Mackie 1202VLZ Small Analogue Mixer - Overview

[@leachim66]

Just got one of these guys for $100 off ebay and it's my first mixer. Nearly a decade later, this video is still helpful!

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Hi Richard - hope you see this reply - I could not reply directly to your post for some reason. Global phantom power switching is a common feature of most small mixers. It relies on non-phantom powered mics (e.g. dynamic mics like the ubiquitous SM58) still being 'balanced', i.e. their voice coil is electrically isolated from the ground (mixer chassis/mic body on XLR pin 1), with the two signal terminals going to the XLR 'hot' and 'cold' pins (2 and 3). Assuming that the mic is properly built, the presence of 48V DC on the voice coil should not be a problem, as both ends of the coil are at the same voltage, so no current flows through the coil due to phantom powering voltage. If the mic is not balanced (some very old domestic items weren't), it should not be used with phantom power. This is where a Direct Inject (DI) box comes in.Or if the mic has sufficiently high output (or is being shouted at loud enough!), you may be able to get away with plugging it into one of the Line inputs, as these never have phantom power. Balanced line inputs will effectively revert to unbalanced operation if you plug in a mono jack plug. Hope that helps!

[@Aeonium_PH9X]

I just got one of these and am learning to use it with a little 6 channel yamaha together. Thank you!

[@daiwalters]

Excellent rundown of a superb mixer

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Thanks!

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Depends on the powered speakers. If they have 3-pin female XLR inputs, just use a couple of XLR-XLR microphone leads from the Mackie rear panel outputs. If 1/4" jack inputs, use a couple of jack-jack guitar leads to the Mackie jack outputs.

[@avh1928]

This seems good enough for my reel to reel. I just hope this mixer is actually analog.

[@FarewellOldFriends]

It is!

[@s.g.3042]

It's from 1996, as it is the very first Micro (VLZ) series iteration - so, it's as analogue as analogue gets. A great mixboard, have it myself, since 1997 already, still works like a charme, the thing was build to last.

[@ericbaseY0]

very informative. but what is the difference between this 1202VLZ and 1202VLZPRO?

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Very little, if I recall - probably slightly improved preamps and headroom. Best to compare the specifications in their respective user manuals (all available online.)

[@Ch333kyy]

Thanks for information : I am trying to figure out how to use it: Loop equally to Kaoss Pad 3 & Kc 300 Loop station .Plus piano & just got computer which this computer may only be temp due to ability to run music programms yet to find out. main thing is loop pedals. Thank you!

[@kevinmoore4237]

The fundamental flaw with this device is that you lose the full functionality of solo and mute because they've made those buttons dual purpose to make sophisticated operations possible and defeating basic operations in the process. My simple application is: 1. one stereo source in 9-10; one stereo source in 11-12 2. speakers connected to main outputs 3. headphones connected to headphone jack I've been trying for 20 years to run this simplest of scenarios with losing some combination of pan, solo and mute on the two strips. The closest I can come is to engage alt3+4 on each strip, press alt3+4 and assign to main mix on the control section. Then I can at least get stereo through the speakers and phones and use the pan and eq controls on the 2 strips. I can't use solo or mute though and every other approach I've tried has ended in complete confusion. My powered monitors have an XLR input so I have to use the main outputs. If they had 1/4" I'd try "control room" outputs. If you could or another commenter could explains how to make this simple application work, I'd be eternally grateful!

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Hi Kevin - yes, the alt-3/4 scheme as a replacement for Mute is a bit of an oddity, but in most mixers of this class (i.e. cheap-'n-cheerful), you wouldn't have the luxury of a second bus anyway, so I just consider it a bonus - if rarely used - feature. I've found it useful - often in conjunction with the aux outputs - for odd routings like 4-channel recording. I've heard this mixer referred to as a 'pinch hitter' which is apparently a US baseball term for something you use when you've run out of regular options. I like to think of it as a Swiss Army knife - and Alt-3/4 is the weird blade that you only use once every 10 years! Anyhow, back to the matter in hand, and I'm not sure what your real problem is; the EQ and balance controls on the 9/10 and 11/12 strips should be usable into the Main or Alt mix buses. I don't think you really need to consider the Alt-3/4 bus at all. Just think of the 3/4 bus - when unused - as a dead end, which has the same effect as muting the strip to the Main-1/2 bus. There should be no problem connecting your powered monitors to the Control Room outputs - they are quasi-balanced, and you just need to make up a suitable cable (p.42 of the owner's manual shows you how to wire these). We're talking healthy line levels here, so true balancing is not really necessary. This is the intended use of that output, as it frees your main bus XLR outputs for feeding to a stereo recorder (which is what I did with a DAT machine for several years). Again, the main bus XLR outputs can be 'un-balanced' (user manual, p. 43) if you need to go to an unbalanced recorder, or simply use cheap phono leads from the Tape Output RCA sockets, which are signal-wise identical to the main outs (see block diagaram in the user manuial, p.29.) The frustration for me is that there is a common volume pot for the control room level and headphones, so you have to use the powered monitors' own volume controls to balance sound levels against your phones (although I seldom need both phones and monitors at the same time). Hope some of that helps - get back to me if I've misunderstood what you're trying to achieve.

