Mackie Onyx 80 Mixing Console
By Mark Amundson
If you grew up on a Mackie mixing console, and the two of you parted ways as you matured, I believe the Mackie Onyx 80 series is going to make you at least think about coming back. Yes, it was a long time coming, but not only did Mackie get it right on the electronics and feature set, but the rugged construction and the painstaking attention to ergonomic detail puts to shame other mixing consoles with price tags four times as much. I received the flagship Onyx 4880 mixing console, but the Mackie Onyx 80 series consoles come in 24-, 32-, 40- and 48-channel versions so not everyone has to deal 81.3 inches of desk girth and 149 lbs of heft. Sporting 48 mono input channels, eight stereo input channels, eight aux busses, eight subgroups and a 10×2 matrix, the Mackie Onyx 4880 boasts pro features and design at a mid-market price point.
Starting at the channel strips, I was surprised to see green LED indicators across the top of the console where the phantom power switch was activated (some other consoles in this price range have those indicators on the back next to the input jack, which makes them hard to see). A nice bit of design, and an example of the ergonomic thinking involved in this console. Up with the zero to 60dB preamp gain knob are switches for phantom power, 100Hz low-cut filter, polarity and line/mic input jack selection. Each channel gets an XLR mic input and a balanced TRS line input, plus the TRS insert jack. And the direct outputs are grouped eight to a D-subminiature 25-pin connector for convenient personal recording system hookups.
After the insert jack, you will find one of the best equalization sections I have ever heard. The low-frequency control is a shelving type at 80Hz with +/-15dB of range. Similarly, the high-frequency control is a shelving type at 12KHz and +/-15dB of range. And two swept mid-frequency controls are nicely done with 100Hz to 2KHz, and 400Hz to 8KHz ranges and +/-15dB of boost/cut adjustment. Besides the EQ bypass switch, each channel has 4-LED metering post-EQ and pre-mute with -20, 0, +10 and overload indications.
The eight auxiliary sends are grouped in pairs (2+2+2+2) with switches for prefader selection. Also added are companion switches for stereo implementation of each pair of aux sends, with the second control becoming a L-R balance control. For panning, a basic L-R control is provided with assign switches for 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and mains selections. Sandwiched in-between the fader and pan control are the four mute group switches. I like this cluster mute group design, in that you cannot get the channel assign and mute group switches confused with each other.
The channel fader is a quality 100-millimeter type with 50% of its taper in the +/-10dB range. Clustered with the fader is the 4-LED metering, channel assigns, large mute switch with LED and PFL switch with LED. What I like about the Onyx 80 switches is that they spent the extra pennies to bi-color the switches, so that switches up show a white stripe on the switch shaft, and single button color when down. This makes the switch position indication nice and obvious, so you are not over-thinking the channel strip configuration.
Master Section
The Onyx 80 series master section includes the eight stereo input channels, each with fixed frequency four-band equalization and a 60mm fader with four-LED metering, mutes and PFLs. While not a 100mm fader, it does help with effects returns and the +/-20dB gain controls help a lot for effects and various types of playback deck interfacing. The auxiliary send master controls are pretty much the normal rotary control surrounded by mute and AFL switches. The eight subgroup faders are much the same with mute and AFL switches, but get four-LED metering, main mix assign switches and pan controls for positioning the groups in the stereo main mix. And nicely located are the fader-flip switches to swap aux masters with corresponding subgroups for monitor mix function.
Master metering is basic with four groups of 12-LED bar graphs, two dedicated for L-R masters and the other two assigned for PFL and AFL selections. This may not be enough for picky monitor mix users, but good enough with all the four-LED metering at the channels and aux/subgroup faders. The talkback section is basic, but adequate with a gain control, latching talk switch and assign switches for auxiliary bus pairs, subgroups and mains routing. The four mute group masters included a LED grouped with each switch for prominent display of status. Monitoring is straightforward with a mains to headphones switch, solo level control and separate headphones and monitor master send controls. I especially liked the tilted headphone jack grouped with the monitor section that makes it extremely easy to remove the headphone plug. Nothing's worse than breaking out the Leatherman pliers to pull out the headphone plug because there is too little connector grip area around the recessed headphone jack.
