Mackie Onyx16 Review 2022

[@mgmg116]

USB 2.0 is generally more than sufficient for audio devices. The connector is stronger and more durable than type-C and the low polling interval/latency (0.125ms) and the insane 480Mbps bandwidth pretty much guarantee than unless you need more than 96 inputs at 192KHz, you'll never be limited by USB 2.0

[@InventiveCreation]

Thank you for the detailed insights

[@jonhost9732]

Great walkthrough. Thank you! Info has been pretty scarce on these mixers as it seems Mackie has had trouble with production or shipping or both. I have the 12-channel version, and have been really happy with it. I confess I was confounded by the need for the LR button on each channel, but you made good sense of that…in fact I’ll be putting it to good use tonight recording the band. Cheers!

[@InventiveCreation]

Thank you. I know what you mean about the LR button. Useful but confusing on first glance!

[@SmudgerTWR]

Hi I was hoping you could help. I’ve got a onyx 12. Channel 13 / 14 has a drum machine going through it and I can hear it on the mixer, however when I try to record the input 13/14 on ableton (I have selected the relevant options in the preferences) the whole desk is being recorded rather than the individual 13/14 channel. I have tried the usb send button but when I press that no signal at all is being recorded. Is this correct? Shouldn’t I get a individual signal for 13/14 in ableton? Thanks in advance.

[@Buddhacam]

OUTSTANDING introduction and explanation of the features and possible applications for this mixer. I need to recommend a mixer for use as an audio interface for Microsoft Teams to a client. This answered all of my questions and concerns working with this board and the finicky Teams application. I need the capability to add multiple mics in a large auditorium situation with various seating arrangements and large numbers of presenters talking at the same time while working in a hybrid environment. The flexibility of this unit is was perfectly outlined in your video. Thank you!

[@InventiveCreation]

Very pleased it was helpful

[@alin_b2s]

Thank you! I was looking for a comparation between mackie onyx 16 and presonus 16...as i was undecided wich one to buy. You are the only one to do (even though is a small reference) such thing. So, thanks!

[@InventiveCreation]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@joesalyers]

Great video and very in depth review! I like the fact that Mackie went to 96K on this interface/mixer combo. I would have bought the Onyx24 if it didn't have 3 glaring issues. I think they missed the mark with 3 major flaws. The 4 returns from USB, the lack of the mackie one knob compression, and a very limited 3 band eq that doesn't get recorded on the way in. When you look at the older Mackie 1640i Firewire mixers from 2010, that were both multichannel interfaces both in and out, those had up to 16 channels with a nice 4 band EQ which could be routed over Firewire along with routing of aux sends, groups and pre/post EQ assignment for all channels to the DAW. Its a shame that so many companies are using usb 2.0 since it limits you to either doubling the AD/DA conversion to go one way like Mackie have done to get 96K on the way in and only 4 channels to return or you become limited to 44.1/48K sampling rate if you do 24 inputs & 24 Return outputs like Tascam and Soundcraft did with their respective Mixer/interface combos. It just the limitation of USB 2.0 and the bandwidth it can provide. I agree with you that USB type C would have been better as well as moving up to USB 3 or higher speeds. Mackie had the opportunity to really make a product for home studio enthusiasts if they would have just added a few features or at least the most important and made the Onyx series a full 24x24 audio interface with 96K. This would have put them leagues ahead of the others like Tascam and Soundcraft. I was going to buy one the Onyx24 until i read in the manual about the 4 channel USB return. Mackie makes gear that lasts forever I have Mackie products from the 1990s that still work like the day I bought them, and I've used various small mackie mixers as headphone mixers in my studio for 20 years. So I would have bought one of the onyx24s and evangelized it if only had made the USB digital routing more flexible. I wanted one but I can't really justify it in its current form. Fingers crossed the next revision fixes these issues since there isn't another analog console with 96K converters on the market.

