Mackie DLZ Creator - DON'T BUY if Solo Content Creator - Too many issues...

On the surface, the Mackie DLZ Creator looks like the perfect tool for content creators. However, once you start using it, you see how it falls short in many key areas. In this video, I share my experience with it and explore its shortcomings in more detail. I still like the idea of it, but the execution is poorly done. And since Mackie has now been purchased by RODE, I would expect there to be little, if any, future firmware support to address these simple issues.

[@IamShopping]

Thank you for the video. I was excited about the original Creator DLZ but it's too big. And then I thought that maybe DLZ Creator XS could be a good choice for a solo creator with occasional need of the second mic due to a smaller size and big screen. Apparently even XS would be an overkill. Probably, I'd better use something like Zoom F3 or Zoom R4 since I don't need live streaming - just record audio for postprocessing.

[@RandumbTech]

I gave up on the Mackie. It was just too finicky for me and there were real issues that caused it to not work as intended. I think part of it is because Rode bought Mackie and they are not putting the resources into the Mackie support. It desperately needs a firmware update. If you have just one camera, any portable audio recorder should work great and you can process the audio in post like you mentioned. Good luck!

[@rjphllps7]

size isnt an issue to me but I have yet to see any videos about how it works for streamers. can you set a fader to control sounds like discord volume, itunes or music app volume, system sounds, and all that to control while streaming.. would love to see if it can actually work for streamers.. yet no videos for setup or how to make it best for that scenario..

[@RandumbTech]

Unfortunately, I don't have any direct experience with streaming, but I did run it into OBS via NDI and it worked flawlessly. The challenge was getting NDI configured correctly on my PC. But once that was done, it was great! It does have loop back level controls so you can manage the volume of whatever is playing on your PC.

[@rjphllps7]

@@RandumbTech would love someone to make a video on all those details, seems like something I would love to watch!

[@jeromemcclain4184]

Is it possible that your USB port/s is running in energy save mode? I had the same problem with my audio interface connected to my laptop. Turned that function off, and it’s never happened again.

[@RandumbTech]

Thx for the suggestion. I looked at everything and nothing seemed to make a difference. I ended up selling it on eBay so I now longer have it available to test. The Rodecaster DUO didn't behave the same way so it was definitely an issue specific to the Mackie.

[@zandtussenjetenen]

Love the MACKIE, BIG SCREEN. transfer audio through NDI..

[@RandumbTech]

NDI was unfortunately not an option for me as I don’t have a hub to plug into. But even then, it does not solve the problem of transferring stored media from SD card, does it? I was under the impression that it was only to stream audio in real time.

[@mrbig2159]

What sd card can I use with this device???

[@RandumbTech]

You can use any Micro SD card. I think the one I used was 256MB.

[@bengroovesgh]

Of course it’s not for solo creators😊

[@RandumbTech]

I somewhat disagree. I will occasionally have someone else participate in the video. Plus I like to mix up my mics all the time so it's great to have multiple mics plugged in and ready to go depending on the style of video I want to make. Ultimately though, there are better solutions out there for small creators like me.

[@easthertsradio]

Couple of issues as of firmware V1.2 : Autoducking is too slow on attack and release. No control. Seems to record a filesize of 2.4GB and then creates a new file (Recording). Otherwise we love it for what we do.

[@RandumbTech]

Glad it's working well for you! It's a bummer you can only assign autoducking to channel 1. It would make sense to be able to assign it to any of the inputs. For example, when a caller is the guest, you want to give them priority. Was not aware of the file size limitations as I never recorded long enough to go over that amount.

[@avision-BL]

2 BIG advantages of DLZ compared to others, 2 stereo analog inputs via an audio interface you can add 4 more microphones and there is automix, it would be good if you could activate it on all channels

[@RandumbTech]

It's a great device for a lot of content creators, just not me. Glad it's working well for you!

[@LighthouseFactsFiguresMy-qd6qh]

I am absolutely with you on this. I researched all the stuff before I bought the DLZ, which is hailed as a recorder mixer in one, with effects and great pre amps etc. But I cannot edit my recorded podcast on board, as there is no waveform edit facility to cut out mistakes or spaces etc and the podcast needs to be recorded simultaneously on to a DAW to allow this. If its a good mixer...OK, if its a good recorder OK....but it isn't both as advertised. The "multitrack file " is mumbo jumbo and needs a DAW to recognise those files which many don't. It's a real pisser when I watch "Professional" people who have been sent a unit for free, upselling this product, BUT NOT telling us what it hasn't got to be a competent and editable recorder section. F***ng disgrace.

