We will assume that you have heard of the massive motorcycle rally known as Sturgis. The vast majority of you who regularly wear leather chaps probably have also heard of The Buffalo Chip. No? OK, then…The Chip is four miles from downtown Sturgis, SD. It is a massive campground and is commonly referred to as the “best party anywhere”. The Chip consistently has the best Sturgis concerts and enjoys the honor of being the only campground in the world where Dominos delivers.

Playing at The Chip is a great opportunity for a band and Mackie is very excited to be a part of the 2nd Annual Rock the Sound…Sturgis Bound competition. Over the course of a few weekends, six bands will compete for a place on stage at The Chip.

The first competition roared to live with the help of several hundred bikes, two great bands and a much appreciated sunny day. Fortune 500 was the first band to take the stage. This three piece power trio impressed the audience with solid chops, well-crafted vocal harmonies and a diverse collection of original songs.

Hungry Dogs were the second band promised to bring the blues, and boy howdy, did they bring it. The five piece band featured moving guitar solos that make you wish you had a one-legged dog right beside you. And the tasty vocal work of both the guitarist and ridiculously talented keyboard player pulled you right into the Delta frame of mind.

Both Fortune 500 and Hungry Dogs left the audience wanting more and that’s just what they’ll get. There are several more bands participating in the competition over the next few weeks, so we’ll just have to wait and see which bands find themselves entertaining hundreds of bikers who make it to The Chip this year.

The Mackie sound system included SA1532z’s and SWA1801z’s for mains, an Onyx 32.4 at FOH with a complement of Quad EQ’s and Quad Comp/Gates. There were loads of SRM450v2 on-stage in wedge position for monitor use.

Sound Harley-Davidson, located in Marysville, WA is proudly hosting this years Rock the Sound…Sturgis Bound competition, this year and last.

Last year’s competition, with an equally impressive Mackie sound system, provided four weekends of amazing band competition. When it was over, the winning prize was awarded to Midstokke. This powerhouse band went on to play several audience-inspiring shows at The Chip during the 2007 Sturgis rally. If you missed them last year, you’ll get another chance because they will be back to rock The Chip again this year.

As the Rock the Sound…Sturgis Bound competition continues to unfold, we will be sure to provide you updates on the happenings.

Posted by Mackie at 10:07 AM | Permalink

12 Students, 12,000 Miles and 1 Waste Veggie Oil Powered Bus on a Mission for a Greener Tomorrow.

Lofty goal? The 12 Dartmouth students who are living and touring on The Big Green Bus would probably agree. However, the intended message is rather simple—educate Americans about climate change and its relationship to energy issues.

This year marks the fourth summer road trip of The Big Green Bus, a green 27’ long 1996 International school bus which has been lovingly converted to run on WVO (waste veggie oil). As they traverse the country, the students stop at any place where they can educate people. From festivals and block parties to wind farms and city council meetings, The Big Green Bus is a focal point for promoting high-profile media attention in the communities visited in an effort to spark a national dialogue. So...start talking people!

Mackie believes in the cause and wanted to provide some gear to help spread the message. Two SRM350v2’s and a 1202-VLZ3 enable the students to be heard during presentations and interactions. Bus-rider Trey Roy had the following to say, “We will be heard loud and clear with the two portable Mackie loudspeakers and compact mixer to run our presentations through.”

Visit www.thebiggreenbus.org to learn more about this inspiring project. You can follow the bus as it travels the country and read the blog, highlighting the progress as the bus rolls on. There's also some great video content on YouTube. So check it all out and learn what you can do to be a part of the solution.

Posted by Mackie at 10:52 AM | Permalink

Fits and Starts Productions will be holding several HOW-TO Church Sound Workshops this July- five in Texas, one in D.C and one in Virginia. The HOW-TO Church Sound Workshops™ focus on both basic and advanced gear and techniques that will help your volunteer staff do a more effective job of running and recording your worship services. Whether you have a single pulpit microphone with speaker, or dozens of mics with a live band and choir, these hands-on workshops will help your volunteers get the best sound for the entire congregation.

Any Mackoid who registers for any of the seven upcoming HOW-TO Church Sound Workshops can register for 50% off the regular price.

All you need to do is go online to www.howtosound.com/register and enter the coupon code mackie-50 in the coupon box area. The price will automatically be updated to show the Mackie discount once you hit "update".

Here are the dates for the eligible workshops:

• Saturday July 12, 2008 (9am-6pm)
Highlands Christian Church
9949 McCree Road, Dallas, TX 75238

• Sunday, July 13, 2008 (1pm-4pm)
Red Oak Baptist Church
320 E. Ovilla Road, Red Oak, TX 75154

• Thursday, July 17, 2008 (6:30pm-9:30pm)
First Baptist Church
1515 Live Oak Street, Rockport, TX 78382

• Saturday, July 19, 2008 (9am-6pm)
Friendswood UMC
110 N. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, TX 77546

• Sunday, July 20, 2008 (1pm-4pm)
First UMC Pasadena
1062 Fairmont PKWY, Pasadena, TX 77504

• Saturday, July 26, 2008
(9am-6pm)
Allen Chapel AME Church
2498 Alabama Avenue SE, Washington, D.C. 20020

• Sunday, July 27, 2008
(1pm-4pm)
Capital Baptist Church
3504 Gallows Road, Annandale, VA 22003

You can register as many people as you want from your church, unlimited, and get 50% off the final price. If you need more information, please visit the registration area or you can contact Hector with Fits and Starts Productions (732-741-1275).

Posted by Mackie at 03:07 PM | Permalink

It is common knowledge that Mackie products are Built-Like-A-Tank. However, there are those that may doubt the inherent robust-ness that makes a Mackie what it is.

To this end, meet the Mackie MixBusters!

You may notice that they resemble (but are legally distinct from) those other guys who bust things…

Watch as they pit the 802-VLZ3 against the competition in a no-holds-barred destruction challenge, suffering abuse that no mixer should.

Then, the FRS-2800 goes toe-to-toe with another popular power amp in an Extreme Performance Challenge. You will learn that specs are not always what they seem.

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So, there you have it. Proof positive that quality matters over here in Woodinville, WA.

Posted by Mackie at 12:45 PM | Permalink

The d.Pro Series is undeniably one of the most powerful DJ mixer series out there. Check out the latest reviews and see why the DJ community loves the d.2 Pro & d.4 Pro DJ Production Consoles.

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Posted by Mackie at 11:11 AM | Permalink