Following is an account of the Musikmesse experience, as told by Product Specialist Laz Harris. Be sure to read the whole post, and get a peek at our latest and greatest products.

Musikmesse 2007 was a great success. It was Mackie's world debut of our new HR824mk2 and HR624mk2 studio monitors, and the show attendees couldn't seem to get enough of them—many of them returned to the booth with friends to have a second and third listen. We're just thankful the new high-gloss Piano Black finish is fingerprint resistant...

HR624mk2 and HR824mk2 High Resolution Active Studio Reference Monitors

Our Pro DJ booth drew lots of attention with our cool new d.4 pro and d.2 pro DJ Production Consoles, and the earth-shaking rumble from the SWA2801 subs. With over-head displays of the d.4 pro, turntables and computer screen, every one was "wowed" by how effortlessly Drum & Bass legend Neil Johnston was "throwin' it down."

d.4 pro DJ Production Console

Another hit at the show was the new SRM150 Compact Active PA System. At only 6 kilos, every one was delighted and somewhat in awe of the 118 dB SPL output! One Swiss dealer borrowed my headset condenser mic and plugged it into the SRM150 to try it out as a presentation PA system. He started reciting something technical in German, and all these people from the isles started gathering around to listen to his impromptu presentation. Needless to say he was "sold."

The other impressive hit at the show was the new TAPCO TH-15A or Thump Active PA speakers. I think we successfully demonstrated how loud they could go because the sound police—or "Akustische Polizei"—were called to ask us to tone it down.

Check out a few photos of the event…

Mackoid mixin’ it up at the super swank Pro DJ Booth

Our Mackie Control Pro Series, alongside the new HRmk2s, and Tracktion 3…Mmm, tasty!

Attendees descend upon the TAPCO booth.

Posted by Mackie at 12:33 PM | Permalink

For the fourth year in a row, Mackie mixed it up at the Remix Hotel Miami from March 22-25, showcasing our latest DJ gear and a roster of cutting-edge artists. Mackie’s own d.2 Crew presented daily gear demos, featuring next-generation Mackie DJ Production Consoles, the d.4 pro and d.2 pro, the MCU Pro control surface, as well as Tracktion 3, Mackie’s premier recording and remixing software.

The Mackie booth was especially busy this year, and was graced by visits from DJ royalty, including Biz Markie, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ AV, DJ Kid Capri, Grandmaster Dee, Bennie Bennasi, Mad Linx from BET’s Rap City and Lil Jon.

Check out our collection of pix…

Is this a trade show booth or a party? We think this picture says it all.

Nobody beats the Biz. Not even Mackie's own Ronnal Ives. Sing it together now, "You... You got what I neeee-eeed..."

The legendary Jazzy Jeff and the soon-to-be-legendary Ronnal Ives, Mackie's main man at Remix Hotel.

When Miami's own DJ Irie spins, people listen... and film. As the DJ for the NBA Champion Miami Heat, Irie's the coolest dude in one of the hottest cities on the planet.

Me, Myself and Mackie. The inimitable DJ Maseo getting some kicks on his "De La" d.2 pro console.

Anyone who's heard DJ/producer Rich Madina spin knows how deep he is. So it's no surprise that Rich needed to get micro on the Mackie d.4 pro console. Mackie's own Ronnal Ives provides the facts and figures.

Posted by Mackie at 12:49 PM | Permalink

Following is another dispatch from esteemed Mackoid and Product Specialist, Matt Redmon.

This year’s NSCA (National Systems Contractors Association) Expo, held in Orlando, Fl, was host to over 400 manufacturers launching over 1000 new products, and of course we had to make a splash. …If not to kick off our shoes and enjoy the warm Florida weather, certainly to stylize the showroom floor with our ever-popular blue jeans and black shirts.

Mackie is never shy to the plate with new products, and we showed off such pieces as the famously “snack size” SRM150 and the awesome System32 console-linking and Digital Snake additions to the TT24 Digital Live Console series.

We spoke to people from all walks, from installation gurus fashioning A/V magic using today’s hottest production desks, to folks interested in some of our smaller audio interfaces out of pure, personal indulgence. “I’m an install guy, but I also need a 2-channel interface like the Onyx Satellite for my personal studio,” was not an uncommon refrain on the show floor.

Likewise, just about everyone swung by to tinker around with the SRM150. With a total of four inputs, and nearly limitless applications in which to use it, the SRM family’s newest addition made itself even better known to the audio world’s install market. When people first hear about the SRM150, I’ve found they are concerned about how it’s going to sound. But after playing with one up close, with a combination of guitars, vocal mics, and incoming program material, everyone’s eyebrows consistently give away their astonishment at how good the 150 actually does sound. Well, it ought to. We passed on the first eighteen 5.25” drivers we tried out in order to make absolutely certain we would get the best frequency response possible out of an active speaker this size and shape.

As for System32, we’d hooked up two DS3232 Digital Snakes to two TT24s via one U100 Networking Card each console, then used the second card slot for another U100 Networking Card in each console so we could link the consoles together into their entirely-too-useful master/slave mode. Impressive!

Ray Rivard of Audio Events Inc.-–amongst many others--swung by to check out the upcoming Build 73, now featuring channel-naming and mono and stereo tap-delay. He was even further impressed, even though he’s been a faithful TT user for well over a year. It’s just nice for folks like Ray--as well as those of us who work here--to see the TT now truly coming into its own, and all of the expansion possibilities discussed in previous months coming to fruition. It’s absolutely fantastic to be able to show our commitment to progress with this board at a show like NSCA.

Well, that’s about it from the showroom floor. Thanks for taking the time to stop in and check us out!

Ah… Last but not least, hats--or rather, sombreros--off to Bob Potter, Sound and Lighting Supervisor from the Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome, for his diligence in taking up the self-appointed, part-time, evening-shift role of Margarita Mix Quality Assurance Engineer. Not sure if there was any tequila in there, but Bob was always happy to see us.

-Matt Redmon, Product Specialist

Posted by Mackie at 11:20 AM | Permalink