ProAudio Review - October 2008 - (Page 72) LIVE | REVIEW by Mike Rivers auxiliary speaker or a mono PA system. A BNC connector on the top panel provides 12 VDC to power an optional gooseneck light. With exception of the mic inputs which are on XLR connectors, ?” TRS jacks are used for all inputs and outputs. Phantom power is controlled by a single switch, which affects all channels. With 14 assorted condenser mics (all I had handy) connected and powered up, the phantom supply remains within tolerance at 45.7 volts, so there should be plenty of poop to power a full load of condenser mics. The power supply is internal with an IEC connector for the power cord on the rear of the chassis. A voltage selector switch accommodates line voltages of 100, 120 and 240 volts. Construction is similar to the previous 1604 models. The VLZ3 series is built totally in China, but there’s nothing cheap about the feel Mackie1604-VLZ3 16-Channel All-purpose mixer In a crowded subset of the mixer market, Mackie offers proven design, build, and operational qualities via its 1604-VLZ3. It was 18 years ago that Mackie introduced the CR1604, kick starting the emerging eight-track home recording studio. Sporting six “world class” mic preamps, 16 input channels, bussing and routing that made sense for recording a soloist with a bunch of instruments or small group, all packed in a solid steel chassis (early ads showed Greg Mackie standing on one), and selling for under a grand, the CR1604 launched a huge number of home and small commercial studios. In 1996, a significant facelift brought us the 1604-VLZ, with a true 4-bus architecture, sixteen improved mic preamps, sweepable midband EQ, and a number of other refinements. The VLZ-Pro Series in 1999 further improved the input section, lowered overall distortion, and continued to be a consistent good seller. It seemed that with Mackie’s introduction of the Onyx series in 2004 with its further sonic improvements, architecture better suited for today’s applications, and optional FireWire computer interface, the VLZ line would soon be phased out. Instead, the VLZPro co-existed with the Onyx for the next three years — they’re actually rather different mixers. Then, last year, the third generation VLZ3 line was introduced. | FEATURES If you’re familiar with the Mackie VLZ product line — specifically the 1604-VLZ Pro — you know the 1604-VLZ3. This is a solid, highly functional design and Mackie didn’t try to fix something that wasn’t broken. The basic setup is sixteen mic/line input channels with Mackie’s third generation XDR2 mic preamps, a three band equalizer with high and low frequency shelving, lowcut filter, and a mid-range sweep, six auxiliary send busses, and four assignable subgroup busses in addition to the main stereo bus. There are four stereo auxiliary returns, separate main and control room outputs, post-EQ/fader direct outputs on the first eight channels and insert jacks directly following the mic preamp on each channel and just ahead of main stereo fader. The Mackie compact mixers have always straddled the fence between studio and live sound applications so there are a number of specific features that primarily support the live sound world. For example auxiliary returns 1 and 2, in addition to going to the main L/R bus, can be routed to auxiliary sends 1 and 2 to provide effects to stage monitors. Auxiliary send 3 can be assigned to submasters 1-2 or 3-4. For studio applications, auxiliary send 4 can be removed from the main mix and sent only to the headphones and control room for those situations where you’re recording the main stereo mix and a musician wants to hear too much reverb or a click track in his phones. A mono left+right output is provided with a separate level control (on the rear panel) to feed an APPLICATIONS Studio, project studio, broadcast production, live sound KEY FEATURES 16 mic/line channels with inserts, 3 band EQ with mid-range sweep, 4 subgroup busses, 6 auxiliary sends, auxiliary returns routable to auxiliary sends for effects-to-monitors. PRICE $1,149 list CONTACT Mackie Designs | ¤ 425-487-4333 · www.mackie.com or appearance. The main control surface chassis and I/O connector chassis are separate pieces interconnected by a handful of cables and bolted together. As shipped, the connectors are located at the back of the mixer. The connector can easily be relocated to the underside of the main chassis, putting the connectors behind the front panel to facilitate connections in a rack mounted installation. An optional RotoPod bracket allows mounting the connector’s chassis so that all of the connectors are topside, a convenient arrangement either for rack mounting or for a studio setup where you’ll be doing a lot of patching. A pair of rack mounting ears is supplied. The chassis is heavy gauge steel, assembled with the Mackie standard too-many screws. So far, with exception of the multi-voltage AC power supply, This VLZ3 sounds just like the previous model … and functionally and feature-wise, it is. There are some cosmetic improvements, but more interestingly, there are some important changes under the hood. 72 | ProAudio Review | October 2008 www.proaudioreview.com http://www.mackie.com http://www.proaudioreview.com
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