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Classic MACKIE 8 Bus Analog Recording Console Overview
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- čas přidán 6. 08. 2024
- Classic MACKIE 8 Bus Analog Recording Console Overview
Part 1 of a series on the Mackie 8 bus mixing console
00:00 Start
00:07 Introduction
01:18 Mackie 8 Bus Features
02:04 Main channel description
03:04 Subgroup outputs and tape return inputs
03:15 Controversial top mounted jacks
03:42 back to channel description
04:19 Aux Sends above EQ
05:25 Mackie 8 bus EQ overview
05:45 Mix B channel
06:16 Channel routing, mute, and solo
06:33 Master Section - Subgroups
07:21 Aux Masters
07:31 Aux returns
08:00 Talkback, Monitor and Phones
08:33 Mix B Master and Mix B Assign to L/R
09:10 Master Patch Panel
09:29 Submaster Aux Send outputs and LR Main Inserts
09:54 Control Room, Main Mix(1/4") outputs and Mix B outputs
10:05 Aux Returns
10:20 Channel I/O mic, line, direct out, and insert
10:45 Triple bus outputs and tape returns on back
11:50 Summary and thank you!
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I remember when I got mine back in 2001…I patched in a Jomox XBase09 and I was immediately blown away by the powerful sound of this console! I love it
They are highly underrated now but everyone liked them back in the 90s when they came out. I recorded and mixed a lot of great sounding records for different artists with these consoles. All of that work still hold up sonically today.
@@TwinCreekAudio Yes I agree. It was very very popular back then and a great console to have even today. Unfortunately space is an issue for me nowadays so I’m using the 1202VLZ Pro
These consoles are dope! I Owned both the 32x8 and 24E. They're super quiet, very warm analog sound. No issue with the top mounted jacks, no dust getting in there because every 8 channels had an 8 channel 1/4" snake connected to it. All direct outs went into 4 seperate Pro Tools interfaces. Back then I was using the Pro Tools Mix System. Btw, the eq's on this Console aren't bad at all. Don't expect SSL J Series sound but they do a great job especially for the price. These days you can't even find a great analog console with direct outs. I'm a big fan of these boards till this day.
I agree and I think the Mackie 8 Bus is one of the best of its kind. I made a lot of great records with them back in the 90s and this one is a cool addition to my studio.
I have also this Console and i am a big Fan of this Mackie Console !!!
Just got one of these with the bridge and psu for 350 bucks. Bought it off a church in amazing condition. Excited for my first mixer!!
I think you'll really enjoy it. They sounds really and have a lot of features and functionality. Mine came from a church as well. These are great mixing consoles. I plan to make more videos with mine soon.
You lucky stiff... wow, that's a great deal. You better pray 🙏 and thank God 😊 🙏 🙌 God bless
I just bought this exact console last week. I had one in the late 90's and loved it so I wanted to get another to mix OOTB. Mine came from a film company and was incredibly well maintained. Thanks for making this video! It's good to see someone else who loves these old Mackies as much as I do.
Thank you for watching! I was really hoping there was still some love for Mackie 8 Bus. I always enjoyed using these. The 24-8 I bought for the videos probably isn't in as good condition as your new 8 Bus but it still sounds good and like I remember. It's probably 95% functional now after some cleaning. To me these are really good classic consoles now. They don't cost a fortune but sound great and have all the features you might want for summing or mixing plus the mic preamps aren't bad at all. Thanks again and best of luck with your Mackie 8 Bus!
@@TwinCreekAudio Congrats on yours as well and I'm looking forward to the rest of this series. Keep up the great content!
Lucky enough to own a 32:8 with a working meter bridge. This mixer is notorious in mid/late nineties drum and bass.
@@Strafuzz I like them a lot. I used them for a lot of 90s rock back in the 90s too.
The algorithm has blessed me with your channel. I've always ignored a few features like the aux or tape send but now I know what they do.
