Mackie’s new Onyx Series features four different models, the Onyx 8, Onyx 12, Onyx 16 and the Onyx 24. We were able to get our hands on the Onyx24 for this extensive review and evaluated it in three distinct scenarios: as a home studio mixer, a live performance mixer and for a podcast.
Like many of the latest modern mixers, the channel count while technically accurate, is not quite real world accurate. For example, on the Onyx 24, channels 23/24 are only available as a 1/8th inch / 3.5mm stereo jack input or to connect to a Bluetooth device. In addition, without Aux Returns, you’ll have to utilize a pair of the inputs to incorporate your own external effects processor. To some users, this won’t be an issue, but to others who need 24 discrete inputs, they may want to investigate some of Mackie’s VLZ offerings. Based on user feedback, Mackie felt their customers weren’t using the AUX returns. Instead, they were returning their external effects processor to a channel where it can be processed before blending into the mix. While that may be the case for some users, our reviewers felt that with the stereo pairing of channels limiting the actual inputs, two stereo returns would have provided flexibility and more options.
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One of the first things our reviewers noted about the Onyx 24 was the small footprint. Considering Mackie is packing 18 Onyx preamps with 60dB of gain, 3-Band EQ, built-in effects, Bluetooth connectivity, recording to SD card, USB with up to 24-Bit / 96 kHz resolution, and much more into its low-profile steel chassis. It’s amazing how compact the Onyx 24 actually is, even with 60mm faders. While the form-factor may not immediately resonate with potential buyers when shopping for a new mixer, we found it made a big difference both in the studio and in live situations.
Small Size — Big Features
For home studio applications, the Onyx 24’s size means it won’t take up your entire desk, and with a built-in 24×4 USB interface, a connection to your Mac or Windows computer is plug’n’play. Don’t have a digital audio workstation yet? Mackie has you covered and includes the Waveform OEM DAW with every purchase, plus their DAW Essentials that contains 16 effects plug-ins. If you already have a favorite DAW, the Essentials plug-in package can actually be used with any DAW, not just Waveform OEM.
Although Mackie isn’t the first to include direct to SD card recording in a mixer, the implementation on the Onyx is well-executed. Even better, once you start including the feature in your workflow, you’ll wonder how you lived without it. In our experience, we used it as an audio recording backup during our live presentation and podcast. It provided piece-of-mind that if our main recording when south, we’d at least have a quality backup.
In a studio setting, if you tend to conduct experiments in sound with analog synths or an ever-expanding Eurorack setup, you can record everything you do and revisit it later. The SD card recording can even be used to provide high-quality audio for a social media post that was initially captured on a smartphone. The only deficit with Mackie’s implementation, is that you can only record the stereo master out, as opposed to each individual track, which the Tascam Model 24 offers. All in all, SD card recording is a versatile and valuable feature that you’ll definitely see popping up on new mixers going forward.
The other big advance on the Onyx series is the twelve built-in effects. These haven’t simply been ported over from Mackie’s FX series. They were designed from the ground up by Mackie’s own internal team. Compared to the FX series, the Onyx effects are a big step up in terms of sound quality and the ability to configure a handful of settings, taking advantage of the color screen. While the effects are usable, and cover the basics, our testers thought the interface could be better. To be fair, you can now get under the hood of each effect and tweak individual parameters to your liking, but the graphical user interface (GUI) utilizes clunky tabs and a single click/turn knob, feeling a bit antiquated. The twelve effects include: Delay, Echo, Snapback, Hall Reverb, Room Reverb, Plate Reverb, Chorus 1 & 2, Flanger, Delay + Reverb, Delay + Chorus, and Reverb + Chorus. You would think that there would actually be more effects, considering the FX series has 24, but for some reason Mackie decided to cap the Onyx series.
