SeriesMackie VLZ

Well I work as a media specialist in Toronto so I got it for free for my birthday because the guys know i what one. So yah i paid nothing. It's a 16 channel mixer with aux send and receive and everything a mixer should have it good to travel with it the BEST mixer you will ever have if you know what i mean all you pro star guys out there there is nothing to not like there it is the toughest piece of equpiment in your whole sound and pa system i know because it fell from a table and it survides the chash i dont know many that can survie a chash like that IT THE BEST MIXER IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW DUDES This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

With the right "rack ears," then yes. But they are sold separately. So here is the break down Inputs=4 XLR with Gain, 4 Stereo 1/4", and 1 Stereo RCA Main Outputs= 2 XLR (stereo), Stereo 1/4", and 1 Stereo RCA Aux Output= Stereo 1/4" Control Output= Stereo 1/4" Sends/Returns= 2 Stereo 1/4" labeled Aux 1 and Aux 2 that apply to all channels (each is set up as a single 1/4" stereo Send to a regular (left/right) Stereo Return). 4 Stereo that apply individually to each of the XLR inputs ( each one is a single 1/4" stereo) Headphone Output= 1 As for EQ you get 1 for the Highs, 1 for Mids, and 1 for Lows. You also get a Low Cut option on each XLR. There are no effects on this board. UTILIZATION The setup on this mixer is a little confusing. You have a decent amount of options but you really have to read the manual to get the gist of things. The things I had trouble with were the Control ouput options and the Send Returns. The Control output I eventually figured, by reading the manual of course, but the Send Return issue has never been solved. Its seems that the Aux 1 and Aux 2 operate differently. Where 1 operates as its own volume control and 2 requires the Main fader and the Aux 2 fader used together (very weird). I personally find this to very frustrating because the Aux two is always blended with the clean signal, so you cannot isolate the effect signal. I have read the crap out of the manual, and still find no mention of this strangeness. As for accessibility, everything is either fader or push button on the face and two switches on the back (power, phantom power). Everything is labeled well too, even some with info (i.e. proper input level). The manual is clear, concise and even a little silly. They have a sense of humor and they try to be funny here and there. My only complaint about the manual is the lack of info on the situation with the Aux 2. SOUNDS Well, I notice when I plug my keyboards directly to the amps instead of using the mixer, I think they sound better. Much warmer and louder. I have come to realize that I need a better mixer. I guess it has pretty decent preamps, can be noisy when you have weak signals, but usually fairly quiet. The EQ is really just cut or boost. I try to EQ my Fender Rhodes and the Mids are really just a volume control. Lets face it, good EQ comes from Units specified to do just that. OVERALL OPINION I have had this mixer for One year. . I am using this mainly as a keyboard/synth mixer going into a Roland KC-550, Peavey TNT 150 and a Fender Twin. What I like the least is the Tone loss. When my Rhodes reaches the Twin, it sounds thin and weak. Directly through is definitely warmer. Same with my Korg Tr going the the Roland. What I do like is its hardiness. This thing is solid, feels like I could drop it and nothing would happen to it. I tried another model recently, the Allen and Heath Mix Wizard. WAAAYYY better. Just twice the price. Other than that, I used some older mackie vlzs and strangely enough, I think they were better. As for value, yeah I guess. If you only want to spend $300 on a mixer, then this is probably the best one. But if you want a really good mixer, you need to spend more, at least from my experience. I would not buy this again, i would save up and shoot higher.

The 1604-VLZ3 is a beautifully constructed 16 channel mixer that is fully analog. There are 16 mic preamps on this mixer as well. I have used this mixer off and on at the studio for about 3 years now. The preamps are the high point of this mixer. They are very good and give you a high quality sound with any microphone you use with it. The sound will be clean and crisp but at the same time the frequency range is wide giving you lots of warm and full sounding low end for your recordings. At the studio that I use this at, we have it ready to record anything from vocals to recording drum tracks. No matter what you use with it, it gives us a great sound quality. UTILIZATION There was not a set up process involved when setting up this Mackie Mixer. I have used a few other mixers in the VLZ3 series and all of them are pretty good but for some reason I like the 1604 the best and plus the price of it is so affordable you can afford to have it at your home studio to record anything you want. SOUNDS The EQ section on the 1604 is very good, it surprised me with how in depth you can get with shaping your sound right form this analog board. There are low cut filters pan controls, aux sends and inserts on each individual channel on the 1604. OVERALL OPINION Overall this is one of the best and most affordable analog mixers that I have ever had the privilege to use. It will be your work horse and handle all of your recordings. The downside is that this mixer is pretty big and heavy for it to be just a 16 track mixer. I don’t see this unit being very portable, which is the reason a lot of people won’t get this type of mixer anymore.

The Mackie 402-VLZ3 is a very small affordable mixer that is great for a home or personal studio. It cost less than 100 dollars and is a 4 channel analog mixer that has 2 microphone inputs and 4 different line inputs. The microphone pre amps are pretty decent though they could be a lot better but for less than $100 you really can expect much more. This mixer is perfect for home recording or out and about recording and running broadcast or “pod casting”. The small and compact size of the unit makes it very portable and easy to take around with you. I have dropped mine more times than I would have liked to but the only thing that happens is it will get a little scratched up, none of the knobs have ever broke off and I have had some pretty bad drops with it because I use to take it everywhere with me. I have been using the Mackie 402-VLZ3 for about 13 months now and it is still standing strong. UTILIZATION This mixer is simple to set up and only takes a few minutes before you are up and running like you have had it for a while. It does come with a manual but I don’t think I even opened it once. Mackie mixers are known for the quality and low price and this is no exception to that theory. SOUNDS The mixer is very quiet and does not generate much of any sounds like humming or hissing. EQ is decent, and depending on which microphones you use with it will depend on how good the final recording sound is. It is not just about the mixer, if you don’t have decent microphones to compliment it. OVERALL OPINION For the price, it will get you by for now at your home or small set up. Eventually I needed more which is why I don’t use this for home anymore. But I do keep it on me a lot when I am out an about to do certain things with it on the go and it works great for that. I am happy that I purchased it, and decided to keep it even though I don’t use it for a home set up anymore. It comes in handy when I have stuff going on outside because I am not afraid of something happening to it.