Mackie PA & Live Sound

The Mackie HD1531 has more of a stylish and sleeker look to it than most speakers do. It also provides a lot of power with 1800 watts and a 15 inch woofer. I love the sound of acoustic guitars coming through these monitors. I have been using them for about 6 months and that is really the only reason that I have kept them is because of how great acoustic guitars and bass guitars sound coming through them. There is just no way I can get rid of these no knowing how great it sounds. There is an adjustable 3 band EQ on it that is easy to operate and get your sound just the way you want it to be. There are no effects on this unit but that is not a huge issue because you can get your effects from other gear. The design of the HD1531 is what visually sticks out about it; there are not many speakers for live applications that are appealing to the eye. Most of them are simple and always look the same but this one has a different style too it and it looks more up to date. So if the look of your live speaker is important than this one will seal the deal for you and your band. The highs and mids are clean, without being too brutal but they can still get loud and be heard clearly. The lows are warm and made for live applications. This is not the type of speaker to have in the studio because it really does add extra coloring to your sound. It is specially designed to give you that “live” sound and feel that every band loves. It is not extremely portable weighing almost a hundred pounds. So that is something you might want to think about before you get it. It will give you a back ache!

The SRM1801 is a powered sub woofer that puts out 1000 watts of booming low end sound. It is very portable and light weight. Every since this sub has been added to one of our set ups our low end sound has become very clean, even when pumped up to max levels. This is the perfect bass woofer for smaller venues and clubs. I do not recommend using it in a bigger space or an outdoor space because I don’t feel like it sounds as good. We originally purchased this back in 2010 and have used it probably over 30 times now for smaller clubs and venues. This sub has a low frequency filter and it also has a high pass filter that will let you run it to your main amplifier without the need to have an extra crossover. For the money this will be the best sub woofer that you can purchase. Mackie has many great subs but most of them cost a good amount of money so I was actually surprised to see them come out with a woofer that was affordable for anyone and still had a great sound with amazing features. Another thing that surprised me with this woofer is how light it is, I did not expect it to be anywhere close to as light as it is. I have no problem getting this in and out of the storage unit and to shows via our van. The frequency response is 50Hz to 115 Hz. This 18 inch woofer is well worth the money, and out of all of my years being a DJ, sound engineer and “roadie” I have not heard many other woofers that can compete with the sound of the Mackie SRM1801 (in this price range). This woofer is a must have for any DJ who needs to add some boom for their sets.

I purchased the Mackie PPM1012 in a package that came with 4 microphones and two monitors. The PPM1012 is a high quality but still compact mixer that has 8 mono channels and 2 stereo channels. It has a small supply of effects and some graphic equalizers. When I purchased this bundle it came with 12 inch PA speakers and 4 M4000 microphones. The whole package cost around 1500 dollars which I thought was a steal because the mixer and amp was amazing. I have used this in shows about 40 times now (not all mine) and every time it gets used there are no issues and the sound is great. It will all come down to which monitors/speakers you use with this mixer though because I have used some cheaper PA speakers with it and it didn’t sound as good even though the amp is good and provides a clean sound. Your speakers will be what delivers your good volume with low distortion though so do not just purchase the PPM1012 and think that no matter what speakers or mics you use with it will work. This mixer is easy to take around with us because it is compact but still packs all of the features that we needed to run different types of events and shows. Being that I am a part time crew man for some events I get the chance to work with a lot of different PA systems and set ups. This system is not for a huge show but for a medium to small sized show you will have enough channels to get all of the gear you have plugged up and ready to play. This mixer has a few effects on it, but it was nothing that would make me want to run out and buy it again. If I could do it all over I probably would have went with a mixer that had some better effects so we could have cut down on bringing in more gear for smaller shows.

The Mackie HD1501 is a high quality PA subwoofer that after just a few minutes with it you will see what all of the talk is about with Mackie subs. You will get nothing but clean low end bass with this subwoofer. It has that kind of low end that if you crank it all the way up it, you can feel it in your bones. The low end frequencies are just flat out amazing. It will get that low end thump without getting distorted; it keeps the deep bass as clean as it can possible get at those frequencies. The Mackie HD1501 is a self powered amp with a driver size of 15”. There are 2 XLR inputs and 2 XLR outputs. This subwoofer did weigh more than expects. I weighs around 75 to 85 pounds and can be a workout getting it out of a van and into the club and vice versa. Before purchasing you will need to think not only about how good it will sound with your set up but how much stress is it going to put on you lugging it around all night. This subwoofer can be pole mounted making it a full range speaker. I have used many Mackie subwoofers in my time, and this is one of the better ones while still keeping the price reasonable; because some Mackie subwoofers can get really expensive. I have been using this subwoofer for a while now and I can say I am very pleased with it and plan on having it and using it for many years to come. I have also used the Mackie HD1801 and SRM1801 and still own the K Sub and KW181. So I am no rookie when it comes to subs, if you want the best one you can get for under a grand; you need to get this HD1501.

