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Frequently Asked Questions
By low-cutting the signal right after the preamp boost, you will be more certain to not overload your EQ bus on the way to the channel fader (if, say, you engage low-cut but also boost the LF EQ).
Answer:
Onyx-i Series
Mackie.comPhone: 425.487.4333 • Toll-free: 800.898.3211Fax: 425.487.4337 Email: [email protected]
16220 Wood-Red Rd NE •Woodinville, WA•98072•USA
Is phantom power global or selectable per channel?
What sort of equalizer is present on each input of Onyx-I mixers?
Phantom power on the entire Onyx-I Series is available on a channel-by-channel basis, perfect for situations with a wide variety of studio microphones.
The Onyx-I Series of mixers feature different configurations of our flagship Perkins EQ, featuring a wide, musical curve that’s extremely easy to work with. Please visit the respective Onyx-I Series model webpage for detailed info about specific configuration per mixer.
The Onyx series mixers are not a control surface. They are full featured analog mixers with a FireWire audio interface, but they do not control your DAW nor does it receive control from your software. So your faders never get out of sync.
The faders are not motorized, so how does DAW control get translated to the faders on the 1640i with the FW switch down?
Why did Mackie put the low cut button at the pre-amp stage while the Mackie VLZ4 Series implements this at the EQ stage?
Question:
Onyx-i Series
Phone: 425.487.4333 • Toll-free: 800.898.3211Fax: 425.487.4337 Email: [email protected]
16220 Wood-Red Rd NE •Woodinville, WA•98072•USA
Frequently Asked Questions
Mackie.com
Answer:Question:
The line-ins would be the preferred method, because the connection would be balanced. The other place to enter the channel strip would be from the insert returns, for which you would need to use the ring-return path of a ¼” ‘Y’ insert cable (leaving the send portion going nowhere, and having nothing else plugged into that channel’s inputs).
How would you incorporate outboard preamps into the system?
Onyx-I mixers offer a pre/post EQ switch on each channel that lets you determine whether you are recording with or without EQ and/or inserts.
Additionally, there are several available modifications that our service center network can perform, including post-fader FireWire sends, fixed post-insert FireWire sends (instead of needing to engage the EQ button), and pre-EQ auxiliary sends. Feel free to visit our Support page to learn more.
Are the FireWire outputs pre-fader or post?
What is the highest sample rate that you can track with? For example, is a resolution of 88.2 kHz possible?
The Onyx-I Series of FireWire recording products all recording up to 24-bit, 96 kHz sample rates (including 88.2 kHz, 48 kHz and 44.1 kHz).
The Onyx. I series will work with all major DAWs, including Pro Tools, Logic, Sonar, Cubase, Ableton Live, Final Cut Pro, MultiRack, and more.
What kind of DAW compatibility does these have?
Onyx-i Series
Phone: 425.487.4333 • Toll-free: 800.898.3211Fax: 425.487.4337 Email: [email protected]
16220 Wood-Red Rd NE •Woodinville, WA•98072•USA
Frequently Asked Questions
Mackie.com
Answer:Question:
One of the best parts of using an Onyx-I mixer in a session is its intuitive workflow. It’s not only your recording solution, but because it’s a full-fledged analog mixer, it’s also your monitoring solution. Everything happens in real time, because everything is analog. Setting up headphone mixes and monitoring your recording is all done in the analog domain with zero latency. Here’s an example of the only situation in which you will experience latency: If you are adding a real-time plug-in (like compression) in your DAW for monitoring purposes, you will need to have the FW source switch at the top of that input channel in the down position to hear it / route it to auxiliaries for monitor feeds. This means that instead of monitoring the analog input, you are monitoring the DAW’s output on the same mixer channel. Similarly, you can use a plug-in from your DAW to add reverb or delay to the monitoring path, allowing your vocalist to really get in the right mood to deliver that killer performance. Both of these will add latency, but because the Onyx-I Series uses Firewire, you should be able to achieve very low latencies for these situations.
How is the latency between monitoring and tracking?
Can I use more than one Onyx. I mixer at a time for more tracks?
Yes! This is called ‘aggregation’. PC Driver V1.9 and Mac OSC Core Audio for Onyx-I do not support device aggregation. This means you cannot connect multiple Onyx-I devices to the same computer for simultaneous use. Similarly, you cannot aggregate Onyx-I mixers with Onyx Blackbirds. 2 Driver V4.1.0 + Control Panel V1.0.0 do support device aggregation on PC and Mac with other Onyx-I mixers, as well as Onyx Blackbirds (up to four devices). Note that if you are connecting an Onyx-I mixer to a PC or Mac by itself, the above PC or Mac driver is the appropriate driver for that setup. However, if you are planning to aggregate the Onyx-I mixer with an Onyx Blackbird, you will need the latest driver and control panel for the Onyx Blackbird which installs the Onyx Blackbird control panel and allows you to aggregate it with other Onyx-I mixers starting with serial number 20414XXBR.