That's great! I'm glad the video was helpful. I've been planning another video about the Mackie 8 bus that will go into a more thorough explanation of its features and operation. I have not had time to film it yet, but I am planning on several more Mackie videos. Thanks so much for your comment!
I'm rooking forward to seeing what you do with this console! I have the Mackie 32 channel 8 bus along with a 24 channel expander and their meter bridges in storage since I started using a Toft ATB32 several years ago. Keep the cool videos coming! -chaz
Thank you! I plan to make several more videos with the Mackie 8 Bus. It's been a long time since I've used one but I used them all the time from 1996-2006 or so. I always thought they were pretty solid and sounded good. I'll put this one through some tests and see what one sounds like to me now. So far, in limited testing, it sounds quite good and it's not even in the best shape. You can probably see some of the rust spots in the video but so far it's about 95% functional. I'm excited to make some videos about this 90s classic! I've thought about the Toft consoles as well. I still have my main console, the Sapphyre but the Toft is smaller and eventually I may move my studio to a smaller space or split it into the main room and a smaller room.
Nice shirt... Godin!
I just picked one of these up ( which is the reason I started searching for YT content about them ) a 24/8, with the meter bridge, and a spare meter bridge for the expander. Will be running it into a pair of MOTU 828s once I get my room reconfigured...
Godin guitars are awesome! I have owned 3 of them over the years. The shirt was gift from the founder's son. They came to visit a musc store where I used to work. Very good people. The Mackie 8 Bus is a solid console and should serve you well. Plus parts are plentiful and they aren't too difficult to work on. I am also a big fan of MOTU. They make really solid interfaces and support their hardware for longer than most manufacturers. Sounds like you will have an excellent studio!
I have a LGX/SA, a very versatile guitar.
This is my 2nd venture into a home project studio.. Many years ago I had a Yamaha RM800-24 which I ran into a PC with a Sek'd ARC88. Moved up north and didn't have space. Now that I do, I'm wanting to get out of the DAW only setup and start touching the music again. Looking forward to learning more from your channel @@TwinCreekAudio
@@O.S.R.C. I owned an SD, a Radiator, a Session and a Seagull S6. Excellent quality instruments. I had also gone into the DAW world for a number of years after using everything from MCI 2" machines to ADATs. I decided the hybrid workflow was what I wanted but I also have tape here and there but that's mostly for the videos. I should be making more videos about the Mackie soon. Some of my best videos are about hybrid mixing so you might check those out if you haven't seen them already. Enjoy your studio and let me know if you ever have questions or anything you want to discuss.
That is a thing of beauty. It's really a shame they don't make them like that anymore.. Everything is "live" mixers now unless you want to spend $15k+ for a pro recording console.
Unfortunately that's true. There are plenty of good used analog recoding consoles around though. I definitely don't want a console with an interface built in either. That part of audio technology moves too quickly and makes things like FireWire mixers obsolete at just a few years old.
i have a sr3204 cr1604 and 1202 were built when greg mackie still owned the company and they are still working fine
They made really reliable products back then. The designs were very good to begin with and the early Mackie mixing consoles were made in the US with good quality control. The smaller Mackies like your 1202 are supposed to sound even better than the 8 Bus. The studio where I did my internship after college in 1997 had a CR1604 in their Pro Tools room back when Pro Tools couldn't do as much. I studied PT 3.0 in college if that tells you how long ago it was. Mackies were in a lot of studios back then and are still commonly used today since they seem to last. Personally, I think they sound really good as well. I haven't used a Mackie since roughly 2006 and getting this one really brought back a lot of good memories of pre DAW recording.
@user-th9im7qe2x I like the way the 8 Bus sounds it has better features then the VLZs which are destroyed mostly for live sound. The old analog 8 Bus Mackies are much better to me than any of the VLZ. Possibly the older opamp and circuits?