In The Field
Before getting out to the gigs, I did the shop checkout of the Mackie Onyx 4880 console. I really liked the rugged but smooth feel and lines of this console. The 4880 has three four-pin XLR Littlelite sockets across the top of the console, so control surface lighting is easy to procure and get plenty of illumination across the work surface. My first checks were with a CD player and TS plugs checking the channel strips and master signal flows by way of a half-insert signal injection, and immediately fell in love with the channel EQ sections and the way the master circuits kept the signals unmolested.
Rechecking with a vocal microphone, the preamps worked as advertised. Out at the gigs, the Onyx 4880 worked like the professional desk it really is. The intelligent layout, good ergonomics and clean signal processing made the shows a joy to set up and run. And plenty of compliments from the listening audience confirmed what I had heard.
Going through my notes, and looking for niggles among all the praise I was gathering, I only found one. That niggle was that the aux sends and some gain controls did not have center point legends, or no clue where unity gain was, or in some cases, the gain range. It is not a big issue as more of us mix with our ears than our eyes, but having that little extra information on our gain structure would help.
Mackie Onyx 4880
What it is: Mid-Market Mixing Console
Who it's for: Users wanting a rugged and ergonomic console with excellent sounding signal paths.
Pros: Good looks, plenty of value, sounds great.
Cons: Some control legends not present.
How much: $6,199 MSRP
The DAS Compact Series
By Jamie Rio
I love the word "compact." My whole company is compact. For that matter, I don't know anybody in this biz who doesn't want better sound out of smaller, more compact gear. If I had my way, my cabinets would be the size of a pack of cigarettes and sound like they came straight from heaven (or hell, depending on the artist). But I digress. In reality, I was very happy to review the DAS Compact Series powered speakers. I received two Compact 218 Sub 2000s and two Compact 2 full-range cabs.
The Gear
Let's start with the subs. What DAS has done here is loaded a 40x27x32.5-inch Birch plywood box with two 18-inch low-frequency speakers and two 1,000-watt Class "D" amplifiers. Each speaker has its own amp, and what's cool is that you can run one amp and one speaker, or both amps and both speakers. (Though the implementation of that ability could be better. More later.) The speakers sport a four-inch voice coil and are pushed by neodymium magnets. They are very compact, but still weigh in at 205 lbs (ouch–my back!). So, the four heavy-duty casters and six handles come in handy. But the casters could be a little more heavyduty–one blew up on me as I was wheeling a sub along a hotel loading dock.
I used these subs with the Compact 2 speakers but you could use them as bass reinforcement for a full-range passive system or other full-range powered cabs. The Compact 2 is designed to stand alone as a full range, bi-amped, three-way system, or to be used with the powered subs. These cabs incorporate two 500-watt Class "D" amplifiers, a 15-inch speaker with extended low-frequency response, a 10-inch horn-loaded speaker and a high-frequency compression driver. DAS mounts all this stuff into a birch-ply trapezoidal cabinet measuring 34×23.5×25 inches and weighing a mere 150 lbs. There are Man and eyebolt fly points (not a fan of Man flyware, but DAS says that all current production units use the beefier Ancra L tracks), handles and tilt-back wheels to help get these babies around. And as with the subs, we see neodymium magnet structures throughout. Both the subs and the 2s get a super-duty paint coating and they are ready to go. (Paint versus tuff-coat seems to be one of the things that differentiate European and U.S. cabs, and DAS has wisely switched to tuffcoat since the review cabs were shipped.)
