How do you improve upon a hugely successful mixer? With a heavy dose of R&D, that's how. Building on the success of the legendary SR32.4, Mackie is proud to introduce the Onyx 32.4 32-channel / 4-bus live sound console. Retaining the same convenient footprint as its predecessor, the state-of-the-art Onyx 32.4 brings dozens of upgraded features and enhancements to the party: 100mm Panasonic faders, premium Onyx mic preamps, completely redesigned analog circuitry with more headroom, greater routing flexibility, Perkins EQ, and a built-in assignable stereo compressor/limiter. And they're barely scratching the surface.

Better Sound by Design

The Mackie Onyx 32.4 sounds noticeably better than any comparably-priced 32-channel mixer on the market today. And with good reason. The difference starts with premium Onyx mic preamps on every channel which offer greater dynamic range and transparency versus any other mixer mic preamp on the market. The 4-band Perkins EQ offers the sweet, musical sound of the legendary British consoles of yesteryear, yet with greater filter control. And while the Mackie 32.4 is not the first mid-format console to offer an onboard compressor/limiter, they've specified a THAT(r) Corporation 4301 assignable stereo compressor/limiter, and then had it custom tailored specifically for the Onyx 4-bus Series. Finally, overall mixer sound quality and headroom has also been raised, thanks to the use of premium components, completely redesigned summing bus circuitry,… read more and an electronically balanced design throughout the entire signal chain. Taken together, the Onyx 32.4 gives you big, full-range sound and even lower noise than esoteric mixing consoles costing much more.

Affordable "Boutique" Quality

Although Mackie's highly-acclaimed XDR mic preamps set high standards for quality and performance, Onyx mic preamps offer even greater fidelity, headroom and transparency -- as well as better radio frequency (RFI) rejection and wider dynamic range than ever before. Numerous magazine and online reviews have confirmed Onyx preamps sound just as good as many "boutique" standalone mic pres--with specs like 123dB total dynamic range, -129.5 dBm Equivalent Input Noise, and 0.0007% Total Harmonic Distortion. Click here to learn more about Onyx mic pres. Read more.

Perkins EQ

Mackie called on veteran audio engineer Cal Perkins to develop the EQ circuitry for the Onyx Series, and in turn Cal designed an extremely effective and musical 4-band EQ, with sweepable low- and high-mids -- perfect for live sound mixing. Called the Perkins EQ, Cal's circuitry builds on the classic Wein Bridge circuit used in the British mixing desks of the '60s and '70s, providing greater filter and phase shift control. Perkins EQ offers more control over harmonic content than any other EQ on the market, and it's only available on Mackie products.

Assignable Onboard Stereo Compressor/Limiter Section

Compression is an indispensable tool in a sound engineer's arsenal. That's why they've integrated a high-quality master compressor/limiter chip from THAT Corporation into the Mackie Onyx 32.4. This assignable analog stereo compressor/limiter was designed and manufactured in the US by veteran analog engineers, offering true RMS Detection and Auto Make-up Gain for extremely accurate and musical results. Controls are provided for Threshold, Ratio and Fast/Slow Attack, and the compressor can be assigned post-fader to the L/R main mix (for system limiting and speaker protection) or pre-fader to Group 1/2 or 3/4 outputs (for grouped signal compression, like drums or background vocals). This reduces the need for separate outboard processing.

Master Section

If total control over signal routing, talkback/monitor mixing, and external effects processing is what you seek, then look no further--the Onyx 4-Bus Series Master section has everything you've come to expect from a Mackie mixing console, and more. The onboard 6 x 2 Matrix Mixer is the solution to the "not-enough monitor send" blues. Not only can you use the Aux Sends to generate up to six monitor mixes, but the Matrix Mixer can be used to generate two additional independent mixes -- ideal for IEM (in-ear-monitor) systems, cry rooms, green rooms or other zoned outputs. Visual monitoring of Solo, Main output and compression/limiting is expertly handled via four, giant 12-segment LED ladders. And even the Sub Groups feature 4-segment LEDs, so you know what signal levels are at glance.

Balanced MIC/LINE Direct Outputs

If you plan to use the Mackie Onyx 32.4 for live recording, they've included another invaluable feature: convenient balanced Mic/Line direct outputs for every channel. No longer will you need to run a splitter, or take individual direct outs from the board to your tape or hard disk recorder. Thanks to four Mackie DB-25 female connectors on the rear of the console (configured with standard TASCAM(r) pin outs), you can quickly route all mic/line signals to an external device. All of these balanced direct outs are pre-fader and switchable via internal jumpers as either pre- or post-EQ. So there are only four cables between the Mackie Onyx 32.4 and your recorder -- it just doesn't get any easier than this.

Built Mackie Tough

Because they at Mackie know how tough the road can be on equipment, they've designed the Onyx 4-Bus Series to handle almost anything you can throw at it. Vertical aluminum supports are placed strategically to maximize the structural integrity of the solid-steel chassis. And because these boards get moved around a lot, they designed comfortable carry handles right into the sides -- even though they are portable enough to just tuck them under your arm and go.

Designed with a practical and easy to understand layout, anyone from a Sunday morning volunteer operator to a seasoned professional engineer can quickly learn to operate the Mackie Onyx 32.4 console. This makes it perfect for a wide range of live applications including churches, small- to medium-sized clubs, touring bands, and rehearsal facilities, just to name a few. With stunning sound quality and renowned Mackie engineering -- combined in a full-featured, portable, highly affordable, mid-format mixing console--the Mackie Onyx 32.4 is destined to set the standard. read less