[@RandumbTech]

Mackie is mostly focused on live music and as a result most of the features are meant to be used in real time. I think the Rodecaster is the better option for most podcasters. Thanks for sharing your experience with it!

[@TheRockPilePodcast]

Rodecastor duo much better

[@RandumbTech]

Not necessarily. I ended up selling the big DLZ, but bought an XS instead. So far, they've fixed 2 of my biggest complaints - the time/date issue and USB connectivity (using NDI instead). Now that I have it configured the way I like it, it's working exceptionally well.

[@Leele0]

READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY 1. The fact that this unit records in FAT 32 file format is going to ruin SOME people's days. be careful out there. if you are recording a 1-hour long podcast, just note that this will break down the 60-minute-long recording show into 5 different files....yes, you read that correctly...5 different files of 2.15GB each...if you don't want to be manually aligning your audio at the end of the recording sessions, do not buy this. i sometimes record 3 hour long podcasts and I do not like MANUALLY ALIGNING my audio, only because this can throw off SYNC with video throughout the show at some point if not properly and precisely aligned (And no, it won't SNAP into place PRECISELY). 2. Also, MACKIE has not yet fixed the file name issue they have. every file is recorded and stamped with the same date, ALWAYS, and you won't be able to change that. it records every file with the 8th of MARCH of 2023...so finding out which file is which is a nightmare. 3. The media pads are HORRIBLE in my opinion. as a music producer, I have not yet encountered stiffer pads. it isn't light to the touch or anything close to that. you have to hard press them to trigger them. 4. Cannot connect it to the internet to update firmware or date settings, you have to manually place the firmware file into a flash then install it inside the machine and etc...not a huge inconvenience, but then again $800 ?! 🤷‍♂ 5. The unit does not automatically give you separate stems in various files. instead, it records them in one single file which you then have to open it in your DAW to extract the stems from...not all DAWs have the MULTITRACK functions to break these files down (Studio One 6.6 doesn't). Customer support is not great at all. the guy there is rude and it's like he doesn't want to help you at all. answers you with attitude for no reason, especially after you just dropped $800 on this thing. look, at the end of the day, to each their own. to some this may be helpful and to others this might upset them. At the end of the day, for me, this is 100% not better than the RODECASTER pro 2...even though RODE just acquired them 😄

[@RandumbTech]

Strangely, they've fixed the date/time issue on the XS model. I still can't manually update it, but it's consistently giving me GMT. Since I'm GMT-4, it's close enough! Also, I am not having any issues with the recordings not actually recording on the XS. Lastly, I've finally figured out NDI and am using that to get audio into my PC rather than USB. Overall, the XS is working MUCH better than the original DLZ. Hopefully, they will update the firmware soon to address some of these very simple fix issues.

[@Leele0]

@@RandumbTech thank you for replying. Look, I've owned a bunch of Mackie products over the many years. namely the MCU pro, some of their ONYX mixers, and the monitor controllers. I also owned a few headphone preamps and their Condenser mics as well. to be honest with you, these guys have amazing concepts but they just cannot perfectly nail them. they are really bad at creating a "Perfect" product...i have finally had enough. this is the end of the road for me with MACKIE. actually, maybe now that they have been purchased by RODE things may change. the guys are unfortunately bad at creating a problem-free product....or at least, they should just stick to creating basic, not-so-complicated units...that way, they will stay out of trouble. the moment they try and dive into something a lot more technological, this is where they crash big time....then their customer support..................ooooohhhhhhhh boooooyyyyyy

[@Leele0]

I own 2 RODECASTER PRO 2 units and I couldn't be happier man. believe me when I say this. I'm about to buy another 4 units, and I bought 1 DLZ to see if things were going to be much better than the RODECATSER PRO 2. I couldn't be HAPPIER that I did not actually drop $4000 on all 5 units at once.....woooooowwwww i am thankful to GOD that i did not do that. initially, I was going to just pull the trigger on it due to all the "Paid" and in my opinion "biased" reviews online. I'm actually quite sad and upset that some of my favorite content creators reviewed this thing as if this was a BEASTTTT of a machine. the idea is great. the implementation however, was very poorly made. i would NOT recommend this over the other options out there