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Author Topic: Refurbishing a Mackie?  (Read 8358 times)

Stephen Kirby

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Re: Refurbishing a Mackie?
« Reply #20 on: December 08, 2016, 02:29:50 PM »

True, with PT11 monitoring latency went down to the point where you no longer need an outboard mixer for "direct" monitoring.  Unless you want to have lots of individual monitor mixes.  And for that something like an older analog monitor board, or an Aviom or Hear system would be needed.

If this is just a personal studio, then efficiency and workflow are everything.  If you are making money at the low end, you'd be surprised at how many entry level clients oooh and ahhh at my buddy's big Gamble board.  Makes them think they're in a big time studio.  Even though most of the time they're just listening to the playback though two channels of the board and everything else is ITB.  The alternative is spending something like $5g+ on a Control 24 or SSL.
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Wayne Smith2

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Re: Refurbishing a Mackie?
« Reply #21 on: December 08, 2016, 03:56:06 PM »

Yes. Some of this'll be a repeat, but here's the 'set up. :>)
16 RME line I/O, outboard pres direct, and split to the board.
On a full band (or not) tracking session, the board does my monitoring -and real time test mixes', and phones mixes for the band while tracking. Yes RME can do 'two or three MS monitoring (way less actually if I unload the DAW a bit). But, in a situation like this- 'a board for that, and a 'DAW as recorder' setting aside, is superior. In several ways.  :>)

What this all wraps back around to, is a mixer -in even a humble studio', still provides quite a lot in the way of actual practical utility.

..an add - The real' play back, mix, etc, never touches the board. That 'fix, several years ago, a $600 'Central Station CR router taking the mixer out of the paths, was one of a few 'best audible bumps' I've done.
« Last Edit: December 08, 2016, 04:10:06 PM by Wayne Smith2 »
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Stephen Kirby

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Re: Refurbishing a Mackie?
« Reply #22 on: December 08, 2016, 05:02:37 PM »

This is a discussion more suited to GearSlutz or some such, but are you summing ITB or OTB?  Obviously OTB places a premium on the sound quality of the mixer.  The apparent advantages of OTB are mitigated by proper tracking and mixing practices, but there are still folks who buy into it.  That would play into what you wanted to do in terms of a mixing board.  Sound quality on an RME interface is far beyond what a Mackie can support.  Something like an APB, Ghost or the Midas Tim found would keep up and allow for OTB summing in those situations where you want to sell the workflow (or have clients asking for it).

If sound quality is not as much of an issue, I would just grab a newer ZED or Yamaha MG board for the reliability and put that money that would have gone into a $2k digital board into mics.  Of which no small studio ever has enough of the ones people are looking for.  Unless as I earlier mentioned you have some thoughts of pulling the board out of the room and doing live sound from time to time with it.
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Kemper Watson

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Re: Refurbishing a Mackie?
« Reply #23 on: December 08, 2016, 06:38:15 PM »

The alternative is spending something like $5g+ on a Control 24

And the Control 24's mic prees are not well liked
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Stephen Kirby

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Re: Refurbishing a Mackie?
« Reply #24 on: December 08, 2016, 07:02:23 PM »

And the Control 24's mic prees are not well liked
True, but the OP's audio is going though an RME and some unknown outboard pres.  Doesn't sound like he intends to use the pres in the subject mixer.  The C24 would just be for DAW control, monitoring and looking like an impressive desk to clients.

We don't know if he's mixing by mouse or already has some sort of DAW controller.  Or what kind of space limitations he has.
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Wayne Smith2

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Re: Refurbishing a Mackie?
« Reply #25 on: December 08, 2016, 09:41:07 PM »

I have a good old Mackie 24-8 bus mixer which I'd like to have cleaned up'.
It's basically providing everything I need of it as an audio monitoring platform in my home studio, but as typical with these.. have the sometimes intermittent poor internal connection noises and troubles.
I'm wondering if there might be a good tech that could bring the thing back up to solid clean operation. Hopefully this would need to be in the central / north Cal region. I would rather drive a hundred or more miles (from Sacramento) than shipping it out.