Onyx-i Series
Phone: 425.487.4333 • Toll-free: 800.898.3211Fax: 425.487.4337 Email: [email protected]
16220 Wood-Red Rd NE •Woodinville, WA•98072•USA
Frequently Asked Questions
Mackie.com
Answer:Question:
Of the series, only the Onyx 1640i features a full 16x16 integrated interface making it the only mixer in the Onyx-I Series that allows an analog mix down. The other three Onyx-I mixers have a stereo return from the DAW making them great recording mixers for those needing lower channel counts, less mic pres, and who prefer to mix in their DAW. And our Onyx Blackbird and Blackjack are great for those who simply need an audio interface without the ability to mix outside the box. Here is a list of the available I/O on other Mackie Onyx interfaces:
• The Onyx 1620i has an integrated 16x2 FW interfaceand 8 Onyx preamps
• The Onyx 1220i has an integrated 16x2 FW interfaceand 4 Onyx preamps
• The Onyx 820i has an integrated 8x2 FW interface and3 Onyx preamps
• The Onyx Blackbird is a rack mount 16x16 FW interfacewith 8 Onyx preamps, 8x8 ADAT I/O and Word Clock
• The Onyx Blackjack is a desktop 2x2 USB interface with2 Onyx preamps and true analog hardware monitoring.
The 16x16 FireWire interface in the Onyx 1640i allows you to return up to 16 DAW channels into the mixer’s channel strip for a true “tape style” mix down. Is this true for other Onyx-I Series mixers (1620i, 1220i, 820i)?
What are the benefits of using the Onyx 1640i’s 16 FireWire returns to perform the final mix (as opposed to mixing “in the box”)?
For one, you get to mix on a mixer – something not done since the days of 2˝ tape. You get the benefits of using analog EQ and the ability to incorporate your rack mount gear as well. Also, the summing bus on the Onyx 1640i is extremely high quality and noticeably different from the sonic character of common DAW summing algorithms.
Onyx-i Series
Phone: 425.487.4333 • Toll-free: 800.898.3211Fax: 425.487.4337 Email: [email protected]
16220 Wood-Red Rd NE •Woodinville, WA•98072•USA
Frequently Asked Questions
Mackie.com
Answer:Question:
The DAW itself, such as Pro Tools, allows for assignment of any 1640i input to any track in the session, and reciprocally any DAW output to any channel of the mixer. The Onyx 1640i is extremely flexible in this regard, and most DAW output options are accessible and easy to change.
When you select a channel on the 1640i to stream via FireWire to your DAW, are you locked into what channel goes to what track? What about when assigning DAW tracks back to the mixers channels?
Is the EQ IN/OUT switch on the Onyx 1640i a hard bypass? Does this help to minimize possible noise?
Yes. The 1640i features a hard-bypass EQ switch that is used to either bring the EQ inline or to bypass the EQ section of the console entirely, making for an exceedingly clean path to the signal’s next destination. On mixers without a hard bypass switch, after the signal is boosted to line level by the mic preamp, the signal is often next routed directly through the EQ section, and the only way to “not” EQ is to run all of the knobs in the Unity position, but even this tactic still causes the signal to travel through all of those op amps (taking along the noise floor of those components). A hard bypass option eliminates this concern for critical signals being routed directly to a DAW, and is generally considered a more professional or “purist” approach.
How well would the Onyx 1640i integrate into a small venue FOH desk? Simultaneous recording? Monitors?
The Onyx 1640i is a 16-channel 4-bus console with 6 pre/post assignable aux buses, so it is not only a powerful recording board, but a powerful live sound tool kit. The built-in 16x16 FireWire interface takes it even further, allowing you to track your shows, perform a virtual sound check, and integrate with Waves Live MultiRack to insert your favorite Waves plug-ins right into your live mix, replacing racks of outboard gear. The Onyx 1640i is truly just as much of a live sound product as it is a powerful recording desk.
Onyx-i Series
Phone: 425.487.4333 • Toll-free: 800.898.3211Fax: 425.487.4337 Email: [email protected]
16220 Wood-Red Rd NE •Woodinville, WA•98072•USA
Frequently Asked Questions
Mackie.com
Answer:Question:
On the 1640i the return stream from the DAW – when the FW button on each channel is depressed – is post-gain and post-high pass filter, so the output level faders in your DAW control the level returning to the console.
When tracks stream back from your DAW to the 1640i, are the input volumes determined by the software or the gain knob?
I have an existing 16x16 interface and want to get a Mackie console. Do you recommend either an Onyx or VLZ3 console?
A more “direct” replacement for a standard 16x16 interface would be the 16x16 Onyx Blackbird FireWire interface. As for Mackie consoles, only the Onyx-I Series features FireWire connectivity, where the VLZ3 compact mixers are purely analog. The VLZ3 4-Bus mixers (2404-VLZ3 and 3204-VLZ3) do feature USB connectivity, but offer a 4x2 USB interface instead of the full 16x16 FireWire interface featured on the Onyx 1640i.
The original Onyx 1640 compact mixer has only two returns from the DAW. The 1640i has 16? How are
these configured?
The Onyx 1640i does indeed allow 16 returns from your DAW. These can be routed into each channel instead of the mic/line input, and because most DAWs allow free routing of virtually any signal to any output, you can send whatever you like to each of the 16 channels. Additionally, like the original 1640 with a FireWire card, the first two returns can feed your control room for basic stereo monitoring purposes.
