Engineer/Mixer Mark Linett recently added a Mackie Digital X Bus console to his Your Place Or Mine Location Recording Studio in Southern California. The 48-track remote system is geared toward location recording and post-production for live concerts and broadcast projects.
Although most often associated with Brian Wilson, due to his long-term working relationship with the Beach Boys’ founder including the legendary Smile LP (for which he received a Grammy nomination for Best Engineering), Linett’s decades’-long resume covers an eclectic range of music. Collaborations include Randy Newman, Jane’s Addiction, Paul Simon, Santana, Eric Clapton, the Blasters, Love, Dixie Dregs and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
As the centerpiece of his state-of-the-art location recording setup, Linett’s Mackie Digital X Bus console provides a 192kHz-capable mix engine, 100mm Penny + Giles optical touch faders and an intuitive interface utilizing dual 15-inch touch screens. On location, the X Bus receives its signal via the optional FireWire card from one of two Genex 9048 48-track hard disk recorders. The second 9048 is typically used for backup, or on shows where more than 48 tracks are required, like the recent Santana tour. Additional tape backup is courtesy of six Tascam DA-78 MDM tape machines.
“Working live means making quick decisions, and I don’t have time to page through menus and mess with layers of parameters,” Linett remarks. “The X Bus’ interface is really so well designed. The dual displays make it easy to display a wide range of information, and since they’re touch screens, I can access almost any parameter I need within one or two moves. It really does put the entire mix at my fingertips.”
Linett also gives the Mackie Digital X Bus high marks on its tactile control surface. “Touch screens are great for most things,” he observes, “but it’s also important to be able to work without looking at the console at times. The rotary encoders are really useful, because I can assign them to any parameter I want to access.” With features like total recall, 5.1 surround and VST support, the X-Bus is the perfect console for Linett’s busy mobile studio.
“The X-Bus was obviously designed by engineers who really mix,” Linett concludes. “It’s a console that works with me and adapts to my mixing style, rather than making me adapt my style to the mixer. It’s fast, it’s intuitive, and it’s reliable. I couldn’t ask for more.”
