Mackie ONYX1220 12 Channel Mixer

MACKIE ONYX1220 Details ^top

MACKIE ONYX1220

12 channels of premium analog mixing, with 24-bit/96kHz FireWire I/O capabilities.

TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING...
The goal for Mackie's flagship Onyx series of small-format mixers was to bring premium analog sound, expanded features, and streaming FireWire connectivity to both recording and live sound environments. To pull all this off, we started with a team of veteran audio product engineers from the great Pacific Northwest (aka Woodinville, Washington). The Onyx team quickly set out by specifying the highest-quality analog components--from premium op-amps to IC chips costing exponentially more than previous designs. In many cases, we developed components completely from scratch. With Greg Mackie himself steering Onyx mixer layout and design, we took a "real world" approach to the entire process.

ONYX MIC PREAMPS
Because a great mixer starts with great mic preamps, we invested significant R&D efforts into developing our new flagship Onyx mic preamps. These preamps build upon our already-impressive XDR design to meet or surpass expensive esoteric standalone mic pres in terms of fidelity, headroom and transparency—as well as improved radio frequency (RFI) rejection and wider dynamic range. Onyx Mic Preamps: Studio Preamp Performance in a Compact Mixer.

Specifically, the Onyx mic preamp delivers outstanding, verifiable specs like 123dB total dynamic range, –129.5 dBm Equivalent Input Noise, and 0.0007% Total Harmonic Distortion. Onyx mic preamps also address things like input impedance and linearity, maximum input level handling at low gain settings, shielding and grounding effectiveness, overload recovery, and radio frequency interference better than any preamp in Mackie history. And because Onyx mic preamps are designed for use at “real world” gain settings, they’ll easily handle anything from +22 dB line level down to microvolt-level signals from a ribbon mic, without adding noise.

But commonly published specifications and technical talk tell only part of the Onyx preamp story. The real test comes when you plug a really good studio condenser mic into an Onyx mixer. Listen to the depth, headroom and immense detail. Then plug that same mic into any other small-format mixer, or even much more expensive stand-alone mic preamps. We think you’ll agree the Onyx preamp gives you transparency and fidelity on par with any preamp on the market.

PERKINS EQ CIRCUITRY
When it was time for the Onyx EQ section, we turned to veteran audio engineer Cal Perkins to develop our new Perkins EQ circuitry—a "neo classic" 3- and 4-band design based on classic "British EQ" circuitry from mixing desks of the '60s and '70s. Cal devised a way to give Perkins EQ that sweet "British console" sound, but with greater filter control and minimum phase shift.

LISTENING TO OUR CUSTOMERS
We rounded out the Onyx 1220 feature set by answering some common requests from our compact mixer customers: adding individual 48v phantom power and balanced direct outputs on every channel; a full Auxiliary section with Pre/Post control; and a new Talkback section with a convenient built-in mic. We even developed a "Planet Earth" switching power supply for worldwide use.

ONYX1220

Premium 12-channel small-format analog mixer with all-new circuitry

4 new ONYX mic preamps with sound comparable to boutique preamps

New 3-band Perkins EQ with sweepable mids

96K FireWire option for streaming 12 independent channels of audio to computer with very low latency

2 channels of monitoring from computer via FireWire option card

2 Aux sends w/ Pre/Post switches

4 stereo line-level inputs

Built-in Talkback section for use with internal or external mic

True hardware EQ Bypass

"Planet-Earth" ± power supply

Individual 48v Phantom Power switches on all mic inputs

Linear taper 60mm faders with ultra-smooth response on all channels

Balanced direct outs for every channel via DB-25 connection

Selectable instrument inputs on first two channels.no DI box needed

FIREWIRE I/O OPTION CARD
In the category of "Why didn't someone think of this sooner?", we gave the Onyx 1220 an optional FireWire I/O card, which bridges the analog-to-digital gap by providing up to 14 independent channels of high-quality 24-bit/96kHz audio that you can plug right into your FireWire-equipped Mac or PC. And bring a stereo mix back from your computer for monitoring purposes.

For those who record and produce music on computers, we’ve given Onyx mixers another “world’s first” – an optional user-installable 24-bit/96kHz FireWire I/O card with the ability to send up to 16 individual channels of high-quality digital audio direct to any FireWire-equipped computer (Windows XP or Mac OSX.3 or later). The FireWire card also sends a Left/Right stereo “quick mix” to the computer, with a level trim control that boosts or cuts the mix by ±10 dB as it is sent to the card — again letting you set levels independently for the live L/R mix and the recorded tracks.

