Mackie power and precision in a small mixer!
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, they 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, they developed components completely from scratch.
ONYX Mic preamps-
Because a great mixer starts with great mic preamps, Mackie invested in R&D efforts into developing the new flagship Onyx mic preamps. These preamps build upon the 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.
Perkins EQ circuitry-
When it was time for the Onyx EQ section, veteran audio engineer Cal Perkins steped up to develop the 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.
Firewire I/O option card-
In the category of "Why didn't someone think of this sooner?", the Onyx 1220 has an optional FireWire I/O card, which bridges the analog-to-digital gap by providing up to 14 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.
- Premium 12-channel small-format analog mixer with all-new circuitry
- 4 new ONYX mic preamps with sound comparable to boutique preamps
- New 3-band Perkins EQ with sweepable mids on Mic/Line channels
- 96kHz FireWire option card for streaming 14 independent channels of audio to computer with near-zero latency
- 2 channels of monitoring from computer via FireWire option card
- 2 Aux sends w/ Pre/Post switches
- 4 stereo line-level inputs
- Built-in Talkback section for use with internal or external mic
- True hardware EQ Bypass
- "Planet-Earth" switching power supply for worldwide use
- Individual 48v Phantom Power switches on all mic inputs
- 60mm Logarithmic Taper faders for smooth, linear fades
- Balanced direct outs for every channel via DB-25 connections
- Selectable Instrument inputs on first two channels—no DI box needed
Technical Description
- Frequency Response (Gain @ Unity): +0, -1dB, 10Hz- 50kHz; +0, -3dB, <10Hz- >100kHz
- THD: <0.01%, 20Hz- 20Khz
- SMPTE IMD: <0.005%
- Dynamic Range: >113dB (Mic In to Mic Out)
- EIN: -129dBu @ +60dB gain
- CMRR: >60dB @ 1kHz, Gain @ max
- Input to Output Crosstalk: <-75dB @ 1kHz
- Inputs to Recording Outputs Crosstalk: <-90dB @ 1kHz
- Phantom Power: =48 VDC
- Mixer Rated Output: +4dBu (mixer, AUX send, control room)
- Maximum Rated Output:
+27dBu @ Main XLR Outputs
+21dBu @ TRS Outputs - Power Consumption: 40W
- Power Supply: 100 VAC- 240 VAC, 50-60 Hz
- Dimensions (HxWxD): 17.3” x 13.9” x 5.9”/ 439mm x 353mm x 150mm
- Weight: 16 lbs/ 7.3 kg
Warranty Information
3-year warranty on mixers and controllers, 1-year warranty (3-year with returned warranty card) on speakers, subs and monitors and 5-year warranty on power amplifiers.
List Price: $689.99
