Mackie Offers a Preview of their New Flagship DJ Mixer
A peak into Mackie’s product development crystal ball was offered up at the Professional Lighting and Sound Association’s annual tradeshow in London last week.
At first glance the new d.4 is the logical follow up to the highly-successful d.2, which led Mackie’s official entry into the DJ mixer market early last year. But the d.4 is much more than simply a four channel version of it’s immensely popular sibling. In typical Mackie fashion, real-world consideration went into designing something unique here—a true centerpiece for modern electronic music production and live performance.
The d.4 Pro begins with studio-grade analog circuitry that offers up exceptional sound. On board are premium phono preamps, a pair of flagship Onyx mic preamps, plus the finest VCA and analog filter effects in its class. Also present is a 3-band EQ with complete kill filters and blue backlit knobs, flexible 4-position routing switches per channel, zone and booth outs, XLR main outs, advanced cueing with split cue functionality, individual program meters as well as stereo main out meters. All this is housed in an extremely rugged, “built-like-a-tank” steel chassis—a Mackie hallmark.
But it’s with the addition of the optional d.Pro FireWire card that the d.4 Pro’s unique functionality truly shines. Adding the FireWire option allow the d.4 to work very closely with most major software apps, adding 14x8 I/O to a Mac or PC for live scratching, and the simultaneous playback and mixing of up to 4 music files. At PLASA, the previewed d.4 was doing its magic with MixVibes via firewire. And since the d.Pro FireWire card ships with a fully copy of Mackie Tracktion, the d.4 Pro also serves as the ultimate interface for true multi-track recording.
Like the d.2 scratch mixer, the new d.4 Pro will also incorporate the revolutionary contact-free, 45 mm optical cross fader from UK-based Infinium Technologies. In addition to lasting for an exceptionally long time, the contact-free crossfader provides DJs with unparalleled fingertip control, as well as the ability to personalize its "feel" with user-adjustable tension and cut-off points.
So far so good for the d.4. It's creating quite a buzz among the DJ community since last week. Check out the forum at www.skratchworx.com to see what people are saying. Be sure to check back here from time to time for more news on the d.4 Pro and other Mackie products.