Awesome Console Overview Video Bro as Always, I Used to have the Mackie 32 Channel Mixer Now I Have a Yamaha MGP32X Mixing Console as My Main Console for Hybridmixing..
Thank you! I haven't used an MGP32X before. How do you like it? I normally really like Yamaha consoles so I'm sure it's really good.
It's Totally BadAss with Tons of Routing Options I've Had It For 2 Years Now and I'm So Glad I Bought It I Have a Review of the Yamaha mgp32x on my Channel Thanks for Responding Bro I Love Your Videos Its Glad to See Someone Else Teaching Audio Fundamental's Besides Me😁@@TwinCreekAudio
@@DJPHAROAHE that is awesome! I'm going to check out more of your videos. I always like talking shop about audio so hit me up anytime you have want to discuss anything audio or music related.
I have the 32-8 and was worried that it wasn't good/cool enough to record with 2023. And so I heard that PRIMUS and PROGIDY used these bad boys in their recordings. And the other day I heard that Gavin Harrison recorded the drums to Porcupine Tree on a 32-8.
So I guess these are good/cool enough.
I think they are definitely good enough quality for professional recording and mixing. I think Gavin Harrison used the Mackie for all the drums track on Fear of a Blank Planet and those sound great! I used them all the time in my days working in commercial studios in the 1990s and made lots of great recordings and mixes with them. I don't see any reason why you couldn't make great recordings and mixes with a Mackie 8 Bus. The master bus even has a bit of a sound to it. I'm planning to test it with a bus compressor on the master and maybe some transformers to see what that adds or takes away from the sound. If people can't get a good mix on a Mackie, it's probably not the console's fault. Learning the tools you use and being familiar with them will always achieve better results in my opinion and the Mackie 8 Bus consoles definitely sound good.
@@TwinCreekAudio Thank you so very much for this useful info! Awesome!
I use to have this board over 20 years ago. It was great. Didn't like the phantom power being in banks though.
I never liked that either but it really isn't an issue unless a ribbon mic is using the same 8 channel group. They are really very decent consoles that sound petty food. I use a Soundcraft most of the time but the Mackie is still great. I may use it for a second mix room
Great console, would love to have one. I recall one article from Eddie Kramer which indicated one of these paired with a couple of DA88's for 'your basic studio' in the '90s. Would like to try the SR series as well.
I guess one advantage of having an all-top-connections like my 3282 is to be able to shove it right up against a wall in a small studio. After the session is done I always cover my desk with a makeshift cover.
That's exactly what the studio where I worked in 90s used. 48 tracks of DA-88 and a Mackie 32-8 with 24E expander. We also had the Ultramix automation that ran on a Windows 95 PC! I don't mind the top mounted jacks either. I used to have a Ghost with them as well. In the 90s, that was also good for my bands mobile studio. A 24-8 with 2 DA88s. We could easily patch things for recording or shows with the Mackie 8 Bus. Love them personally though I know opinion is mixed or divided.
Have me the tiny MS1202 (first gen), the character is unmatched, especially for more "lo-fi" house & techno stuff. The gain provides a saturation/distortion that I haven't been able to find anywhere else. It's a lot of fun just to run stuff through to receive a special mojo to stuff.
That is awesome! I've always heard there was something even more special about the 1202. I'm a big fan of driving gain stages for different tones and overdriving things.
@user-th9im7qe2x I don’t have experience with the VLZ series of Mackies. All my French mentors/French Touch guys always highly stressed the first generation of Mackie mixers (pre-VLZ)
@user-th9im7qe2x I have never directly compared but I always liked the sound the preamps on the A8B, 1604 and especially the 1202.
@user-th9im7qe2x I was talking about the old 1202 from the 90s. They are similar to the 8 Bus pres but less of them and less circuitry supposedly made the 1202 a bit more detailed and quiet. People loved them for spare pre amps back in the day.
