All the auxes have their own master level control, and a separate rotary level control feeds a set of control-room outputs and the headphone out, which mirrors the control-room feed. The channels and buses are all controlled by 60mm faders, with the master bus using a single stereo fader.Īs well as the two monitor aux sends, and the aux 3 effects output, a stereo aux return is available (either for use with external effects or as another stereo line input), and three knobs allow this to be sent to the main mix and the two monitor sends. The buses can individually be routed to the left, right or both channels of the master bus, via buttons labelled 'L' and 'R'. The channels can be routed to these buses using 'sub' buttons 1/2 and 3/4, making this mixer a practical proposition for studio recording when there are multiple sound sources to deal with. In addition to the main output, which is presented on both XLR and jack sockets, there are four 'sub' buses, each with its own jack output. A button marked 'break' mutes all the input channels except for the stereo tape/USB return, for playing background music between performances. A switch next to this chooses between the analogue tape return and a two-track return via USB (of which more in a moment). The tape out is a duplicate of the main mix, and the tape input has its own level knob, which sets the level of tape return going to the main mix. Channels 1-4 additionally have a TRS jack insert point.įor connecting external audio devices, there are stereo tape in and out sockets on RCA phonos. By default, aux send 3 goes to the internal effects, but there is also a physical aux 3 output, should you wish to use external effects. The channel strips have access to three auxiliary sends, of which the first two are pre-fader and intended for monitoring, and the third is post-fader and designated for effects. A further button below the bus routing switches activates the Solo/PFL function, with the usual Mackie flashing warning LED in the master section to indicate that one or more channels are solo'd. There's no EQ bypass, unfortunately, so you have to rely on the centre detents on the controls if you want to set the EQ flat.Įach channel has its own mute button, with an accompanying LED that shows both mute and input overload status. Of course, there's phantom power for capacitor mics or active DI boxes, and this is switchable globally. The mono mic channels (1-8) have a three-band EQ with sweepable mid-range (these have a wide range, from 100Hz to 8kHz), while the remaining channels (from 9/10 to 15/16) have a fixed mid-range band, set at 2.5kHz.
#MACKIE PROFX8V2 PROTOOLS 12 MANUAL#
Although the manual doesn't say whether these preamps are based on earlier Mackie designs or not, they work well in practice, they sound clean, and they have adequate headroom and negligible noise.
The Ins & OutsĪll the mic inputs have a switchable 100Hz, 18dB/octave low-cut filter, and the gain controls can provide up to 50dB of gain, with a further 10dB available 'in hand' via the channel fader. There are two more line-only stereo channels at locations 13/14 and 15/16. The way the input arrangement works on this model is that the last two mic-capable channels (9/10 and 11/12) may be used either as mono mic channels or as stereo line channels. However, the stereo inputs are still useful for accommodating keyboards, guitar-modelling preamps and the like.
A switching, multi-voltage PSU is built-in, so no wall-wart is needed, and all the connections are on the top for easy access.Īlthough it's designated as a 16-input mixer, there are actually only 10 channels with mic preamps, the remaining channels being line only - something I always find frustrating when I run out of mic inputs at a gig.
#MACKIE PROFX8V2 PROTOOLS 12 PRO#
The Mackie Pro FX16 follows closely in the footsteps of earlier Mackie analogue mixers, though this particular incarnation has a few extra features, including a seven-band graphic equaliser, stereo USB recording and playback, built-in digital effects, and compression on four of the channels.Ĭonstructionally, the mixer is typical Mackie, with a robust steel case and tough, moulded end-cheeks (although these may be removed for fitting an optional rackmounting kit). With its built-in effects, compressors and graphic EQ, this compact console might just be ideal for small-scale live work.