[@michaelandrews6811]

I'm torn between a mixer/audio interface combo or just an audio interface (with maybe a DAW control surface). I like the idea of coming in and using the mixer to jam without the need to go through the computer (vdrums, guitar, bass, etc through headphones). But your comment about return channels has me thinking about why I would want more than a playback L/R from the computer. I'd record the channels into the computer, and then playback the mix on a stereo return. Can you elaborate on why having each channel on a return make sense? Would it be to hear the channel through the DAW as you record, instead of hearing the channel though the mixer? For background, it's been 12 years or so since I had a home studio and I'm trying to make sense of all the technology changes. In the past I used a Mackie mixer with a stand alone 4 channel audio interface, but I can't really remember how I did all the connectivity.

[@InventiveCreation]

Thank you for the detailed comment. I think it will help other people considering this mixer.

[@TerekkiTerekki]

Well said

[@GregoryGolda]

One note - To listen to the headphones with the mains down, you have to solo the track and then press the solo button in the mains strip.

[@bongorick]

Thank you, those L/R buttons made me think I was doing something wrong. Your explanation was very helpful.

[@davidapgar3036]

Similarly, I have the ProFX12v3 (as my first mixer for almost a year now) with features both (1-2) and (L/R) buttons. I spent the first day or two trying to figure out why I couldn't get any sound. I still have a hard time understanding how they route to FX and Sub 1-2 sliders...which also have their own (1-2) and (L/R) buttons ...huge learning curve for those of us who are newbies to this stuff or haven't gone to school for sound engineering.

[@nomadvideomachine]

Thanks! I’ve seen a lot of mixers the last couple of weeks and I can say this thing is a blast! For my envisioned workflow that is ;)

[@fredmanteghian5913]

Two ways. If you want the blue sky in stereo, use the two jacks in back for sending. The return on a single `turns jack so you’ll need a special y cable that joins two quarter inch tip-sleeve jacks to a single tip-ring-sleeve jack. Those are often called insert cables. Second way, for a mono pedal, use channels 5 thru 8 which have insert jacks and that same special insert cable.

[@InventiveCreation]

Good tip, thank you,

[@gtubgle]

Excellent review dude. Thanks 👍🏼

[@Traumm9]

EXCELLENT WALK THROUGH! THANK YOU, PERFECT INTRO

[@DreadinNY]

I was looking at a TASCAM 16 to pair with my MPC Live II, but I am now leaning towards this mixer

[@dyxonelgeniomusical5864]

@@DreadinNY Me too

[@mactvvlog3876]

How to buying

[@ivanravello5687]

//// Does not come whit RCA jack. it's bad ???? greetings ////

[@kerryewen3624]

Great presentation, just what I needed , I’m going to buy this .

[@donkuruppuarachchi5792]

Can I record vocals to a laptop using onboard eq and effects? I really like the Onyx .

[@DexterityNJ]

Are the recording outs pre eq?

[@TheScalingEdge]

SO using thart "SND usb " on the main works as a mix minus for zoom?

[@norbutvstheworld]

The biggest difference between the the Mackie and Presonus is the recording depth.. Mackie does 24/192khz and the Presonus does 24/96khz...

[@ThunderRoadTV]

why cant i get waveform to recognise the mackie any clue?

[@SmudgerTWR]

Hi I was hoping you could help. I’ve got a onyx 12. Channel 13 / 14 has a drum machine going through it and I can hear it on the mixer, however when I try to record the input 13/14 on ableton (I have selected the relevant options in the preferences) the whole desk is being recorded rather than the individual 13/14 channel. I have tried the usb send button but when I press that no signal at all is being recorded. Is this correct? Shouldn’t I get a individual signal for 13/14 in ableton? Thanks in advance.

[@djlenzo8683]

Is this good for live band without compressor knob?