@@TwinCreekAudio I Bought mmh Mackie SR 40-8. I bought it a few years ago
8 a few years ago my problem is I don’t know how to use it, I’ve always used small mixer mixers I could use some help
Congrats on the desk, Grady!
I picked up a CR604 recently which was unfortunately not doing so well... despite being for sale in "overall great condition" in a brick + mortar store!
Channel 1 ins are dead - both XLR and 1/4. Insert return seems to work, but is pretty flaky. Can't depend on it. Master outputs and CR outs (which also means headphones out) only makes ANY sound at full volume. Several (most?) other inputs are dodgy, most pots are scratchy.
The store is a pretty long drive from home so I thought I'd have to rack (or not, in this case lol) this one up to misplaced trust - not much chance of driving down there only to get laughed out of the door. Gas is way too expensive for that.
Then I got to thinking - I'm sure there's *something* I can do with this thing other than hold doors open, so I set it aside and let the thoughts fester for a few weeks.
btw Almost an entire can of WD40 contact cleaner REALLY helped get this thing out of the ditch. I read that Mackie use a self-lubricating thing in their pots, but WD40 helped anyways... this is pretty old after all.
So I set up a small test area in my music room and tried it with a few different approaches. So far it's working great using SUB 1+2 as my "main stereo outs". And I still have the other two subs if I need them, plus the AUXes. So far, it's behaving. Think outside the box, have patience and WD40 FTW!!! (No I don't work for them... I currently am out of work, hence buying old broken gear lol). XLR and 1/4 ins work great and the EQ (which is the main reason I bought this) sounds sweet.
Looking forward to seeing and hearing your adventures with your board, bro! Cheers.
I'm glad you were able to get an old CR1604 working somewhat. The studio where I did my internship in 1997 had one in their Pro Tools room. I've heard people say the smaller Mackies sound better than the large ones like the SR and 8 Bus but I've never compared them. I definitely have some work to do to get the 8 Bus cleaned up but it's already getting better after cleaning the ribbon cable connections and jacks with Deoxit 5 or Gold. It's a little rusty but so far seems like it's going to work well enough to use soon. When I got it, solo didn't work and there were other flaky channels. It's getting there and during testing, I am loving the sound it has. I used them all the time years ago and I forgot how good they can sound. I wonder if age has it made it sound better or whether it's a nostalgia thing. Thanks so much for your comment and best of luck with your Mackie!
Thank you very much for the informative talk. By any chance, is it possible to contact you for some further insights on the this mixer family.?
You can contact me through twincreekaudio com or Grady at twincreekaudio. I will try to offer assistance through email. I sometimes will consult through Zoom but I am booked up until April for that at the moment.
Good morning. I really enjoyed the video. Thank you for sharing. I have recently bought this board and I am excited to work with it. Down side....no power supply. It is a "smiley face" 7 pin DC power input. Can you tell me what the part number is for the power supply? I want to get this up and running. Any help you can give is greatly appreciated. Have an amazing day.
I'm not sure if it has a part number or model number but here's the exact power supply you need.
.Mackie 32.8 32-Channel 8-Bus Class A Power Supply 220 Watt Rack reverb.com/item/78168630?
The Mackie 8-Bus is like a pager. We all had one in the 90's but would never use one today.
I would agree except I really like the way this one sounds. I hadn't used one since the late 90s and it's better than I remember. I made a lot of great recordings with them back then. Soundcraft is my main console but it's definitely a keeper for a backup.
😂 Judson is funny go to your computer play chess online workhorses are still workhorses in musical realm.
@@descendancedenoefilsdadam1028 I don't want a "workhorse" console. I want one that compliments the music. If you're going to send 16-32 analog outs from a DAW to faders, it should be worth it. Mackies are just a bucket of cheap SMD op-amps. Would sooner stay in the box.