I'm well aware of the 'ribbon connector issues -and I've already been through the replacement' runaround quite a wile ago. So rather than just another 'reseating etc, I'd like to inquire about having them fixed permanently -perhaps the contacts can be improved, heck I wouldn't care if they were soldered on!
So, this is basically a last ditch call. Sonically, feature wise, it does all that's needed, and it would appear -but I haven't done a whole lot of looking into alternatives.. the alt' would be a few $K for a new digi board.
Wayne-I am a factory-authorized warranty repair station for Mackie. Have the ribbon cables been replaced or just cleaned/reseated, etc.?

Responding to Stan Shields- I'm sorry I missed your post (it was up in the quote box')

Yes, the board went back to Mackie, IIRC correctly for ribbons to be replaced --I hope that's what they did.
« Last Edit: December 08, 2016, 10:48:11 PM by Wayne Smith2 »
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Wayne Smith2

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Re: Refurbishing a Mackie?
« Reply #26 on: December 08, 2016, 10:20:39 PM »

This is a discussion more suited to GearSlutz or some such, but are you summing ITB or OTB?  Obviously OTB places a premium on the sound quality of the mixer.  The apparent advantages of OTB are mitigated by proper tracking and mixing practices, but there are still folks who buy into it.  That would play into what you wanted to do in terms of a mixing board.  Sound quality on an RME interface is far beyond what a Mackie can support.  Something like an APB, Ghost or the Midas Tim found would keep up and allow for OTB summing in those situations where you want to sell the workflow (or have clients asking for it).

If sound quality is not as much of an issue, I would just grab a newer ZED or Yamaha MG board for the reliability and put that money that would have gone into a $2k digital board into mics.  Of which no small studio ever has enough of the ones people are looking for.  Unless as I earlier mentioned you have some thoughts of pulling the board out of the room and doing live sound from time to time with it.
and..
True, but the OP's audio is going though an RME and some unknown outboard pres.  Doesn't sound like he intends to use the pres in the subject mixer.  The C24 would just be for DAW control, monitoring and looking like an impressive desk to clients.

We don't know if he's mixing by mouse or already has some sort of DAW controller.  Or what kind of space limitations he has.
I mentioned back a page, I'm almost totally ITB. Via 'mouse. I fudged' that a bit there as I still enjoy mixing on a board. That's were I learned. :>) But digi (the DAW, the processes) stomp -in a big way anything I could do on an analog board. (give me full automation, etc, etc, sure maybe. I'm just saying given anything within practical reach.
And second, again, I'd like to not go backwards on the functional aspects.
A digi board is actually somewhat appealing- being / having a bit of both worlds. I mixed some on an x32, once. Enjoyed it. At this point that's my total hands on' exposure.
« Last Edit: December 08, 2016, 10:58:53 PM by Wayne Smith2 »
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Kevin Maxwell

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Re: Refurbishing a Mackie?
« Reply #27 on: December 09, 2016, 12:03:09 AM »

and..I mentioned back a page, I'm almost totally ITB. Via 'mouse. I fudged' that a bit there as I still enjoy mixing on a board. That's were I learned. :>) But digi (the DAW, the processes) stomp -in a big way anything I could do on an analog board. (give me full automation, etc, etc, sure maybe. I'm just saying given anything within practical reach.
And second, again, I'd like to not go backwards on the functional aspects.
A digi board is actually somewhat appealing- being / having a bit of both worlds. I mixed some on an x32, once. Enjoyed it. At this point that's my total hands on' exposure.

You might want to look at a Midas M32R MAP (Minimum advertised price) is now $1,999.99 so some places will sell it even cheaper if you ask.
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Tim Weaver

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Re: Refurbishing a Mackie?
« Reply #28 on: December 09, 2016, 12:29:35 AM »

The baby M32 is really nice. Its a great form factor and has every bell and whistle I think you'll need. Plus  it can be a DAW controller. So you could route monitor feeds through it AND have faders for your DAW at the same time.
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Derek Neu

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Re: Refurbishing a Mackie?
« Reply #29 on: December 09, 2016, 02:29:42 AM »

Nevermind.  Not sure how to delete this post.
« Last Edit: December 09, 2016, 02:32:08 AM by Derek Neu »
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Re: Refurbishing a Mackie?
« Reply #29 on: December 09, 2016, 02:29:42 AM »


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