[@kevinmoore4237]

@@FarewellOldFriends Thanks for the detailed reply. The remaining mystery for me is that stereo sources sometimes play in mono. I think it's related to the strip being "pre-fader". Here's my goal: 1. 3 stereo sources in strips 5, 6, 7 2. powered monitors connected in back via XLR 3. headphones connected to headphone jack at upper right. I just want the Main Mix knob to control volume for the powered monitors and the Ctl Room knob to control volume for the headphones and the pan and EQ knobs to work. I don't need to mute or solo. I can sometimes get this working but then it stops working and since I can't understand how it's all supposed to work I can only get back to it by trial and error. It's embarrassing to admit but I just can't for the life of me understand how it works even after decades of trying. It's exacerbated by the fact that various buttons like "assign to main mix" fail intermittently and I don't realize it's a physical issue! Can you recommend a mixer I could purchase that would allow me to to do this painlessly? The big problem is that I have these really nice Genelec speakers but they require an XLR input.

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Hi Kevin - Sorry you still seem to be struggling with the 1202. Some more thoughts: 1. First, I assume you mean strips 5/6, 7/8 and 9/10, not 5, 6 and 7, and that you have your stereo sources plugged into the respective L and R input jacks of each of those strips. Plugging a single plug into the L socket and leaving the R socket open internally links L to R, making it a central mono channel. 2. In the configration you describe above, which is a textbook PA setup, the Alt3/4 buttons should act as mute (i.e. you have nothing connected to the Alt 3/4 output or patched to it through the matrix buttons.) 3. If you look at the block diagram at P.29 of the User Manual (readily available) or P.2 of the Service Manual (it's out there on the Web), it shows that the Solo button routes the mono channels pre-fade to the solo bus (which then 'rudely' takes over the headphones and disconnects the Alt/Tape/Main matrix signals). 4. The diagram also shows that in the case of the stereo channels, L and R signals are summed together to mono before assigning to the solo, Aux 1 and Aux 2 buses (because they are all simple mono buses.) 5. Routing CR/phones back to the Main bus is intended primarily to route a line source (tape deck etc.) back to the main for interval music etc. Doing this with solo engaged could give unpredictable results. 6. The Mute/Alt button not only redirects the post-fade past-pan of a channel from the Main bus to the Alt3/4 bus, it also kills that channel's feed to the Aux2 Bus (and Aux 1 if set post-fade). That prevents signals that you would want to be completely separate from 'polluting' the main bus FX (reverb etc.) - but see the next point... 7. There are two modifications described on P.26-28 of the User Manual, which may be useful in your setup: one to retain feed to Aux 2 regardless of the Mute setting (done on a per-channel basis), and one to make headphone and main output levels independent of each other. This requires internal wiring mods, not for the faint-hearted. If your mixer's operation appears to differ from what it says in the User Manual, and you bought it as a used device, it is worth checking whether either of these mods has already been done! 8. If you have intermittent electromechanical problems, I strongly suggest you have someone look over your cables and connectors, and get a technician to give the switches and pots some TLC with contact cleaner. 9. Finally, I would like to repeat what I said in my previous reply, in that it should be perfectly acceptable to feed your powered speakers from the Control Room outs if you want to do so (say in a recording - rather than PA - setup), given a suitably wired pair of cable (as described on P.43 of the User Manual.) I do this with my Genelec 8020s all the time. I hope you can soon manage to sort the problem and set your mind at rest!

[@kevinmoore4237]

@@FarewellOldFriends thanks so much - I've just pasted this into a permanent file on my HD - very helpful - so many secret features like plugging in just one channel of the stereo strip!

[@georgiowee]

on its rear side: either from control room jacks female or from xlr 's Best Regards

[@HurricaneWanderer]

I have a Made in USA Mackie 1202-VLZ with a manufacturing date of 9M1711, which would mean that it was made in November 1997.