[@happyhamster1411]

There is no built in compression so you would need an outboard compressor

[@syneman1]

Is it possible to send multiple individual audio outs from an iPad or a DAW to the Mackie? I know the Tascam has like 8 outs on the Model 16. Also are the Mackie EQ’s as good as they used to be on their classic boards like the 1604VLZ?

[@InventiveCreation]

It's 18 in and 4 out relative to the DAW.

[@070agga]

Great explaination!! Thanks so much!

[@dronesphere1]

You're a good teacher!

[@ILLUDIUM_Q_36]

So you can only use one effect at a time?

[@InventiveCreation]

As for the internal effects yes. That is typical on most mixers in the class.

[@LittlePennyNolan]

Hopefully, these are available for sale soon!!!

[@sehnal139]

Can i record vocal and music to a laptop using onboard eq and effects. how do i do it? thank you

[@LIVEWIREMEDIAENT]

Type c cables are delicate and not as robust

[@user-yc3pt3om1d]

you said on board EQ won't be recorded to PC/DAW? how about the vocal effects?

[@InventiveCreation]

Only if you record the main mix. In that case you will get effects and EQ but just not per track.

[@DialetheismMusic]

Thank you for this. How are the faders? Solid, smooth, seemingly well-built? Those fader caps are odd, and look a bit flimsy and uncomfortable.

[@InventiveCreation]

Typical at this price point. Not high end but worked fine during my testing. My main mixer is an SSL BigSix which has much nicer faders but then it cost many times that of the Mackie

[@InventiveCreation]

One other point is this unit is an early production press version.

[@fredmanteghian5913]

Both Soundcraft signature series MTR units and Tascam models 16 and 24 are able to record all channels internally, not just L+R. The Soundcraft also has subgroups. Both can be used to mix from your daw. Big nope for me sorry. I appreciate your thorough review. Thank you. And no phantom power? Did I miss that?

[@InventiveCreation]

It has phantom power

[@eduturk9]

wait, so this one doesn't record all channels independently?

[@ZezeMotta-mw6kb]

@@eduturk9it does but there are some stereo channels.

[@massimomarazzo9180]

Hi, i have a question please: there is only 1 FX INPUT port??? If i have 4 external FX like Blue Sky, El Capistan and other... how can i use them in this mixer? thanks.

[@InventiveCreation]

You would need to bring the outputs back into channels

[@streetlyrecords2385]

nice review ! really the location of headphone output is terrible 😔

[@InventiveCreation]

There are always compromises on these things

[@nothingmemorable486]

Well the question for me is. Soundcraft MTK or Mackie Onyx or Presonus Studio Live or Tascam Model Thanks for the vid

[@InventiveCreation]

Yes, I went through that same evaluation. Used Presonus AR mixers for a few years, the switched to the SSL BigSix. It is a lot more money however it is more dedicated as s studio and recording device. For my smaller setup I have settled on the Mackie Onyx8.

[@nungu60a]

Sending master as 1&2 is a smart idea

[@Eightball69]

You can't record the channel EQ settings into your DAW when the mixer is used as an interface? 🤔

[@happyhamster1411]

You’re always better off with the purest signal going into the daw. In the daw is where you are supposed to manipulate the sounds

[@parrish.interstellar4194]

Great introduction. You said assigned EQ will not transfer over to tracks on the computer, but what about fx? Sorry if this is a dumb question, or if I just missed it.

[@YAWN....]

No, fx will be bypassed also.

[@happyhamster1411]

The usb signal comes right after the preamps, before the eq and effects

[@ruinspublishers6425]

Can you use the Onyx16 as a DAW controller like with Tascam’s Model 12?

[@InventiveCreation]

Not a feature of this mixer, so no

[@mactvvlog3876]

How to order

[@InventiveCreation]

Every major retailer has these. Check Sweetwater.

[@AFmajorbeats]

is it a thing in all the videos people are doing reviews just say screw talking about the fx and how to use it

[@bitchling265]

Shame u can’t record via multitrack

[@ZezeMotta-mw6kb]

Yes you can