@@judsonsnell if you know the hardware strenght you will be aware that in the box lacks punch and warmth even comparing it to a mackie 8 bus which is not a High end quality desk but super decent if you can clean it. Computer are just good to record and edit stuffs and good for hobbyist or people that produce microwave music when they are ripping the masses. Art comes from the analog circuitry like blade comes from the forge.
@@descendancedenoefilsdadam1028 What are you on? I wanna try.
right along side adats, da88s, and daws of the time, this console hit the pro audio market right between the eyes. nothing in this price point can even come close to the power and routing options offered by the 8 bus. the eqs are professional grade, the expander 24e console is just a click away on the internet if you can find one moving your setup from 24 to 48 tracks or 32 to 56 if you have the 328 board. all the circuit boards underneath are in 8 group sections so if your pots get damaged or broken, you can install a new board in groups of 8 and reconnect the ribbon cables. the master section also has its own circuit board and can be easily replaced by removing the knobs and disconnecting the ribbon cables. the construction is all modular underneath and the sound is professional. the 6 auxillary sends and the insert options make the 8 bus capable of handling any amount of outboard gear you can throw at it. the larger 48 and 56 large format consoles came with midi muting capabliities which is ever more dizzying to the low budget prosumer. it was a sad day when they discontinued production of the first 8 bus line and they are still available today for even less money than when they hit the market in the 90s.
Those are all very good points about the Mackie 8 Bus. I'm a big fan of these consoles. My 24-8 is mainly used as a backup but I'd have no issues using it over the big Soundcraft if I had to. I made a lot of great records with them back in the 90s. With ADATs and DA88s both! Great consoles!
Great video! Question for you. I just picked one up and when I have a channel assigned to a bus, the bus master up, and the L/R Mix depressed, and Main Master up, I get signal indicated at the -40db level on all the other unused bus meters during loud hits in the song. The actuve bus meter works as expected, as does the main meter. Only happens when the Main Master is up. If the master is down and/or the L/R Mix is not depressed it all seems to function as expected. Is this just a quirk of the unit or do I have some crosstalk issues due to some technical issue? Many thanks in advance, as I have no other unit to compare to.
Mine did the exact same thing before I cleaned all the ribbon cable connections with Deoxit. I have not had the problem since I did that. I'd be surprised if it was anything else and it is pretty easy to fix. You might need two people to lift the bottom panel off to get to everything though. That has to be the cause since mine had the exact same symptoms.
@@TwinCreekAudio ah, fantastic! Thanks for the speedy reply. Did you have to go in deep or just what was accessible once the bottom panel was removed?
@@eehirsch there's nothing else that has to be removed other than the bottom panel. That should give you access to the two main ribbon cables. Upper and lower. I didn't have to remove any of the other parts or boards to get to them so it's not too difficult to do.
@@TwinCreekAudio I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Otherwise, great sounding board. Thanks again!
Hi man.. i just got mackie 8 bus 32 channel but it has no power supply.. can you help me where ican buy the power supply..
You can try Reverb or eBay. Maybe Craig's list or Facebook marketplace too. They seem to sell for between $200-$275 used and there is nowhere to buy a new one.
Do you know if turning this console on and off every day will hurt it? I know with larger format vintage consoles in most studios its a given that the console is never turned off unless for servicing, but I figure a more consumer friendly mixer like this would be fine for daily power up/down? I have the 16.8 version with the meter bridge and for some reason meters on channel 15 and 16 do not work and display full output on the LEDS. I can't find anyone else with this problem online.
I think you can safely power down a Mackie when not in use. Mostly that was done for larger SSL and Neve consoles back in the day. There are probably many reason why that was done such as the consoles stated warm avoiding bad connections that sometimes happens when gear gets cold. That and inrush current when powering things on. In my own personal experience, I have had a 24-track tape machine and console power supplies go out when left on unattended. I always power down my entire Studio when I am done working but I will leave everything on if I'm going to work in the studio for multiple days in a row. The cost of electricity these days also contributed to the fact I usually turn all my gear off when not in use. The Mackie should be perfectly fine if you power it down every day. They are really reliable consoles other than the ribbon cables that you probably already read about.
