Recording - August 2017 - 35

the built-in displays of older-generation
digital mixers.

Inside the DL32R

This mixer is quite deep and capable; there's not enough space in one
review to dig into it all. Just know that
this is a full-fledged digital mixer in every way. The DL32R functionally rivals
many larger-format competitors. Each
channel has the option of 4-band EQ,
gating, and compression, each with a
choice of modern or vintage styles (both
sonically and visually). All of the built-in
effects compare nicely to those found in
most of today's major DAWs.
Each channel can be extensively
routed, grouped, bused, and processed,
with copious aux sends as well as a pair
of dedicated reverbs and a stereo delay.
This unit also offers subgroups, matrix
routing, and VCA groups-all things
found in any large-scale live digital mixer.

Recording

Given this issue's emphasis on tracking bands live, you may be wondering
how the DL32R handles tracking. First of
all, all input channels use Mackie's latest-version Onyx+ microphone preamps,
known in the industry for their classic analog texture and quality.
You can then take what is captured and
send it straight to a hard drive via the USB
port, where audio is captured at the mixer's
fixed rate of 24-bit/48 kHz. Note that once
audio is on the hard drive, you can play
back your multitracked audio files through
the mixer; each channel offers A/B input
capability, with the B input being the direct
captured channel right off of the hard drive.
These files are captured in multitrack Broadcast WAV (BWF) format. If your DAW
doesn't recognize them (many do), you will
need third-party software to import them.

Instead of a hard drive, you can hook
the DL32R direct to your computer via
USB, where the DL32R shows up as a
simple standard audio interface. It uses
proprietary drivers on Windows and
standard Core Audio in OS X. This
way, you can stream to and from your
preferred DAW with ease.
Another option for recording is to use
the Dante Card after you purchase and
install Audinate's Dante Virtual Sound
Card software on your computer. I use this
solution on a competing digital mixer every
week to multitrack our worship band and
it's a wonderful, elegant solution with very
open-ended routing. The DL32R integrates
seamlessly into any Dante-equipped system.

Wrap up

There is so much more I could say about
the DL32R, but I'm out of space. The builtin processing and effects are topnotch; I
was especially impressed with the warmth
and richness of the reverbs considering
they're a built-in effect rather than a plugin or digital hardware. The mic preamps
sound great and the whole system was
rock solid in all of my recording sessions.
If you do a lot of live sound, this is a
compact and highly versatile mixing system,
provided you are comfortable mixing on
an iPad (assuming you don't also get the
Mackie AXIS for physical control). For
bands looking to record live performances, track remotely, or even capture multitracked rehearsals, this system is a beast!
The street price may sound surprising
when you consider its small footprint,
but sonically and functionally it easily
competes with and bests many $3000-
$4000 mixers from just three to five
years ago, and with 32 inputs, too.
Well played, Mackie!

PRICE: $1799.99
MORE FROM:
Mackie, www.mackie.com

RECORDING August 2017

http://www.mackie.com http://www.royerlabs.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - August 2017