[@s.g.3042]

That was the best one, the very 1-st iteration, congrats!

[@RabidBatMusic]

Can you please tell me anything more about those m/s "tricks" you hinted at?

[@FarewellOldFriends]

To turn the signals from an M-S (Mid-and-Side) pair to X-Y (coincident stereo) pair, you can do the following: 1. Plug Mid mic into Chanel 1 mic input. Pan central. 2. Plug Side mic into Channel 2 mic input. Mute the channel. 3. Make up a "Y" lead with three stereo (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) 1/4" jack plugs. With solder, short Tip & Ring on one, and solder that combined point to the tip (only) of a second stereo plug and the ring (only) of the other. Connect all sleeves (grounds) together. 4. Plug the jack with the shorted pins into the rear panel Insert socket for Channel 2. 5. Plug the other two jacks into the line inputs of Channels 3 and 4 (panning hard L and R respectively), or the L and R inputs of a stereo channel (panned to centre). This applies the Side mic signal in antiphase to the left and right channels. 6. Bring up the Mid mic level to achieve a good general signal level (adjust gain trim to suit). 7. With the Side mic (Input 2) set to the same gain trim level as Channel 1, bring up Channels 3 & 4 together (or the stereo channel if you're using that), to increase the width of the stereo feed to your taste. Now, of course, if you are just using a single M-S pair of mics, and don't have a need to output an X-Y signal (live streaming, recording to tape etc.), you could ignore this and just pan the Mid and Side mics hard left and right, record as M-S and deal with the matrixing in your DAW; indeed, that can be a safe way of identifying the source of problems with an individual mic (at the cost of a rather weird lop-sided headphone mix.) But this in-mixer approach (especially using the stereo input channel) can be useful if you need to create a balanced stereo mix incorporating a couple of spot mics and/or some other stereo sources. I have also done this with my 1402VLZ mixer, but IIRC, due to its selectable input sensitivity, proper balancing of the stereo input channel only works at one of the positions (+4, I think, but don't quote me!) HTH

[@szymeklawik7636]

Can you run this mixer hot with good saturation? I want to use it for my drum machine.

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Not something I've ever tried as always interested in lowest distortion recordings of classical music - perhaps someone else has pushed the mixer to its limits?

[@jaygeedeepbro]

Im also interested in this

[@hubpillz]

i know this is an old comment but you can find several videos here on youtube showing how good this mixer distorts by cranking the input trim and eq gain knobs

[@tyebillion]

I want to connect the main XLR outputs on the Mackie to a Roland Quad Capture. What settings do I use for the main output level switch on the Mackie? What settings do I use for the Hi Z and phantom switches on the Quad Capture?

[@ibnu9630]

What is the difference between the gain and trim buttons on this mixer

[@FarewellOldFriends]

OK, it's confusing because of Mackie's choice of terminology. The controls labelled TRIM on this mixer's main input channels are equivalent to the INPUT GAIN controls on other mixers (and guitar ampifiers!) The controls labelled GAIN on this mixer might be called VOLUME or FADER in other mixers. Given that signal sources can come in a wide range of voltage levels (insensitive dynamic mics, 'hot' condenser mics, low level Hi-Fi line signals or professional high-level line signals), the TRIM control (on this mixer - INPUT GAIN elsewhere) is adjusted to allow the GAIN control (on this mixer - FADER elsewhere) to be 'ridden' over a 'sensible' range (say between 11 o'clock and 4 o'clock) during the actual mixing process. You can think of the TRIM control as creating a 'level playing field' for the mixing process. It's very sensitive to rotary position, but the aim is to set it before you start to mix (aided by the level meter), and then leave it alone during the actual mixing process. If the TRIM is set for too much gain, not only are the preamps and EQ section likely to overload and distort, but you will be mixing with the GAIN pot almost fully counter-clockwise, where tiny rotational movements can make wild differences to volume level, making your mix very difficult to control. Conversely, if the TRIM is set too low, you will end up working with the GAIN control set flat-out, and this will expose the noise of the preamp and EQ stages. The rotary or linear potentiometers used on volume controls follow a semi-logarithmic law of output vs. rotation angle, to match the way humans perceive sound levels. On these controls, the 'sweet spot' for applying the kind of moderate correction (say + or - 6dB) needed during live mixing is typically centred around the 2 o'clock position. The line inputs on the other dedicated line input channels (5-12) have fixed gain (so no TRIM controls) as they expect to see 'regular' hi-fi line levels of around 1V. For full info, please Google for the user manual - it's available from most of the usual user manual aggregator sites. It contains a signal level diagram that explains the mixer's gain structure.

