Below, Mackoid-on-the-scene Matt Redmon delivers a delightful account of Mackie’s AES experience.

This year’s AES show was a sweeping success, primarily because of the debut of our newest addition to the Mackie family: the HRmk2 Series studio monitors. The focus of our booth this year was a 14’ x 18’ isolation room provided by Vocal Booth , where we presented attendees with a history of the HR studio monitors, then jumped right into stereo A/B listening between the old HR824s and new HR824mk2s, so listeners could evaluate the improvements for themselves. We then compared the HR824mk2s to the HR624mk2s for the audience, so listeners could see which model of the monitor might best fit their needs, and finally closed with a homerun-of-a 5.1 surround demo involving five HR824mk2s and an HRS120 subwoofer.

Needless to say, the feedback we received was extremely positive and even the most skeptical critics going into the demo—for example, original HR824 owners who still use and love their old HR monitors—were wowed by the changes we made in the design of the mk2 line. The improved clarity, depth, stereo imaging and pure accuracy of sound reproduction the mk2 line of speakers brings to the table had everyone leaving the 30-minute demo –without exaggeration- thoroughly enraptured, holding back savage tears of joy, and completely overcome by a sense of enlightenment and higher being. Some of them even fell to their knees to worship the God of High Resolution at the Speaker Pedestal of Mackie-Made Paradise.

Speaking of dreams come true...

...we not only drove the surround demo with the famed Onyx 1200F FireWire audio interface, but let folks get their hands on one at our MCU Pro-augmented, Tracktion 3 music production software recording/editing/mixing station. Since this studio-in-a-box piece is just now beginning to ship, some might say “at long last”, it was nice to be able to reinvigorate them by offering some hands-on time before they make the purchase. Beyond this, more hands-on MCU Pro time never hurt anyone. Getting to feel the improved faders and see how smoothly an all-Mackie recording station works is always a good experience for attendees.

TT System32 also made an appearance at AES. Going against all of its higher priced competition, TT24 and friends are still hangin’ quite tough. People who had hands-on time on the board were pleased to receive training from a real-life Mackie guru on exactly how to link two TT24s via U100s and CAT-5, and in turn, DS3232 to a TT. Seeing tap-delay and channel-naming first hand added value to the experience, of course, but the thing that blew most people away was exactly how cost-effective a Stage Box, Snake, Network Card and Console combo could be.

Several show-goers were also wholly attracted to the TAPCO Mix Series as a low-cost solution to what they’ve used in the past. Mix, Blend, Thump and our S Series studio monitors, to name a few, were picked up quite frequently by passersby who may not have even known that we offered a Mackie-designed solution at a lower cost than our other Mackie-branded lines.

All in all, the show was a sweeping success, and if nothing else, there are going to be a lot of mixing engineers and home theater enthusiasts alike who are replacing their current monitors with a pair of Mackie HRmk2s.

Posted by Mackie at 08:45 AM | Permalink

At this year’s Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) Show in London, the Mackie brand team held an invitation-only, hands-on new product showcase at a hotel adjacent to the Earls Court Convention Center. Several new Mackie products made their European debut, including TTSystem 32, the HRmk2 Series Monitors, Onyx 1200F FireWire Audio Interface, Mackie Control Pro Series Controllers and Tracktion 3 Audio Production Software. Showcase attendees were abuzz over our latest offerings, and were particularly thrilled to be among the first to hear the new HRmk2 monitors.

In addition to the showcase, Mackie also played host to the annual Garden Party, a shindig that provided an opportunity for us to thank our UK and European sales partners for their continued support. Our very own product manager Woody Woodburn supplied the tunes, which were pumped out via the new Mackie d.4 pro DJ Production Console and the TAPCO Thump 15A powered loudspeakers. Way to show off those raw skillz, Woody!

All in all, we had a brilliant time hosting our special events in London, and we’re well chuffed with the results.

Posted by Mackie at 06:43 PM | Permalink

The folks at Northwest Foursquare Church, in the Seattle suburb of Federal Way, Washington, were relatively early adopters of digital live mixing, taking delivery more than three years ago of one of the first available Mackie TT24 mixing consoles for use in their modest 600-seat sanctuary. Any initial trepidation on the church’s part that the digital learning curve might be overly steep was quickly overcome as the simplicity and performance of the system became apparent. The TT24 turned out to be a perfect fit, enhancing the services and making life easier for the audio crew.