The only other thing we noted prior to the gigs was that the "one amp per speaker" scheme, while very flexible, could be a bit easier to use. The current design has two amps with separate control panels, AC and audio inputs. In other words, you need two Neutrik Powercon cables for each cab and a short XLR patch cable to go from the "thru" output of one amp into the input of the second amp to get the same signal to both amps. There are two, count 'em, gain controls–one for each amp. Without a detent position (and the pots do not appear to be calibrated), the only way to be sure both amps are running at the same level is to run them both wide open. Internal switching of the amps (A, B or A+B) and a single gain control would be a nice touch.
But small issues aside, DAS has built some very rugged cabinets here. They're obviously designed to project quality sound but also constructed to take some serious abuse without crying about it. And a dual 18-inch sub with dual 1,000-watt amps is a hell of a value. So, let's see just how much sound we can got out of these compact components.
The Shows
My first event was a large corporate awards show luncheon. Actually, it was the NAACP Image Awards, which take place every year in Los Angeles. There was a sit-down meal for about 400 guests along with track and dance acts of the hip-hop genre and, of course, a parade of obligatory speakers. I also had a solo acoustic piano player who was setting the ambiance of the room as the people arrived. At first, this seemed like a lot of sound gear for such a small and relatively quiet show. So, I only ran 1,000 watts per side with the subs. I didn't think I needed all that much thump for this size of an event. What surprised me right from the start was that the piano player sounded great though the system even at a very low volume. I had expected to have to push some decibels through the speakers in order to get a good tonal response, but I was pleasantly surprised. The whole system sounded excellent for the track acts, dancers and the speakers, which made the event a success.
My next outing was also a sit-down corporate gig, but with more than 900 people. I powered up both amps on each sub, which gave me to total of 4,000 watts of bottom. We had a country act for the main entertainment along with a long line of speakers, video clips (with lousy sound) and an auction. The DAS Compacts handled the speakers, auctions and video sound with ease, and when the main band took the stage, the sound system had plenty of punch for everyone in the room. I got a thumping kick drum sound and a fat bass without compromising the guitars or the vocalist. The lead singer was playing an acoustic guitar that sounded rich and stringy through the Compact 2s.
Probably the nicest thing about these speakers is that they sound good right from the start. You pretty much plug 'em in, and away you go. Both shows with the DAS speakers were a great success. Of course, I know when I have a good show, but I really gauge a gig by whether or not I get booked again. And yes, I got the two events next year. The only problem is that I won't have these sweet DAS Compacts, but who knows what DAS will have out by then?
The DAS Compact Series
What is it: Self-powered compact subs and satellite speakers
Who it's for: Sound companies, bands and installs.
Pros: They're powerful and sound great.
Cons: They need stronger wheels, internal switching would be better than the current format.
How Much: Compact 2: $4,201, Compact 218 Sub-2000: $5,099
LightViper 1832 Snake
By Jamie Rio
We have all used and most of us are still using traditional copper conductor snakes. I can remember doing early gigs without one and stringing miles of cable, and later wondering how I had done without a snake after buying my first. But the LightViper 1832 is a very different type of snake. (Just so we stay on the same page, this review is not a comparison between the LightViper fiber optic snake and a traditional one. As a matter of fact, the LightViper has about as much in common with a traditional snake as modern man has with a Darwinian ape.) And, like that "aha!" moment the first time you used a snake, after going digital, you may wonder how you ever made do with that big, heavy reel of copper. Enough said, onward.
The Gear
The LightViper is a 32×8 audio snake that transmits light instead of audio through what looks like (but is not) a guitar cable. On one end of this tiny cable, you have a powered stage box, and on the console end, a powered mixer box. Each input of the stage box employs a Neutrik XLR/TRS combo connector. The box is laid out in five banks of connectors (eight per bank). The first four banks are inputs and have their own switchable phantom power (you do not use the phantom power on your console). The last bank is reserved for the eight outputs. Each of the inputs has three selectable gains settings (0, 26 and 46) and a clip indicator light. Zero is for line level instruments (keys, CD player etc.), 26 is used with a condenser mic or a hot dynamic mic. And 46 is used for low-output condenser mics and dynamic mics.