Each channel has a distinct gain knob, Mute, Solo, Pan and Low cut in addition to three FX sends. The third FX send routes to the internal effects, while the other two lead to mono 1/4″ outputs. The “Perkins-style” EQ has Hi, Mid and Low with a sweepable Mid from 100 Hz to 8 kHz. The Low shelving is at 80 Hz, and the Hi occurs at 12 kHz. Each band has 15 dB of boost/cut. Each channel has an EQ In/Out button. A true bypass that turns the EQ on/off and is great for comparing what affect the EQ is having on the channel. The Low Cut eliminates signals under 100 Hz and can help clean up dirty signals that muddy the mix. The Onyx preamps are clean, but without any bite or harshness and have a neutral profile. Channels 1 and 2 have Hi-Z action for connecting a guitar or bass without the need for a DI box.
The Mackie Onyx 24 thrives in a live performance environment…
The Mackie Onyx 24 thrives in a live performance environment. Whether your forum is a club, a church or in our test case, a new technology showcase, the Onyx 24 with 18 XLR inputs can handle anything you can throw at it without the need to drag along a suitcase of accessories. With its lightweight and small footprint, our evaluator was able to set up five stations, each outputting a stereo pair, two speaker microphones and a music source in under an hour. The showcase went off without a hitch and our evaluator was impressed that there was no battles with the equipment.
Mackie Onyx 24 Mixer Features:
- Onyx mic preamps provide up to 60dB of gain
- Analog/USB channel strips with flexible routing
- Perkins “British style” EQ with sweepable midrange
- High-resolution 96kHz / 24-bit multi-track recording to Mac/PC via USB
- Direct to SD card stereo recording and playback
- Channel-assignable 4-track USB return (two stereo pairs)
- Send your Main Mix to USB via a dedicated switch
- New generation 12 on-board effects with dedicated EQ
- On/Off hard bypass switch on all channels
- Hi-Z switches allows direct connection of guitars, basses, and other instruments
- 100Hz low-cut filter and 48V phantom power on all mic channels
- 60mm Faders
- Aux/Monitor outputs with dedicated per-channel send control
- Dedicated Control Room outputs
- Headphone output with dedicated level control
- Dedicated L-R Assign switches per channel
- 12-segment stereo meters
- Overload indicators on all channels
- PFL/AFL channel solo
- Footswitch input for FX Mute
- Backlit Mute and Solo buttons
- Mic in to Insert Send out, max gain –128 dBu
- Mic input to any output (gain at unity, +0 dB / –1 dB ) 20 Hz to 30 kHz
- Residual Output Noise: All outputs off –98 dBu / All outputs, master levels unity, one channel level unity –88 dBu
- Frequency Response: Mic input to any output (gain at unity, +0 dB / –1 dB ) 20 Hz to 30 kHz
- USB 2.0 – A/D/A 24 bit, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz
- SD Card – 2×2 / 24-bit / 96 kHz
- Per-step ratchets, odds and probabilities
- Shuffle and groove settings for each track
- Bluetooth 5.0 Streaming to any Channel
- Phantom Power: 48 VDC to all mic channels simultaneously
- Dimensions: Height: 12.2 in / 310 mm x Width: 31.0 in / 787 mm x Depth: 21.6 in / 549 mm
- Weight: 28.0 lb / 12.7 kg
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Conclusion
Mackie has set a new high-water mark for themselves with the new Onyx series of audio mixers, which fit perfectly between their FX and VLZ series. For a sub $1000 mixer, Mackie has delivered a compelling proposition with the Onyx 24 that should appeal to musicians who are looking for a modern feature set and a handsome chassis. In fact, it won our Gear Of The Year Award 2022 in the Audio Mixer category. Highly recommended.
Mackie Onyx 24 Mixer Rating: 90%
Cheers:
+ Build Quality
+ Sound Quality
+ Big Value
+ Internal Effects
+ Compact Design
+ SD Card Recording
Jeers:
– Not True 24 Channels
– No Returns
The Mackie Onyx 24 Mixer costs $949.99 and is available now.
The Future: For a new mixer series, Mackie has done an outstanding job with the Onyx. Going forward, we love to see the Seattle concern provide two stereo pairs as Returns, instead of having users eat up two stereo channels to include external effects. Tweaking the graphical user interface of the effects screen should also be considered for easier workflow and more native control, not to mention expanding the number of effects available. Finally, the ability to record each channel to the SD card simultaneously would open up even more possibilities.