[@bradslawson6613]

Can the connector side of this mixer be swiveled around for rack mounting?

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Hi Brad - afraid not - it's a single control/connector panel. The same applies to the 1402. These small mixers are designed for stand-alone desk-top use only. The only Mackie mixer I have owned with that feature was the 1604VLZ.

[@nhiavang1078]

Hi I would like to know how you adjust the echo sound on this mixer. Thanks

[@FarewellOldFriends]

There are no built-in effects. You send from the Aux 1 (set to post-fader) or Aux 2 (fixed post-fader) to an external reverb unit and bring the effects back on Aux 1 and 2 inputs. I describe this in the video and in the description. If you need more details and wiring diagrams, download the User Manual from the web - it's available from a wide range of sites. Mackie's manuals are very informative.

[@Rog1550]

When I connect a Camera (Panasonic Hvx 200) to my mixer I get a hum. You have any Idea what it could be. Camera running on battery pack. Next time I try it I will take the charger and plug it in. Not Shure it might be a ground problem? Cant record with that bad of a hum in the video... Thanks..

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Hi Rog - I'll assume you are recording onto the camera from the mixer and not the other way round. Also that listening on your mixer headphone output indicates a hum-free signal. You may have the camera inputs set too sensitive, possibly on the Mic setting. Your camera is a professional model, and is designed to do exactly what you describe. Have a look at its User Manual: pdfstream.manualsonline.com/f/f915fa47-96f7-49c3-b5fb-f6f96cd3fb5c.pdf Set the camera input select switches (on front, below and to the left of the lens) to LINE. Set AGC OFF (via menu, p.106). Connect regular balanced XLR cables between the mixer XLR outs and camera XLR ins. Make sure the mixer output is set to Line level output, not Mic level, if that is an option on your mixer. Using balanced cables with correctly set line-in sensitivity should give a nice clean hum-free result, whether on batteries or the mains adaptor. If not, there may be something wrong with your camera or mixer. Hope that helps!

[@ronalddavis6363]

Please. kindly let me need to know if the Mackie DFX 12 MIXER is self powered. Thanks

[@FarewellOldFriends]

See manual at supportloudtech.netx.net/loud-public/#/asset/10403 It does not have built-in amplifiers. I think you could have found the manual yourself!

[@ronsteffans8107]

does this have line in and line out connection? the Korg Kaoss calls for both line in and line out to work

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Hi Ron - I'd never looked at the Korg Kaoss before seeing this question, but I have assumed you were talking about the Kaoss Pad KP3, downloaded its User Manual and had a quick look. Are you intending to use the Kaoss Pad as an effect processor as in the diagram on Page 9? If so, just use the Mackie's Aux Send 1 or 2 (depending on whether you want the effects pre or post-fade) to feed into the Kaoss Pad's Line In. The Mackie's Aux Sends are only mono outputs, so you may need to use a splitter lead that feeds in parallel into the Kaoss Pad's LR line input jacks. But the two aux return inputs on the Mackie are stereo, so you can feed stereo Kaoss effects back into your mix. This is a pretty standard configuration, it would apply to most other manufacturers' mixers in this class. I hope that helps!

[@aidanvinum]

My volume meter doesn’t illuminate...any ideas why that could be? I have a Mackie 12 channel VLZ4

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Hi - looking at the Mackie schematics (all available freely online), the volume meter LED ladder is fed from a dedicated 16V LED supply, so that could fail while leaving the rest of the mixer operational. Sounds like a job for an electronic technician, if you're not familiar with fixing electronic gear yourself. Good luck!

[@enzohsu615]

how do i use this one for recording? how do i connect my computer to the mixer ?

[@FarewellOldFriends]

That's outside the scope of this video. Searching KZbin for "how to connect analog mixer to PC" gives many tutorial videos on this topic.