Since then the church’s congregation has swelled to more than 2500 regular members, and services have expanded to two on Saturdays and two more on Sundays, with an adjacent chapel opened for overflow use. And as the church has grown, so have its media capabilities.

“Our first step was to set up a production suite adjacent to the main sanctuary,” says Donald Counts, the church’s audio director. “The room is equipped with two-camera video production capabilities and another TT24 console for live recording.”

The Front of House and tech room mixing desks receive identical audio feeds, and services are multi-tracked live to a computer running Tracktion digital audio recording software. Audio and video are edited on the spot, and congregants can purchase a packaged DVD of the day’s service at the bookstore before leaving the church.

As Counts observes, one of the biggest challenges in running the media department for a mid-sized congregation is education. Key to keeping volunteers around is creating a learning experience that’s both interesting and accessible, and the simplicity of the church’s digital console has proven to be an asset.

“When I first show a beginner the mixing console, there’s almost always a bit of an intimidation factor,” says Counts. “But once they see how simple it is to operate, they’re immediately drawn in and want to learn more. The ability to create and recall snapshots is invaluable. It means a volunteer can learn and experiment, but be able to get back to where they were at any time.”

Downstairs in the basement of the church, the youth chapel is a bustling center of activity, with a fully equipped performance stage and band setup for kids to learn about making and mixing live music. Another TT24 recently replaced the room’s aging analog console, and the bulky multichannel stage cabling has been replaced with a Mackie DS3232 digital snake, connecting the stage’s digital mic preamps via a single Cat 5 cable.

“The digital snake enables us to save microphone preamp settings as part of a snapshot, and that has been a huge time-saver,” says Counts. “The system is simple enough for the volunteer staff to set things up on their own.”

In the main sanctuary, a second TT24 console has been added to expand the Front of House input capacity, using a pair of Mackie U-100 network cards to connect the two desks via a single Cat 5 cable. Communication between the mixers and with the DS3232 digital snake is part of an integrated digital system Mackie has dubbed TT System32.

“The U-100 and DS3232 represent the first implementation of our U-Net digital audio and control protocol, a low-latency, high-bandwidth audio network that enables console-to-console communication, and communication with input and output devices like the DS3232,” explains Gilbert Perales, Mackie Product Manager. “U-Net is designed to be a true plug and play system, and every piece is designed to instantly find its place in the network as soon as it is connected. That’s invaluable with a congregation of this size, and where technical resources and budgets are limited.”

Configuring the systems thus far has been seamless, Counts confirms, with each new addition to the system smoothly integrating itself. “There’s been nothing about setting up the system that we couldn’t handle on our own,” he says.

Counts adds that for Northwest Foursquare, as for most mid-sized organizations, it’s also a matter of simple economics.

“We keep coming back to the TT24 because it’s easy to use, powerful and affordable,” he says. “Now, as we’ve an increasingly larger and more complex system, the ability to configure a setup like this without having to hire a contractor or systems designer to put it together has been equally as important to us as budgeting for the equipment itself. It’s really been a wise investment for us.”

While Northwest Foursquare may not be working with the budget of a mega-church, they have already proven that by not merely adopting, but judiciously embracing digital technology, they have the ability to reach a level of sophistication and technological empowerment usually reserved for much larger houses of worship. In addition to the live recordings of their services, they’ve recently begun a series of video podcasts for their members, and are seriously looking into live web streaming of their services.

“In the space of a couple of years, we’ve progressed to the point where we can offer our members access to a lot of resources we’d never have been able to afford before,” Counts concludes. “For them, it creates a deeper, more inclusive worship experience. For us, it’s a way to give back to our members, and it inspires us to reach for goals we’d have never even considered. In the end, everybody wins.”