Better still, the FireWire interface returns two channels of audio from the computer to the mixer, letting you monitor your computer through the control room/phones matrix (pictured at left). So with FireWire, Onyx mixers can record everything from live gigs to studio sessions, with higher quality and lower latency than many dedicated computer audio interfaces. (In fact, an Onyx 1640 mixer with FireWire rivals the specifications and performance of dedicated studio A/D converters costing more than the entire Onyx 1640 mixer. Not to mention giving you waaaay more channels and flexibility.)

FireWire I/O Specifications

Model #	Ch. Output	Mix Output	#	Ch. Input
Onyx 1220	12	Stereo (L/R)	2	(Stereo L/R monitor from computer)
Onyx 1620	16	Stereo (L/R)	2	(Stereo L/R monitor from computer)
Onyx 1640	16	Stereo (L/R)	2	(Stereo L/R monitor from computer)

 

MACKIE ONYX1220 Documentation ^top

Click here for FAQ's

Click here for Owners manual (pdf)

Click here for Rack Ears manual (pdf)

Click here for Mix Magazine Reviews

MACKIE ONYX1220 Specs ^top

Specifications
Frequency Response
Mic Input to Main Output (Gain @ Unity)
+0,-1dB, 10 Hz to 50 kHz

+0,-3dB, <10 Hz to >100 kHz



Distortion (THD & IMD)
Mic Input to Main Output (@ +4dBu output)
THD: <0.01%, 20Hz to 20kHz

SMPTE IMD: <0.005%



Dynamic Range: >113 dB (Mic In to Main Out)

Noise Floor (20Hz to 20kHz Bandwidth, 150 ohms source impedance)
Equivalent Input Noise (E.I.N.): -129 dBu @ +60 dB gain

Mic Output Noise: Recording Output; -100 dBu (minimum gain)

Residual Output Noise
Main Out: -97 dBu (Channel and Main Mix levels off)

Main Out: -87 dBu (Channel and Main Mix levels at unity)



Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR)
Mic In: >60 dB @ 1 kHz, gain @ maximum


Crosstalk
Adjacent Inputs or Input to Output: <-75 dB @ 1 kHz

Adjacent Inputs to Recording Outputs: <-90 dB @ 1 kHz


Input Gain Control Range
Mic In: 0 dB to +60 dB

Line In: -20 dB to +40 dB, mono channels

Line In: -20 dB to +20 dB, stereo channels


Phantom Power: +48 VDC

Equalization
Mono Channel EQ
High: +/-15 dB @ 12 kHz

Mid: +/-15 dB, sweepable from 100 Hz to 8 kHz

Low: +/-15 dB @ 80 Hz


Stereo Channel EQ
High: +/-15 dB @ 12 kHz

Mid: +/-15 dB @ 2.5 kHz

Low: +/-15 dB @ 80 Hz



Mixer Rated Output
Main: +4 dBu

Aux Send: +4 dBu

Control Room: +4 dBu

Alt 3/4: +4 dBu

Maximum Rated Output
+27 dBu @ Main XLR Outputs

+21 dBu @ TRS Outputs



Maximum Input Levels
Mic Input: +21 dBu, Gain @ Unity

Inst Input: +21 dBu, Gain @ -20 dB

Mono Channel Line Input: +30 dBu, Gain @ Unity

Stereo Channel Line Input: +21 dBu, Gain @ -20 dB

Tape Input: +15 dBu

Aux Return: +21 dBu


Input Impedance
Mic Input: 2.4 kohms balanced

Inst Input: 1 Mohm

Mono Channel Line Input: 30 kohms balanced; 15 kohms unbalanced

Stereo Channel Line Input: 20 kohms balanced; 10 kohms unbalanced

Stereo Aux Returns: 20 kohms balanced; 10 kohms unbalanced

Tape In: 20 kohms


Output Impedance
Main: 100 ohms balanced, XLR outputs; 300 ohms TRS outputs

Recording Outputs: 300 ohms

Control Room: 300 ohms

Alt 3/4: 300 ohms

Aux Sends: 300 ohms

Tape Output: 2.0 kohms

Phones Output: 25 ohms


Channel Level Set LED (Sensitivity): 0 dBu (normal operating level)

VU Meters: Main Left and Right, 12 segments: Clip (+20), +10, +7, +4, +2, 0, -2, -4, -7, -10, -20, -30
0 LED=0dBu


AC Power Requirements
Power Consumption: 40 watts

Universal AC Power Supply: 100 VAC-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz


Dimensions (H x W x D): 17.3" x 13.9" x 5.9" (439 x 353 x 150 mm)

Weight: 16.0 lbs (7.3 kg)

Options
Onyx FireWire Interface Card

Rack Mount Kit