[@bazoulou]

Hi FarewellOldFriends, I replied to a comment below to ask you a question but in an effort to avoid having my questions lost in all the comments that you have received, I have decided to copy and past it at the top as well. Here it is: Thank you very much for your explanations on this mixer. I recently purchased one like this on eBay (it has not arrived yet) and I was under the impression that it is both mixer and audio interface. However based on your explanation above it seems that it is not an audio interface since you said that you use it in conjunction with a digital audio tape recorder. Therefore should I stop believing that one can connect this mixer directly to a computer and a digital audio workstation such as Logic Pro? Can you please confirm that this mixer is not an audio interface as well which means I will have to find a way to connect it to the audio interface? And if it's not an audio interface, will I be able to connect it to an interface for both recording and to listen to the recorded material on the studio monitors and even play along with fellow musicians in my home studio? Thank you so much for your inputs. I really appreciate them. P.S. Sorry if my questions are very basic. I am completely new to the world or recording. I want to make sure that I get the right equipments.

[@FarewellOldFriends]

I have made it clear in my responses to other comments, and in the video description, that this is only a mixer. It has no built-in computer audio interface or other recording capabilities. The user manual for this (and the other generations of the 1202 model, which are all very similar) is widely available online: it describes the mixer's specification and capabilities in a lot more detail than I do in this video, and shows a variety of connection scenarios. Mackie's user manuals are very readable without being patronising. I used this mixer for recording direct to a separate recorder (a DAT recorder at the time, which shows how old this mixer is). In most cases, I was only using a stereo pair of mics, and only needed the mixer for its mic preamps, as the DAT machine had no mic inputs. To use the mixer with DAW software, it needs to be connected to the host computer via a separate audio interface. The simplest solution being a minimal line-in/line-out device connected to the mixer's tape deck outs and a line input pair. Indeed, a computer may have analog line in and out connectors already built-in, but they often suffer from electrical interference and are probably best avoided! If you envisage recording your band straight to stereo (within the constraints of 4 mics and 4 stereo line inputs) then this mixer - with a suitable audio interface - will help you do this. It could be useful for recording jams or practice sessions. But note that your mix will be locked into stereo, and that there are no built-in effects (reverb, compression etc.) in this mixer. So it's all a bit limited. A person setting up to do simple recording at home these days is likely to buy an audio interface with as many simultaneous mic inputs as they need already built-in, and work with that alone. The vast majority of such interfaces come with driver software to assist with monitor mixing, and some will have more that one pair of line outputs, to feed not only a pair of studio monitors, but also individual monitor mixes for musicians. I'd strongly recommend seeking out some practical advice from a local sound engineer - and ideally getting some hands-on tuition with an existing recording setup - before you make a serious financial investment in your own equipment. It really helps to have a clear view of the overall picture before focusing on the individual components. Good luck and enjoy recording!

[@bazoulou]

@@FarewellOldFriends Thank you so much for your detailed response. It is extremely helpful. I understand the situation way better now.

[@adrianruvalcaba2896]

Can I connect a headphone amp to the aux sends, to use them for monitoring?

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Yes you can. It's worth bearing in mind that: a) Only Aux 1 can be switched to 'pre-fade' (i.e. independent of the channel fader settings), which is what you really need for a musician's monitor. b) The aux sends are mono (but that's not normally an issue). c) Aux sends go out before the Main/Alt bus assignment, allowing you to provide quite different mixes for the musician and recording engineer.

[@marcoszerpafarut]

podria explicarlo en español milñ gracias o adonde puedo conseguir el manual de uso

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Hola Marcos! Solo puedo encontrar un manual para el 1202VLZ en inglés (www.manualslib.com/manual/293848/Mackie-1202-Vlz.html). Los diagramas se explican por sí mismos y pueden pasar el texto a través del Traductor de Google, como lo estoy haciendo aquí. ¡Buena suerte!

[@miru021]

So, does this thing records on its own without a computer or DAW?

[@FarewellOldFriends]

No, this mixer would be used for recording in conjunction with an external recorder. I described it as a 'recording' mixer as I always used it for that, and it's a little limited for PA use. However, I have now changed the video title to avoid confusion.

[@cubaleyenda]

hello i need some help to connect my mackie mixer to a set of power yamaha speakers, can you tell me how to do it?? thank you!!

[@nemeik]

connect the output from your mixer to input of your speakers, if they're passive you need to put an amp in between

[@elmoustrotacias6831]

Hola. Tengo uno igual le prende una luz roja. Y no sale. Sonido. En ese channel. Que puede tener

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Hello - I don't know what mixer manufacturer and model you have. If you have a red light, it may indicate the channel is muted. Withouut seeing it, I'm afraid I can't advise you in any more detail. Hola, no sé qué fabricante y modelo de mezclador tienes. Si tiene una luz roja, puede indicar que el canal está silenciado. Sin verlo, me temo que no puedo aconsejarlo con más detalle.

