is hard to beat, IMO.
 
ya i'm leaning away from it, the more i research it. I don't like how the mic pres are on the front face of the unit, it looks like a messy situation. i think getting a preamp and a sound card that sits in a rac unit would be much tidier. Having the mixer would be cool for band practice but how useful is an analog mixer in recording these days?? Of course i now that they are still used a lot but i honestly don't have a use for them since all of my audio goes into the computer and stays there till it comes out on CD. I would prefer to get an EMU 1820 with an octane preamp, then use the extra money as well as save up for a mackie control universal. i think a "mixer" that can control my software would be way more productive than an analog mixer.


on a side note, what do you all use analog mixers for with computer recording?? unless you have outboard gear and patchbays and what not, i don't see the need for one, i would think a nice preamp would provide more value.
 
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