What new board in 2024 would compare to this? I’m trying to make a decision on buying used or new.
Hey Grady! I hope all is well. I know I ask you lots of questions. 😝. I have another question. As I mentioned before, I have an analog Mackie 32-8 Bus from the 90s. Let’s say I’ve recorded 5 different drum tracks on the first 5 channels(Drum bus), and I want to compress the entire drum bus post tracking using a single DBX-160X(mono compressor) what would be the best way to compress both left, and right sides, and best inserts on the board to do that with that particular compressor?
The easiest way is to assign the 5 channels to a subgroup and use the subgroup insert for the compressor. For mono, make sure to assign the subgroup to both the L and R main mix. You can do that for a mono compression submix and then send all the drum tracks to the main LR at the same time as the subgroup. Then blend the compressed mono submix with the dry drum tracks. I have used this technique a lot and I'll usually send kick, snare, and toms to the compression submix to blend with the dry while leaving the cymbals uncompressed since they can start sounding bad with too much compression. I think I did a few videos about this technique back in the Soundtracs Topaz videos. That console works almost the same as the Mackie and may give you a better idea of what I'm talking about.
@@TwinCreekAudio As always, I appreciate it Grady! I’ll try that method. I’ll look for your vid on the subject. Thank youuu my friend! Keep your excellent vids coming!
How to get echo for mic ?
Use an Aux send to send the signal to a processing device and then return the output of the processor to an effects return or line input on a channel and route to the master with LR button.
Hey does anyone knows if the direct outs are post or pre faders ?
They are post fader.
@@TwinCreekAudio thanks so much !
@@tomekjaskolowski You're welcome! Enjoy your Mackie! They are really cool consoles.
Oh how I would prefer one of these today at every venue as opposed to the annoying digital shits with all their banks, menus and pages to navigate around.
I agree! I'm about to use mine to track a band for a live album. Doing some of this kind of work while waiting to get into a new space.
What I don't get is... why would someone have a 24 track tape machine and a budget mixing console?
Maybe due to preference of that workflow and the constant hype of tape sounding warm or something. At one time, I ran a 24 track MCI with a Soundtracs Topaz. It sounded pretty good but then I went to mostly digital and have had lots of other consoles since then. I think the Mackie 8 Bus would make a good companion to a semi pro tape machine like a Tascam 38. I never used a Mackie with a big analog machine but used them all the time with ADATs and Tascam DA88 modular digital multi tracks of the '90s.
@@TwinCreekAudio ok yeah I guess that I was completely forgetting that ADAT was a thing for a little while. I just didn't think that someone who had to go with a mid level console would have a 24-track machine--considering the price back then. Personally, I sometimes mix through an old 76' studiomaster 16-8 just for the color. I think these older consoles have more value than people assign them. Especially if you're tech savvy and can connect them to DB25 and make them Dante compatible.
@@tallmccartneymusic I just like consoles and I can't afford an SSL or a Neve so I've basically tried out a lot of the less expensive analog consoles over the years and in videos in the channel. There's a lot to be said for the way some of them sound and I like having the features of an analog console with no latency. I just got lucky when I bought my MCI JH-16 24 track and then I needed a console I could afford to use with it. I had a Tascam M3500 at the time but the balancing kit for those is impossible to find so I went with a Topaz. It was a good combo at the time. The Topaz sounded good with the tape machine but began to have reliability issues as it got older. I've mainly run a Soundcraft Sapphyre for the last 7 years but then got into CZcams and started buying more consoles. They're just weren't any honest demonstrations of that type of analog equipment so I wanted to help with that.
Indeed there are not so many serious reviews on YT. I am a console adict as well. :)
The Mackie Board has been used on more hit albums than any other mixing board !!!