Overall User Ratings

"Size isn't everything!!"

Feature:
Superb!! there are insert points on two of the channels, which act as either direct outs or inserts. There is more than ample i/o for your average band playing reasonably sized venues. One feature that is not capitalised on in the marketing is the ability to four track. I use this mixer for recording into a rack mount pc, and a yamaha dsp factory. by using the two direct outs and the 2 aux sends it gives me a portable four bus mixing system. Excellent monitoring options and two aux returns make this mixer excellent for live work, while the EQ defeat switch lends itself to recording equally as well

Quality:
Bombproof!! everything from the pots through to the sliders are testimony to the mackie's trademark quality.

Value:
this is one of the best value quality compact mixer's i've used.

Desirability:
Its a mackie, enough said!!!

Sound:
very quiet in operation, benefits from using quality balanced cables. the channel strip EQ is a bit limited in comparison to my soundcraft mixer's, but sound quality is excellent. The effects section is something that seems to let most mixer's down, those included are basic, but very good. Ok, so they don't fair well against my lexicon, but at over a grand more expensive than the whole mixer i wouldn't expect it to. I have used this mixer live, and the effects are more than adequate for melodic through to heavy vocals. The only thing i would have liked to have seen was an option to combine reverb and delay.

Support:
Haven't needed support with this mixer, never had a problem. In the past i've needed to contact mackie regarding other products, and i found them excellent, although you can only speak from experience

Overall:
i expect to be satisfied with this mixer for a long time, when it becomes redundant as a live or recording mixer it will be used as a practise mixer or sub mixer for the drums. Its to good to get rid of, and the compact size will always mean it gets lots of use.

"Don't waste money on something a few bucks cheaper."

This reviewer purchased this item from Same Day Music.

Feature:
A mid-range EQ channel control would have been nice, but I can't gripe. Sound so good overall that I really haven't missed it, to my surprise. Partially offset by 5-band EQ for mains - doesn't sound like much control but enough for applications I had in mind. Effects are really very nice - only 16 of them but each leaves very little to be desired IMO. Contrary to other reviews, vocal bypass doesn't produce an echoey sound but isn't useful to me at all. XLR outputs very helpful for use with powered speaker and longish cable runs. Input for foot pedal EFX switch a serious plus in onstage situations. Changing effects levels doesn't make large changes in the channel level or drive it into feedback, something that was emphatically not the case with the Alesis. Yes, it would be very nice to have different effects applied to each channel, but then we'd be talking about a unit costing several times as much, eh?

Quality:
Seems very well made throughout. Criticism from another reviewer about "fragile" EQ sliders off the mark I think - same as on our never-coddled Mackie powered mixer and nary a problem with that. Seems entirely road-worthy so far - familiar Mackie construction.

Value:
This mini mixer was really pretty cheap considering the quality. Not the cheapest, but I've found you generally do get what you pay for, no matter how trite that sounds.

Desirability:
A telling point: one of primary reasons I wanted this was for effects. I couldn't get a satisfying sound out of the Alesis no matter what I did. When first playing around with the Mackie, I couldn't tear myself away because the sound and the subtle degree of control were so intriguing and satisfying. It's "sex appeal" isn't cosmetic (although there's nothing wrong there) but rather as a good and effective tool.

Sound:
Had previously tried comparable Alesis unit (MultiMix 8FX) but not happy with sound, either straight or through effects. Alesis had 100 preset effects, a case of "100 channels but nothing on..." None were subtle, reverb had very evident pings, etc. I wondered if the problem was the Yamaha powered speaker I tried it with, but Mackie was a revelation. Same sound quality as through our band's Mackie powered amp, and I am very satisfied with results.

Support:
Now I'm giving them a 10 because I have to choose and so am forced to go on reputation. I've never had to deal with them on our band's Mackie unit, and that's the very best kind of customer service I think - the upfront QC kind. But they do seem to have a good reputation for dealing fairly with problems.

Overall:
I expect to have it for a long time and be satisfied with it. Not a primary mixer for a band in large setting, have other equipment for that. But close to ideal for component of very light, simple, versatile system, adding effects to one or two instruments onstage, etc.