Solved Used Mackie 24.8 as a temporary mixer

  • Thread starter Thread starter jeden
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jeden said:
Yeah I thought the same. But for my price tag I presume I won't find anything more "modular" :)
However, since I already know that the mixer I would want to buy has some problems, I should ask myself: am I wanting to take the risk? If it's just about spray-cleaning, probably yes. But I can't figure that out unless I actually buy it....
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That's the problem with the board, in order to spray the pots, you have to take the entire board apart. All of the nuts and washers on all of the knobs will have to come off, just so you can get to the 3 or 4 pots to spray some cleaner into them. If you have enough channels in working order to do what you need to do, it isn't worth it. At that price, the board is disposable.

Another 8 bus console to look for would be a Soundcraft Ghost. Same era as the Mackie 8 bus, but modular, better sounding and a little more flexible. I had one in my studio for 20 years.
 
Farview said:
Good analog equipment will add desirable color. The Mackie, and other analog gear in that range will not. Mackies tend toward being a little shrill sounding when pushed.

It's also good to note that the Mackie 8 bus mixers do not work at +4 or -10, their nominal level is somewhere between. This means that if you are running a +4 signal into it, you will not have as much headroom as you think, which is why the boards got a reputation for being a little shrill sounding. Too many people were pushing the levels beyond where the board was clean.
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That may simply have been their odd metering. I know that on the output side they could produce +4 signal with no problem, but the meters were calibrated for dBu rather than VU levels, so 0dB on the meter was 0dBu at the output.
 
If you can nab a Mackie 24X8 mixer for 350.00 and all the channels work you best grab it...that's getting it for a song... it has direct outs for each channel...i use one myself and it is direct outed into an alesis HD24 hard disc recorder ( only use it for AD/DA conversion) i then light pipe thru ADAT cables into a motu 828mk3 interfase via firewire 800 into my computer and software... having 24 analog preamps with direct outs alone is worth getting...JUMP on it... you can direct out into any interfase setup from there if recording into a DAW ...a USB MIxer will only give you stereo main ins and outs into your computer it is not a "multi channel interfase"...
 
bouldersoundguy said:
That may simply have been their odd metering. I know that on the output side they could produce +4 signal with no problem, but the meters were calibrated for dBu rather than VU levels, so 0dB on the meter was 0dBu at the output.
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I read somewhere (it was a long, long time ago) that the metering was like that because 0dbu is the internal line level of the board. It shouldn't be that much difference, but that board would get crunchy pretty quickly when you start pushing the levels.
 
The Behringer 24/8 is a great mixer ---- I have recently installed one in a community recording studio and have it plugged into (via the direct outs) an Alesis 24Tk digital recorder with the returns going to the B-Bank (ie chnls 25 - 48) on the desk. These inputs are then (via a switch on each channel strip) swapped with the main inputs for mixing.

Like the one you are considering, the mixer has the meter strip (most important).

I would definitely look at buying the desk and if you want to be able to record 24 tracks simultaneously buy a good interface to go into a/your DAW.

There are also enough options to allow you to connect quite a bit of outboard gear.

A really great desk all round.

David
 
I'm still deciding... I have a few options:

1. go with the original plan and get that Mackie 24.8
2. Look for a similar alternative (Behringer MX8000)
3. Wait for a good Soundcraft Ghost deal
4. Find more info about a (apparently really old) Soundcraft Venue 2 - I like its modular design
5. Go digital and get a X32 - there's a nearly new one for sale in my city - although it's a Producer version
6. Keep browsing eBay and other local online marketplaces for something else...

I'll keep you posted as soon as I finalize a decision :)
 
Just keep in mind that the X-32 is also a multi-channel interface. With any of the analog mixers, you will also need to purchase an interface.

I used an X-32 as a mixer and interface for a short time and it worked well. I also used the x-32 for a 6 week theater production and it worked well. For the price, I can't say enough good things about it.
 
Farview said:
Just keep in mind that the X-32 is also a multi-channel interface. With any of the analog mixers, you will also need to purchase an interface.
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Yes, I'm completely aware of that. Going analog, the idea was to buy the mixer first, and then progressively add AD/DA converters (they usually have 8 in and 8 outs, so I'd need 3 of them).

Or maybe buy this cool interface called uTrack24, which provides 24 in + 24 out converters, and it's quite inexpensive. The downside is that it requires DB25 to XLS or TRS connectors (6 of them, street price at least $40-50 each), which makes this solution quite expensive in the end.

I would prefer the X32 compact, but the producer is probably the top of what I can afford today. As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, my goal is to buy a digital mixer next year, which probably (but not necessarily) is the new Studio Live III 32.

Digital: whatever I buy today, I will sell and upgrade to something better
Analog: even if I buy a digital, I can still keep the analog. Also, I would probably learn more with an analog first (will I?).
 
Don't know if i mentioned it in this thread. (too lazy to go back and look) :)

But I'm quite happy with my Tascam m520 console and my Allen and Heath ICE16 interface.
:D
 
Unless I'm missing something, the x-32 is a more full featured board than the studio live.

The only advantage to learning on analog is, when you have to do a lot of patching to outboard gear, you get a better understanding of signal flow. With digital boards, all the effects and compressors are built in, so it isn't as obvious how the signal is flowing through everything.
 
I heard all opinions, and I pursued my original idea of buying a vintage analog console, whose name is Behringer X32 :-)

I've just found a deal I couldn't ignore, a b-stock directly from behringer (nearly new, with 3 years warranty), at a great price. Now I'm waiting for delivery.

I still would like to have an analog, even if for just looking at it from time to time :], bit I'm afraid I don't have any space left in my room. However I'm happy I did a lot of research about analog consoles, because I've learned a lot, and I understand a little more about mixing in general. Now it's time to put that in practice.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and comments.
 
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