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Alternative to Mackie Onyx mixer


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I have an aging Mackie Onyx 1620 in my cart, with a FW card, which connects to a MacBook Pro. It has served me well for a few years, but I'm having issues with a few mute and solo buttons. I've taken it in for service, but the issues persist. Chances are, it would cost close to what it's worth now ($450) to have those buttons repaired/replaced, so I'm looking for a board to replace it.

I need 8-12 input channels, at least two submixes or aux outputs and talkback, as well as FW or USB connectivity for Boom Recorder. I've looked at and considered the following mixers:

Presonus StudioLive 16.4.2 AI

Allen & Heath QU-16

Yamaha LS9-16 (not sure it has talkback, though)

Soundcraft Si Expression

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers,

BK

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Sound-wise they are all of a piece, to me.  It's really down to whose GUI and menu structure do you like (or, in my case, hate the least), weight and size considerations.  I think the smallest Si is prob the most cart-friendly of the group.  All AC power, though, if that matters.  Si and Yamaha have wordclock i/o, which is important to some of us.  I hate that these sorts of mixers are loaded up with FOH features and FX etc that add to confusion and complexity but that's just how it is anymore.  Will be curious to hear which you choose and why.

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3 hours ago, Wandering Ear said:

I have an Onyx 1640i I would be happy to sell you for cheap.

All of the mixers you listed will do what you need, and a bunch more you probably don't need.  Would be worth putting your hands on them and finding one with a layout that works for you, and faders that you like.

Thanks. Unfortunately, it weighs 36lb, which is 11lb more than the 1620i weighs - and I'm trying to go down in weight, if possible…

BK

4 hours ago, Philip Perkins said:

Sound-wise they are all of a piece, to me.  It's really down to whose GUI and menu structure do you like (or, in my case, hate the least), weight and size considerations.  I think the smallest Si is prob the most cart-friendly of the group.  All AC power, though, if that matters.  Si and Yamaha have wordclock i/o, which is important to some of us.  I hate that these sorts of mixers are loaded up with FOH features and FX etc that add to confusion and complexity but that's just how it is anymore.  Will be curious to hear which you choose and why.

Leaning toward the A&H at the moment… Will keep you all posted.

Thanks for your comments,

BK

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On August 29, 2016 at 7:58 PM, Philip Perkins said:

No, no misunderstanding.  But if your set up is using the Mackie's clock to make the sample clock for recording, and the Mackie clock is pretty inaccurate and kind of jittery.  For short scenes it doesn't matter much, as you know.  BR being able to use any input for TC is a cool feature.

Got it. Yeah, I just feed TC from a Denecke SB3 into the last track: rock-solid timecode all day.

BK

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