Mackie Onyx 1200F FireWire Audio/MIDI Interface

Take a look at the I/O and processing setup in most computer-based studios. Chances are, it's a mish-mash of mic preamps, processors, submixers and audio and MIDI interfaces, cobbled together from various manufacturers over the years. Sure, its impressive in an 80's "I've got a massive rack of gear" way, but it doesn't really make for an efficient or particularly great sounding way to work in the 21st century. Enter the Onyx 1200F Studio Recording Preamp & 192kHz FireWire Interface: a total studio solution that combines 12 premium Onyx mic preamps, 30 x 34 I/O, mastering-grade 192kHz converters, monitor control, FireWire connections and more into a single, ultra- convenient interface for Mac or PC.

Features
Premium 30 input x 34 output FireWire audio interface

12 flagship Onyx mic preamps with class-leading fidelity and dynamic range

8 balanced line outputs via 25-pin d-sub connector

16 x 16 ADAT I/O @ 48kHz (8x8 @ 96kHz, 4x4 @ 192kHz)

4 headphone outputs with volume control and discrete stereo feeds

Superb AKM® 24-bit/192kHz A/D and D/A converters

Powerful Onboard DSP Matrix Mixer: connect any input to any output at near-zero latency

Built-in control room functions include A/B Monitor Switching,Talkback, plus stereo and up to 7.1 surround output main volume control

Balanced TRS send and return insert jacks on Inputs 1 and 2

Dual FireWire ports for daisy chaining and direct connection to Mac or PC

2x2 MIDI I/O plus Word Clock, stereo AES/EBU and stereo S/PDIF I/O… read more

Stand-alone mixer functionality for field and studio use without computer

Includes Tracktion 2 Music Production Software and Final Mix Mastering Tools

12 Boutique Mic Preamps and Massive I/O
The Onyx 1200F is a no-compromise 30-input, 34-output studio recording preamp and FireWire audio interface featuring 12 boutique-quality Onyx mic preamps with individually-switchable phantom power. These highly acclaimed preamps are garnering rave reviews and giving those snobby, mega-buck standalone mic preamps a run for their money -- thanks to superior headroom, sonic detail, and clarity (namely, a whopping 123dB dynamic range and an amazingly low .0007% THD). But Mackie all know when it comes to preamps, it's the sound that counts. And Onyx preamps have been widely praised as exceptionally "open" and "revealing" by music press and artist alike. For guitar and bass, Inputs 11 and 12 are switchable to HI-Z instrument inputs, so you can ditch the direct boxes and improve your tone at the same time.

The Right Connections
And because what goes in, sometimes needs to go back out, and then come back in again, the Onyx 1200F includes balanced Sends and Returns for inserting outboard gear like compressors or guitar processors into the signal path before sending it to your Mac or PC. The 1200F's rear panel is brimming with modern connections including FireWire, wordclock, S/PDIF, AES/EBU, two ADAT Optical I/O ports, and a 25-pin d-Sub connection with eight assignable balanced analog outputs. (Okay, take a breath here.) Also remarkably crammed into this production powerhouse are dual MIDI Ins and Outs, footswitchable Talkback facilities, two sets of control room monitor outputs, and four fully assignable headphone mix outputs. Try putting an I/O package like this together for anywhere near this price, and you'll see why the Onyx 1200F is such an incredibly sweet solution for anyone serious about recording and producing audio on their computer.

Over-Engineered vs. Over-Marketed
So many FireWire audio interfaces have hit the market recently, lumberjacks have been working overtime to produce enough wood to make paper for all the advertising. So one thing that can get lost in the rush to produce "me-too" FireWire products is quality. As a wise man once said, "haste makes lousy audio quality," so Mackie took the extra time to over-engineer the entire 1200F signal path, including mastering-grade AKM® AK4358 8-channel DAC(s) and AK5385 Stereo ADC(s) converters -- the same top-notch, phase-accurate converters you'll find in Mackie's flagship Digital X Bus consoles. Of course, the Onyx 1200F's "sound quality" is a function of its entire system -- the superb Onyx preamps, the well-engineered summing circuitry, 64-bit floating point processing, and just plain good audio design. Put simply, there is no other box that does so much or sounds this good, at any price.

A Matrix Sequel That Doesn't Suck
The Onyx 1200F's little brother, the 400F, was the first FireWire audio interface with a true 64-bit onboard Matrix Mixer with floating-point DSP. In the 1200F, a next generation 30 x 34 DSP-controlled Matrix Mixer lets you route any input to any output with panning, level control, mute and solo controls, storing your mixes for instant recall at a later date. (It's also worth noting that this high-powered DSP Matrix Mixer is the reason you can route any input to any output with an amazingly low .65 milliseconds of latency.) When tracking, you can even create four distinct headphone mixes, one for each musician. All settings can be stored via included 1200F control panel software, and this routing is retained when the unit powers back up -- even with no computer attached. In this way, the 1200F can also serve as a standalone rackmount digital mixer (just in case its five thousand other features weren't enough).

The Onyx 1200F includes Mackie's popular Tracktion 2 Music Production Software for your Mac or PC. read less