After years of research and listening test, Mackie mixers top the pile. Quality, features and sound....the preamps alone are worth the price of this mixer. Don't think twice about this one my friends. If you need just a few inputs for a small home studio setup or mobile rig, this is the solution.

Sound
This mixer is VERY quiet...it introduces NO noise with your recordings. The noise floor is a none factor, so if you use a quiet MIC you have no issues with noise and that's the most important thing...getting a good quality recording!! I've used this mixer for several months now and have not had a single problem with it's build quality nor performance. It's been the focal point for my home and mobile studio setup. The XDR2 preamps rival that of more expensive external preamps...HONESTLY!! What ever you record through this mixer will be delivered with no fuss!! These preamps are worth the price of this amp alone and then some! Believe me when I tell you these preamps are beyond clean...I've heard some of the best preamps (tube included) and these Mackie preamps compare to those of vintage setups 5x the cost. Warm, natural and clean.....everything you want for your music/vocal recordings.

Features
For starters it's great not to need an external DI box for your instruments. Simply plug in your guitar, hit the Hi-Z switch (actually labled as a little guitar) and your off to the races. It has a 2 band EQ setting… read more for each channel and honestly they sound GREAT!! Besides if you need additional EQ settings most modern day adjustments are done within your DAW. I rarely use the EQ options anyway...I like to record my sources RAW (0db) and adjust during the editing stage, but if you need to make adjustments on the fly the EQ works flawlessly. Both Channels have CRAZY gain available, MUCH more than anyone would ever need, but good to know it's there. It has out puts to send to your monitors (see my review on the Behringer B2031A's....AWESOME MONITORS) and they are 1/4" balanced or unbalanced connections (use TRS). All-in-all this mix may LOOK small, but if you only need to record 1 to 2 sources at a time (which most small home setups do) this mixer is for you. Everything else will easily hook up to this mixer and you will have your studio rockin for years. ***TALK BACK TIP*** After reading and researching for months about "talkback" for my studio, I almost didn't get this mixer becaus it doesn't advertise talkback in it's features. Guess what??? For those of you that only need one source to record at a time, use the second channel to talk to the artist(s) in the booth! That's right!! ....you can use a second mic in the control room to talk with the band or artist in the other room. What I did was is this: Channel 1 is my RODE NT1A (review coming soon) mic which is located in a small second bedroom converted into a vocal booth (insulated/padded/treated...etc). Channel 2 is a "cheap-o" radio shack mic that I keep in the control room with me (you know the cheap-o mic I'm talking about....the kind with the 20ft cord on it.....you have to cut it on and off with that little black twitch you can barely feel with your thumb......has the 1/8" tip that needs the 1/4" adaptor to connect to your 402-VLZ3....hey that one ; ) - The mixer comes with PHANTOM power to power my RODE NT1a, so I simply cut on the phantom power, cut up the gain on the channels (don't worry, phantom power doesn't hurt MOST dynamic mics...do your research) and we have talk back. Just be sure to either cut down the gain on channel 2 when you are recording or just cut of the mic completely so that you don't bleed over to the recording. Hope that tip helps you guys and gals.

Ease of Use
Just like any other mixer....simply read your manual and plug-n-play. This mixer has a VERY flexible routing manual and can be used for many differnt setups. Hook up takes all off 5-10 mins.....TOPS!

Quality
It's a MACKIE....if you "Google" Mackie or look at their "YouTube" video's you'll see.........this mixer is trully "Built Like A Tank". My brother dropped this mixer from about 5FT onto a TILE floor!! After I freaked out and ran over to veiw the carnage...the mixer didn't have one scratch or flaw on it and works like new.

Value
This mixer is a blessing for many producers and artists alike. Affordable, great quality and it sounds outstanding. Worth well more than it's cost. You can't loose with this one. Thank you Zzounds and Mackie for answering a working producers/musicians dreams!!

Manufacturer Support
Have not needed to contact Mackie yet, but don't forsee having too anytime soon.

The Wow Factor
I would buy this product several times again if I had too! Tell your friends!!

Musical Background:
Engineer/Producer

Musical Style:
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