any experiences with the 1620 with the firewire interface plugged into the back?

is it good? the review from SOS says so but any first hand experiences with actually owning one?

any better mixers of this type in this price range that are clearly better?? looking to spend £500-1000 without the need to get an interface to go with it?

cheers

i can't believe no-one has had any experiences with the onyx??

anyone have any opinions?

some1 please reply?

Do you really need a anlogue mixer? Many quality interfaces these days include great digital mixers that are controllable from software. Think Focusrite, MOTU and Alesis. If you jusnt wanto set up monitor mixes they would be a better, cheaper bet.

I'd suggest a forum search

The are a few threads from when the Onyx series were release detailing their pros and cons.

Yes, I think this is a great mixer for the money. It's pretty solidly built, the preamps are nice (for desk preamps), and the EQ is nice. You also get some high-Z inputs for DI-ing guitars and basses. The main gripe with this desk is that the EQs can't be used via the direct outs, only the main outs. Also the built in talkback mic sucks (don't know how much this would affect you though). It doesn't have the huge amount of headroom that top-end gear has but you'll have to be driving it pretty hard to clip.

I haven't used it with the firewire card.

Yes you can buy a better mixer, but within your budget it's a good deal. If you were buying the desk alone with a budget of £1k I'd say look at an Allen & Heath but as you need an interface too I don't think you'd do better than the Onyx within that range.

so if i was to get an allen & Heath mixer or summit better than the onyx, then what interfaces should i be looking at? all i have is an m-audio audiophile at the moment with 2 ins/2 outs! which is why im upgrading

That is a big question that 99% depends on budget. There are hundreds of good interfaces out there at every conceivable price point. The more you spend the better it will sound.

Do you have a budget for this - are you PC/Mac - do you want a PCI card/firewire card?

i want a decent sounding interface- im pc atm but am moving to mac laptop soon so will need firewire i guess- price isn't really a prob as i have money saved up...

Quote blacker88:

---

i want a decent sounding interface- im pc atm but am moving to mac laptop soon so will need firewire i guess- price isn't really a prob as i have money saved up...

---

Well, if price isn't really an issue, you could look into one of these...



Only kidding

I suppose (since I haven't heard nor seen it in real life) that the Prism Orpheus is many miles above the Mackie both quality-wise and price-wise - it costs around $ 4300 excluding taxes and VAT.

As for the Mackie Onyx - the pres in the Onyx range are better than those in most run-of-the-mill firewire interfaces, but with the 1620 you can only send a stereo mix to and from the computer - which in my opinion cripples the functionality of the package a bit.

Cheers,
Frank

--------------------
Imagination is more important than knowledge - A. Einstein

Quote Frank Eleveld:

---

Quote blacker88:

---

i want a decent sounding interface- im pc atm but am moving to mac laptop soon so will need firewire i guess- price isn't really a prob as i have money saved up...

---

Well, if price isn't really an issue, you could look into one of these...



Only kidding

I suppose (since I haven't heard nor seen it in real life) that the Prism Orpheus is many miles above the Mackie both quality-wise and price-wise - it costs around $ 4300 excluding taxes and VAT.

As for the Mackie Onyx - the pres in the Onyx range are better than those in most run-of-the-mill firewire interfaces, but with the 1620 you can only send a stereo mix to and from the computer - which in my opinion cripples the functionality of the package a bit.

Cheers,
Frank

---

correct me if im wrong but the onyx can take 16 channels into the computer? although only 2 out which your right does cripple it, but only in so far as external processing goes on, not nearly as crippling as 2 channels in.

--------------------
Squarehead Jam Jar Facebook Jam Jar

I used an Onyx 1640 with a FW interface and a MacBook Pro running Ableton 6 last weekend. Admittedly I only used it for three days (6 sessions, two a day) but it worked flawlessly. Solidly built and very nice sounding. I had it recording/playing 16 tracks simultaneously onto an external FW drive and neither the Mac, the Onyx or the drive had any problems at all. Major brownie points were that it worked straight out of the box and didn't need a separate driver install (as it's built into OSX) and I never once needed to refer to the instruction manual. If I was in the market for an analogue desk the Onyx would definitely be at the top of my list.


--------------------
Web Site | Twitter | iTunes

Quote JamesSimpson:

---

correct me if im wrong but the onyx can take 16 channels into the computer? although only 2 out which your right does cripple it, but only in so far as external processing goes on, not nearly as crippling as 2 channels in.

---

Yes, you're right - I did made a mistake there. The Onyx can send 16 channels to the host computer, although only two out. My bad.

--------------------
Imagination is more important than knowledge - A. Einstein

well now im thinking of getting the audient ASP008 instead now- you think this would be a better move? better pre's and all that?

if i got the audient i don't know what i would get for the interface though- firewire it has to be...

Quote blacker88:

---

well now im thinking of getting the audient ASP008 instead now- you think this would be a better move? better pre's and all that?

---

Yes - far better. But as far as I'm aware, the ASP hasn't got a FireWire interface - just ADAT or AES/EBU. A quick check on Audient's website confirmed this, so it won't be usuable as a FW-interface for your new to be purchased Mac.

--------------------
Imagination is more important than knowledge - A. Einstein

ok so what interface you think i should get to compliment the ASP?? i have no idea about interfaces- never looked into them- sorry

anyone had any experiences with the RME 800 actually? just caught my eye and never seen it before?? any good? seeing as its and audio interface aswell that helps!