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AnimalTracksStudio
Published on 05/12/08 at 09:06
Here is a sixteen channel rackable powerhouse featuring 1/4 inch jacks, XLR jacks and jkust about every combination you can think of is available. there are six aux sends to handle any situation you might come on.
UTILIZATION
THis mixer is well thoguht out and you should be up and running in no time flat. The manual is great IF you should need it.
SOUNDS
The board is amazingly quiet,. even in the studio.
OVERALL OPINION
MACKIE 1604-VLZ MIXER
While a lot of people use this board as merely a live sound mixer, there is so much more that this board can do that people often over look it’s ability as a studio board.
It is a full four buss mixer so you have sub-mix capabilities of sending to four discreet locations which is plenty for a modest home studio. Bur wait, there are also up to six aux outs which can act as sub outputs as well for a total of ten discreet outs.
If you have a larger system, you have access to direct outs for channels on through eight (this makes a great direct hook up for live recording, such as to Pro Tools by Digidesign which has eight ins).
The coolest way to hook this up is to run the eight sub outs into an analog to digital converter, such as the Behringer ADA-8000, which will give you eight digital outs via ADAT light pipe and then use four assignable subs and four aux sends to feed the analog input of the Digidesign interface (Digi 001, Digi 002 or Digi 003) which gives you an unbelievable 16 inputs and still leaves you two aux sends for effects and the main stereo buss out for control room monitors. This is ALMOST a dream system for a decent studio, and what is really neat about this is that you can have EQ and effects on ALL sixteen channels.
There are a couple extra outputs like a mono out that can be used to feed a fold back system for the vocalist.
The one minor drawback is that the faders are only sixty millimeters instead of the industry standard one hundred millimeters. But for the several thousand dollars in savings over a “pro” board, I think you can live with the shorter throw faders.
UTILIZATION
THis mixer is well thoguht out and you should be up and running in no time flat. The manual is great IF you should need it.
SOUNDS
The board is amazingly quiet,. even in the studio.
OVERALL OPINION
MACKIE 1604-VLZ MIXER
While a lot of people use this board as merely a live sound mixer, there is so much more that this board can do that people often over look it’s ability as a studio board.
It is a full four buss mixer so you have sub-mix capabilities of sending to four discreet locations which is plenty for a modest home studio. Bur wait, there are also up to six aux outs which can act as sub outputs as well for a total of ten discreet outs.
If you have a larger system, you have access to direct outs for channels on through eight (this makes a great direct hook up for live recording, such as to Pro Tools by Digidesign which has eight ins).
The coolest way to hook this up is to run the eight sub outs into an analog to digital converter, such as the Behringer ADA-8000, which will give you eight digital outs via ADAT light pipe and then use four assignable subs and four aux sends to feed the analog input of the Digidesign interface (Digi 001, Digi 002 or Digi 003) which gives you an unbelievable 16 inputs and still leaves you two aux sends for effects and the main stereo buss out for control room monitors. This is ALMOST a dream system for a decent studio, and what is really neat about this is that you can have EQ and effects on ALL sixteen channels.
There are a couple extra outputs like a mono out that can be used to feed a fold back system for the vocalist.
The one minor drawback is that the faders are only sixty millimeters instead of the industry standard one hundred millimeters. But for the several thousand dollars in savings over a “pro” board, I think you can live with the shorter throw faders.