Motu HD192 or Mackie Onyx 1200F?

8

88fingers

Member
I'm looking to get a new interface for my new PC I just built. I used a Delta1010 for a long time, with an external Mackie VLZ1202 mixer, but am now looking to use an interface and do all my mixing internal. Doing the research, I've come down to the Motu HD192 and Mackie Onyx 1200F, but am having difficulty deciding between the two. They both have 12 XLR inputs, but the Mackie comes with the added bonus of those inputs being Onyx preamps, while with the Motu, I would probably need to throw in a couple external preamps which would up my expenses a bit. I don't mind that if the Motu is much better, but I just wanted to hear the opinions of people who have used them, instead of just reading canned reviews.

Thanks!
-B
 
Im a Mackie fan. I record using a Mackie Onyx 1640 firewire mixer (16 Onyx preamps). I plan on buying a 1200 in the future to get me an extra 12 Onyx preamps.
 
The MOTU. No question. The Mackie 1200F is based on the DICE II chipset, which is prone to reliability problems (glitches/pops/crackles) on many machines (awful drivers). If you buy it, make sure you buy it from a company with a good return policy.... It might work fine for you—some people reportedly have success with them—or it might not. If it doesn't, chances are good that no amount of tweaking, driver upgrades, firmware upgrades, etc. will make the slightest difference.
 
Alot of the Mackie problems come from the firewire chipset used. There are alot of MOTU issues too. The Mackie products and MOTU work fine with Texas Instruments based firewire. If your board isnt TI, then you can have issues with pops and crackling in both units. I have run my Mackie 1640 through two different pc's (both TI firewire chips) with no problem what so ever. Buy good hardware (pc) and you wont have problems. This is an issue with alot of firewire mixers or interfaces. You will find good reviews and bad reviews for all products. And it all boils down to pc hardware and or the pc setup. Have fun.
 
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