[@livinguntohim1]

Can this power a babinet speaker?

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Not sure what you mean.This has no internal power amplifier, so you need an amp and speakers, or powered speakers if you want to use it for PA.

[@malenalobo1668]

saludo desde venezuela

[@wendelmarques7472]

Estou querendo comprar uma mesa dessa achei o máximo bem completa e parece ser bem segura

[@marcoszerpafarut]

buenas noches por favor prodrias montar el video en español gracias

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Hola Marcos: he corregido los subtítulos en inglés generados automáticamente, por lo que ahora puedes seleccionar Abrir transcripción y copiar y pegar los subtítulos en Google Translate. He hecho esto, pero no sé cómo volver a ponerlos en un conjunto de subtítulos en español! Hello Marcos - I have corrected the auto-generated English subtitles, so you can now select Open Transcript, and copy and paste the subtiles into Google Translate. I have done this, but do not know how to put them back into a set of Spanish subtitles!

[@FarewellOldFriends]

¡He descubierto cómo traducir los subtítulos! I have discovered how to translate the captions!

[@joeschmoo1253]

So how do you record? Your heading says Recording....Do I need an amp?...interface? Preamp/ USB ? Mp3 .Your video shows controls on mackie but not informative about set up or actual recording devices needed such as amp so on.confusing ,,Perhaps you can kindly direct me to and actual RECORDING VIDEO using the 1202 VLZ hooked up to other devices needed for actual live recording ?

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Hi Joe - Have only just seen your comment - have no idea why. Although there's nothing stopping anyone using this mixer for PA, its channel count is a bit limited for most PA applications. I used this mixer for simple recording in conjunction with a DAT recorder - long since defunct. The line outs go straight into the recorder line inputs. The mixer provides microphone phantom power, preamplification and mixing to stereo, as well as solo or mix monitoring to headphones or an external amp/speaker combination. I only used headphones when recording. Please see my general channel comments regarding looking for one of the hundreds of KZbin tutorials for connecting mixers to recorders, amps, PCs etc. Hope that helps!

[@eduardogonzalez-oh7tp]

Joe Schmoo this was so informative this guy should get payed by Mackie! never said how to record? recording mixer overview and I i must say thanks go taking yer time and helping us novice peeps with a friendly style... straight and to the point ...just beautiful

[@bazoulou]

@@FarewellOldFriends Thank you very much for your explanations on this mixer. I recently purchased one like this on eBay (it has not arrived yet) and I was under the impression that it is both mixer and audio interface. However based on your explanation above it seems that it is not an audio interface since you said that you use it in conjunction with a digital audio tape recorder. Therefore should I stop believing that one can connect this mixer directly to a computer and a digital audio workstation such as Logic Pro? Can you please confirm that this mixer is not an audio interface as well which means I will have to find a way to connect it to the audio interface? And if it's not an audio interface, will I be able to connect it to an interface for both recording and to listen to the recorded material on the studio monitors and even play along with fellow musicians in my home studio? Thank you so much for your inputs. I really appreciate them. P.S. Sorry if my questions are very basic. I am completely new to the world or recording. I want to make sure that I get the right equipments.

[@domingoventuradelossantos7731]

Show power xformer

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Item has now been sold, so can not open up the mixer to see the transformer. Good of you to ask.

[@marcelmarcel5670]

habla,habla,habla,habla

[@FarewellOldFriends]

+Marcel Marcel Gracias, pero no hablo español!

[@marcelmarcel5670]

Like Mackie sonora

[@cubansandwiches9634]

Accidentally had the plus 4 VU button on the back pushed in and it ruined the sound at the wedding. What a waste of bringing 3 QSC speakers and a sub. At the end of day my fault but I will never use this product again because of that horrible memory performing those 3 hours with such crappy sound. I always felt these mixers had too many buttons from day 1 and now I am convinced. Poor design Mackie!

[@FarewellOldFriends]

Cuban Sandwiches Hi - I'm a little surprised that the speakers were not designed for +4VU operation anyway, but I've never used that make before. For that very reason, I tend to set the system up with the highest mixer output selected and the amp/speaker input desensitised accordingly: then, if the level switch button gets pressed accidentally, the system just goes quiet until I figure out what happened. Did you not hear the poor sound quality at the event or during the soundcheck? No need to dump the Mackie, though; you'll never make that mistake again. We've all had this sort of 'learning experience' - not noticing an overloaded condenser vocal mic for a whole live gig recording springs painfully to mind!