Mackie ProFX16v3 FX Mixer with USB Interface
Really happy with the Mackie ProFX16v3 for the money. For me, it's been a balance of having lots of channels to space - 16 is about right for my set-up.
There were a few options on my shortlist, and having read lots of reviews, this was one of the few options where I felt more confident in quality and customer service. The build feels solid compared to others I've picked up and all the pots, buttons and sliders have a nice amount of resistance. The knobs that need to center have a nice sort of notch so you know it's in the middle, such as on the panning knob.
One of the main features I wanted was to be able to handle modular synth levels straight from the rig with no attenuation before the mixer and am pleased to say it is working well for me. Even 'hot' sawtooth levels had plenty off headroom to tame them. There are better ways of doing that with extra boxes or modules, but that's for another day. I've also used the Mackie to send and return from guitar pedals and utilised the sub-mixes.
The mic inputs sound lovely and clear on a Shure SM7B, but I do put a Fethead in there to boost it, utilising the 48v button in the process. It's a feature of that mic. This meant I didn't need to push the gain up massively to compensate, compared to other levels, or pull everything else down massively before taking back in sub/main mixes/DAW, while still leaving headroom.
The FX are okay - again, for the money, they're a bonus. I tend to use other units for FX which have more control through MIDI. However I have stuck a little of the Mackie FX on a few channels, freeing things up FX elsewhere. I quite like a little of the distortion on electronic drums.
Having the audio interface will be very handy. In an ideal world, I would have spent way more to get a 16 channel interface, but then I like to 'perform' recordings channel by channel for a bit more feeling on electronic bleeps and bloops, so this is perfect for now.
Only issue I had was that in the box, there was no UK plug/kettle lead. Luckily I had one to hand and the Mackie handles a range of mains voltages. Probably a slight oversight from bax.
There were a few options on my shortlist, and having read lots of reviews, this was one of the few options where I felt more confident in quality and customer service. The build feels solid compared to others I've picked up and all the pots, buttons and sliders have a nice amount of resistance. The knobs that need to center have a nice sort of notch so you know it's in the middle, such as on the panning knob.
One of the main features I wanted was to be able to handle modular synth levels straight from the rig with no attenuation before the mixer and am pleased to say it is working well for me. Even 'hot' sawtooth levels had plenty off headroom to tame them. There are better ways of doing that with extra boxes or modules, but that's for another day. I've also used the Mackie to send and return from guitar pedals and utilised the sub-mixes.
The mic inputs sound lovely and clear on a Shure SM7B, but I do put a Fethead in there to boost it, utilising the 48v button in the process. It's a feature of that mic. This meant I didn't need to push the gain up massively to compensate, compared to other levels, or pull everything else down massively before taking back in sub/main mixes/DAW, while still leaving headroom.
The FX are okay - again, for the money, they're a bonus. I tend to use other units for FX which have more control through MIDI. However I have stuck a little of the Mackie FX on a few channels, freeing things up FX elsewhere. I quite like a little of the distortion on electronic drums.
Having the audio interface will be very handy. In an ideal world, I would have spent way more to get a 16 channel interface, but then I like to 'perform' recordings channel by channel for a bit more feeling on electronic bleeps and bloops, so this is perfect for now.
Only issue I had was that in the box, there was no UK plug/kettle lead. Luckily I had one to hand and the Mackie handles a range of mains voltages. Probably a slight oversight from bax.
February 17, 2025
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CK