Posted by Mackie at 04:37 PM | Permalink

Without a doubt, one of the most anticipated events during Miami’s Winter Music Conference is the WMC/DMC DJ Spin-off. Judged on technical ability, timing, and creativity, DJs compete for glory—and sweet prizes. DJ Izoh of Japan was this year’s Grand Prize winner in the Scratching portion of the DMC Spin-off. He walked away with a serious amount of Mackie equipment—a pair of SA1530z active loudspeakers, an SWA2801z subwoofer, a pair of SRM450 portable active loudspeakers, and a d.2 dj mixer. In a recent interview, he talks about competing in and winning the contest, and shares his impressions of his newly acquired Mackie gear.

Interviewer: WMC DJ Spin Off is not a well-known DJ competition in Japan. How did you find out about it?

DJ Izoh: Ortofon Japan was one of the sponsors of WMC and they told me about the competition. They said that there was a battle and asked if I want to be in it… I had been wanting to play in the US, but actually that competition was my first time. And I found out that Mackie was one of its sponsors after I got there.

Interviewer: How many contestants were there?

Izoh: About 15 people were entered the Scratching competition. There were two categories: Scratching and Beat Matching… In Japan, Beat Matching means Juggling, so I entered this category. But I realized that I made a mistake when I heard everybody doing the club play.

Interviewer: Damn, that sucks! What did you do?

Izoh: Fortunately, Scratching was after Beat Matching, so I asked my friend from NY, who speaks English, to ask the organizer to change my entry. They did not want to do it at first, but then [another] DJ helped me, and I managed to enter the Scratching.

Interviewer: You were lucky that the competition was in that order! Having luck on your side is also key to being a champion.

Izoh: But there was more. I thought the performance was for 5 minutes, but it was actually 3 minutes! Obviously, I organized my routine for 5 minutes.

Interviewer: Oops! And how did you fix it?

Izoh: I had 3 pieces of content to make a 5-minute routine, so I cut one of them. But just cutting the content wouldn’t fit the time for sure, so I played the routine in my head to create the image of this new 3-minute routine. Then on the stage I played what I imagined.

Interviewer: Wow, that’s incredible!

Izoh: I did it somehow. LOL.

Interviewer: And there was another mishap: you were caught in a shower.

Izoh: Yes. It was more like heavy rain.

Interviewer: Was the equipment OK?

Izoh: There was a roof over the DJ booth, but it didn’t help much because the rain was coming from the side. So the show crews were holding towels around the booth. The audience couldn’t see the DJs. After a while they stopped the competition and moved inside to continue.

Interviewer: That must have been tough. Speaking of equipment, there were Technics turntables and a Mackie d.2 mixer.

Izoh: Yes. They were not what I usually use, but it didn’t matter. They also changed some of the equipment, so every DJ was having hard time. Some DJs pushed wrong buttons, or had needles skipping. I was the last to play, so I guess I was lucky.

Interviewer: How was the new stage?

Izoh: Totally different. Outside it was like resort, but inside everybody was seated … so it was not easy.

Interviewer: How was your performance?

Izoh: I was not happy with my performance at all, and I was really down. I was telling myself, “You paid for the flight to come to the US, and this is what you’ve got?”

Interviewer: But you won the competition. How did you feel?

Izoh: I was released. At the same time, I was really pissed that I couldn’t do it perfectly.

Interviewer: Has the experience improved you as a DJ in any way?

Izoh: I won’t be freaked out by bad situations, like not having familiar equipment or not being able to rehearse. I can do my own routine, with any equipment and in any situation. I wanna continue the promotion in the US. You know, in Japan, everything is prefixed, but in the US, every DJ’s character seems to be more respected.

Interviewer: Japanese DJs will need that kind of promotion in the future. Now tell me about your experience with Mackie mixer. You used it for the first time, on the stage at the competition. How was it?

Izoh: It was much better than I could have expected. The crossfaders are very light, but I heard I can adjust the weight. So I’d like to try that. Also, the sound quality is much better than the [mixer] I’ve been using.

Interviewer: And you got a pair of Mackie 1530z loudspeakers, an SWA1801 subwoofer, and a pair of SRM450 loudspeakers as the prize. How will you use them?

Izoh: I’ll use them for my studio/club. They are awesome, and I’m excited to create sounds with them.

Interviewer: Well thank you for your time. And congratulations! You should go to the contest as the defending champion next time.

Izoh: I’d love to. But I’m not gonna pay. I’d love to be invited by the sponsor. LOL.

Posted by Mackie at 04:06 PM | Permalink