The Mackie DLM12S has more than enough low frequency drive to give you a massive and heavy sound. This 12 inch powered sub woofer has 2,000 watts of amps, you can mount it on a pole if you wish to do so but you will have to purchase the pole separately. At first this sub will seem very big and bulky and it even has a little more weight to it than I was expecting for it to have. But it is all worth the back aches of carrying it once you hear how great it sounds. I have used the SRM1801 and the HD1801, comparing those to models to this model (since they are the most popular ones from Mackie) is not needed because it is a lot better and it cost about the same price as the HD1801. All three of those models are pretty big, they say that theDLM12S is more portable because it only weights 50 pounds but to me it seems like it weighs more and maybe because it is just harder to pick up and carry because of the way the handles are. I do not regret our decision on using this monitor because the sound of it is amazing and is by far the best thing about it. It also has 2 outputs that will allow you to connect some other speakers to it for a bigger sound depending on what you need it for. This woofer is a must have, it is not that expensive and has a sleek and modern design. I have gotten a lot of compliments from other bands when they see me setting this up. I only use it on a pole and not on the floor just because I like the way it sounds better rose off of the floor. But either way you choose to use it, you will love the low end that it gives you.

I am mostly a techno/trance DJ, and have been doing this for about 3 years now. I got a pair of SRS1500's (used) from a music store in New York for $1100. The bass response is very good. I bought the pair thinking I'd need to be using both since they are relatively small speakers, but after trying it once, now most of the time I only bring one along. With both, I've filled large ballrooms with over 500 people. The sound quality and amplification was so good that I ended up realizing that my mixer was actually distorting the bass a bit when the volume was turned up high. I ended upgrading to a better mixer (the way I finally realized this was when I borrowed a friend's mixer). With the previous subs I had, the sound was muddy enough that you couldn't tell - but the Mackies give such crisp sound that you immediately hear when things are distorting. They are heavy. Carrying them up stairs is especially annoying. I can manage them by myself, but in general I'd recommend having two people to move them. These speakers are very solidly built. I bought them used, and I still haven't had any problems with them. I tend to put them out on the dance floor, and even though I do my best to cordon them off inevitably people always decide they make good surfaces for putting drinks on. They've survived a couple of spilled drinks already with no problems. I highly recommend these to anyone looking for some serious bass in a compact package. The only speaker I've heard that beats these is a custom-built dual-18" sub that weighs nearly twice as much. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Ordered direct from Mackie. These cabinets were designed by the team at EAW. The clarity is unsurpassed. Everybody walks in with the same initial reaction: I don't know if this is going to be enough gear and where are the FOH EQ's? Nothing Built and designed by the great folks at EAW. Need I say More? For small venues up to 1200 seats, a pair of the 1232's along with the powered 1801 subs will blow the roof off the room. Run the 1232's off of separate circuits per tech support at EAW. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased my Mackie SRM450 speakers after an exhaustive search for something to provide my DJ business with quality and reliability. They often list for close to $700.00, however with some leg work, I was able to get the price down to $600.00. These speakers are active. They have the amplifiers built right in! This si great for the mobile DJ who won't have to carry around a seperate (and heavy) amplifier. Plus, the sound is rich, and smooth. They have a wide dispersion pattern, making the whole room seem to fill up with music (not just in front of the speakers). Because they have amps built in, I'm not worried about blowing these speakers. They don't have a whole lot of Bass. I pair mine with a seperate sub-woofer when I need that extra punch. Plus, for crowds larger than 250 to 300, you really need more power. I am also concerned about the cost of repair. I have never had any problems, but if something were to go wrong with this unit, they are more expensive to replace than a stand-alone speaker, or amplifier. They are also a bit pricey, but well worth the investment! The unit is molded plastic, and is very sturdy. It has three handles (one on each side, and one on the top) for convenient transport. The biggest thing that impressed me about the look and construction is the sheer sturdyness of it. These things are made to me hauled around, and can stand a lot of abuse! If you are a mobile or club DJ, these are the perfect speakers for most of your applications. They are durable, sound great, and require no external amplifier. I would reccomend them to anyone who does a lot of travel with them, because they are rugged. The quality is worth the investment. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Mackie SWA1501 is a subwoofer system that is designed for live sound reinforcement. It's a got an active 15" woofer and is of course to be used in within the context of a full PA system. The studio that I work at has a full PA rig as we sometimes do live shows in the studio and put on a festival every year. We've got two of these subwoofers in this system and while they only get used every now and again, the owner likes having it as it does indeed get used sometimes. Like me say that this sub can produce some extremely low and extremely loud low frequencies. It's definitely necessary to have a proper sub for live sound, and the SW1501 is just that. It's nice that this is an active sub woofer as it doesn't require an external power source and is fully functional on it's own. It's got a built in crossover section and XLR connections for it to plug everything into it. I don't remember off the top of my head what the other speakers are that we have with the SWA1501, but it's an all Mackie PA system and can get extremely loud for all frequencies and especially the low end part of things with the SWA1051. I don't really know what the Mackie SWA1501 will cost you, but as with any PA system sub woofer it's going to be at least a decent amount. Having said this, Mackie gear in general is some of the best bang for your buck and that's what you're going to get with the SWA1501 as well. It's probably not the most professional subwoofer, but unless you're a venue where you're using it every night, it's definitely adequate. I'd check out the full compliment of Mackie PA gear if you're looking to put one together for yourself as they have options for everyone.