MACKIE ONYX1640 Details
MACKIE ONYX1640
Our flagship 16-channel premium analog mixer, with 24-bit/96kHz FireWire I/O capabilities
TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING...
The goal for Mackie's flagship Onyx series of small-format mixers was to bring premium analog sound, expanded features, and streaming FireWire connectivity to both recording and live sound environments. To pull all this off, we started with a team of veteran audio product engineers from the great Pacific Northwest (aka Woodinville, Washington). The Onyx team quickly set out by specifying the highest-quality analog components--from premium op-amps to IC chips costing exponentially more than previous designs. In many cases, we developed components completely from scratch. With Greg Mackie himself steering Onyx mixer layout and design, we took a "real world" approach to the entire process.
ONYX MIC PREAMPS
Because a great mixer starts with great mic preamps, we invested significant R&D efforts into developing our new flagship Onyx mic preamps. These preamps build upon our already-impressive XDR design to meet or surpass expensive esoteric standalone mic pres in terms of fidelity, headroom and transparency—as well as improved radio frequency (RFI) rejection and wider dynamic range. Onyx Mic Preamps: Studio Preamp Performance in a Compact Mixer.
Specifically, the Onyx mic preamp delivers outstanding, verifiable specs like 123dB total dynamic range, –129.5 dBm Equivalent Input Noise, and 0.0007% Total Harmonic Distortion. Onyx mic preamps also address things like input impedance and linearity, maximum input level handling at low gain settings, shielding and grounding effectiveness, overload recovery, and radio frequency interference better than any preamp in Mackie history. And because Onyx mic preamps are designed for use at “real world” gain settings, they’ll easily handle anything from +22 dB line level down to microvolt-level signals from a ribbon mic, without adding noise.
But commonly published specifications and technical talk tell only part of the Onyx preamp story. The real test comes when you plug a really good studio condenser mic into an Onyx mixer. Listen to the depth, headroom and immense detail. Then plug that same mic into any other small-format mixer, or even much more expensive stand-alone mic preamps. We think you’ll agree the Onyx preamp gives you transparency and fidelity on par with any preamp on the market.
PERKINS EQ CIRCUITRY
When it was time for the Onyx EQ section, we turned to veteran audio engineer Cal Perkins to develop our new Perkins EQ circuitry—a "neo classic" 3- and 4-band design based on classic "British EQ" circuitry from mixing desks of the '60s and '70s. Cal devised a way to give Perkins EQ that sweet "British console" sound, but with greater filter control and minimum phase shift.
LISTENING TO OUR CUSTOMERS
We rounded out the Onyx 1220 feature set by answering some common requests from our compact mixer customers: adding individual 48v phantom power and balanced direct outputs on every channel; a full Auxiliary section with Pre/Post control; and a new Talkback section with a convenient built-in mic. We even developed a "Planet Earth" switching power supply for worldwide use.
ONYX1640
Premium 16-channel/4-bus small-format analog mixer
16 new ONYX mic preamps comparable to boutique preamps
New 4-band Perkins EQ with dual sweepable midrange controls provides warm,
musical sound
96K FireWire option for streaming 16 independent channels of audio to computer
with very low latency
2 channels of monitoring from computer via FireWire option card
6 Aux sends w/ individual Pre/Post switches and Solo controls
4-bus architecture for flexible sub-grouping of channels
Built-in Talkback section for use w/ internal or external mic
True hardware EQ Bypass
"Planet-Earth" ± power supply
Linear taper 60mm faders with ultra-smooth response on all channels
Balanced direct outs for every channel via DB-25 connection
Selectable Instrument inputs on first two channels.no DI box needed
Rotating I/O pod for desktop or rackmount operation
FIREWIRE I/O OPTION CARD
In the category of "Why didn't someone think of this sooner?", we gave the Onyx 1640 an optional FireWire I/O card, which bridges the analog-to-digital gap by providing up to 18 independent channels of high-quality 24-bit/96kHz audio that you can plug right into your FireWire-equipped Mac or PC. And bring a stereo mix back from your computer for monitoring purposes.
For those who record and produce music on computers, we’ve given Onyx mixers another “world’s first” – an optional user-installable 24-bit/96kHz FireWire I/O card with the ability to send up to 16 individual channels of high-quality digital audio direct to any FireWire-equipped computer (Windows XP or Mac OSX.3 or later). The FireWire card also sends a Left/Right stereo “quick mix” to the computer, with a level trim control that boosts or cuts the mix by ±10 dB as it is sent to the card — again letting you set levels independently for the live L/R mix and the recorded tracks. Better still, the FireWire interface returns two channels of audio from the computer to the mixer, letting you monitor your computer through the control room/phones matrix (pictured at left). So with FireWire, Onyx mixers can record everything from live gigs to studio sessions, with higher quality and lower latency than many dedicated computer audio interfaces. (In fact, an Onyx 1640 mixer with FireWire rivals the specifications and performance of dedicated studio A/D converters costing more than the entire Onyx 1640 mixer. Not to mention giving you waaaay more channels and flexibility.)
FireWire I/O Specifications
| Model # |
Ch. Output |
Mix Output |
# |
Ch. Input |
| Onyx 1220 |
12 |
Stereo (L/R) |
2 |
(Stereo L/R monitor from computer) |
| Onyx 1620 |
16 |
Stereo (L/R) |
2 |
(Stereo L/R monitor from computer) |
| Onyx 1640 |
16 |
Stereo (L/R) |
2 |
(Stereo L/R monitor from computer) |
MACKIE ONYX1640 16-CH 4BUS MIXER W/FREE
3Qtr
front
Rear
Side
Top
APEX 435 MIC 
AUDIO TECHNICA ATHM20 HEADPHONES
WHIRLWIND MIC/LINE CABLE 20' Balanced