The top of the stage box also sports the all-important sync LED. This light indicates the status of the fiber optic link. Without getting into things like word clock and which device is the master, just remember this simple phrase–green is good, red is bad.
On the side of the stage box, we have the fiber connections. Two tiny prongs carry the entire 32×8 signal. It will blow your mind when you look at this thing. Also next to the primary fiber connections, we have a split connection and room for another split. Of course, you need additional cable and mixer boxes, but having all of this at your fingertips makes the snake a very versatile and useful tool. You also get a control circuit connector using a RJ-45 data plug that provides six singledirection (mixer to stage box) CMOS or TTL data lines.
At the other end of the snake is the mixer box. All analog signals exiting this unit are at line level. Exiting the mixer box, the sends from the stage box are set up in four groups of eight. Each group uses an interconnect cable with a DB-25 plug at one end and eight XLR connectors at the other. The analog return uses the same DB-25 plug and eight XLRs, and you have the option of switching between analog and digital. (However ,if you use the digital option, you must use the Clock I/O. The mixer box acts as the clock master.) There
are also 16 digital sends (via 2 DB-25 connectors). These can go to a digital recorder or console skipping one more D/A/D conversion. Next, we have the fiber connector. Same deal, just the other end. And again the control circuit connector.
Well, there you have it, more features than you can imagine. Now let's see (and hear) how well they work.
The Show
The gig was with a nine-piece R&B band. I think there were nine pieces. I generally count inputs not musicians. Plugging everything into the LightViper was like my regular snake except for the keyboards. Instead of using two direct boxes I ran two quarter-inch cables from his submixer right into the stage box. This was a nice change.
The fiber optic cable is so small and light I could have run it to my console in a variety of different ways. If I'd needed to fly it, that would have been a piece of cake.
Anyway, I ran into a little glitch back at the mixer. The sends from the stage box exit the mixer box in four groups of eight XLR cables. Each group is numbered one through eight. That's great for the first eight, but then nine through 16 are still one through eight, as are 17 though 24. My mind had great difficulty accepting this and so did my tech's. However, we did manage to get everything plugged in properly. (Though when we had a problem later, it made hunting down the right input more of a chore than it should have been.)
Now, I only had to adjust the different stage box input gain settings to match the various mics. This step was not as cut and dried as the manual would lead one to believe. I had three condenser mics for the brass section that should have run at 26 dB, but operated better at zero dB. The lead singer also had a dynamic condenser mic that wanted to run at zero dB rather than 26 dB. I realize that the LightViper people can't take into consideration every microphone out there, but dialing each one individually can be time-consuming.
Once I had everything up and running, the snake became sonically invisible. You really don't want to think about a snake and certainly don't want to hear it once it's hooked up. The Viper is immune to RFI and EMI and is truly quiet as a church mouse. For that matter, it would probably do very well as a permanent install piece in a house of worship. Oh yeah, did I mention that the fiber cable is just about bulletproof? Somehow, the cable got under a leg of the stage toward the back line area. This location would have crushed the life out of a weaker cable, but had no ill effects on the LightViper. Even with a rather stout keyboard player sitting right over it.
There is no doubt that more and more of the live audio world is going digital, and the LightViper is just one of about a half-dozen digital snakes on the market with more coming. Yes, they are more expensive, but this 32×8 snake with 100 meters of interconnect fits in a case not much larger than your average briefcase and weighs maybe 20 lbs. Can you take your copper snake on a plane as a carry-on? The whole digital snake thing is an area to watch, and the LightViper is quiet, easy to use and one to really look at if you are ready to "go digital."
LightViper 1832 Snake
What is it: Fiber optic audio snake
Who it's for: Sound companies, installs.
Pros: Quiet, light as a feather, tough.
Cons: Need to label mixer end XLRs one through 32.
How much: $8,646 MSRP as configured, w/ 300 feet of fiber
