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When it comes to live sound, the margin for error
is tight. Nobody knows this better than regional sound professionals,
medium-sized venues, and houses of worship. Unlike the major touring
and live sound companies, these hardy folks must make a difficult
choice when buying a live sound console; it’s the age-old tradeoff
between channel count and sound quality. Pay for quality, and you have
to find some way to cram all your mics and instruments into 16 or fewer
inputs. Go cheapo, and you know it’s only a matter of when—not if—the
console fails at some crucial moment. As of today, that age-old tradeoff has gone the way
of grunge and dial-up modems. Introducing the new Onyx 80 Series 2480,
3280, 4080 and 4880 Premium Live Sound Consoles—the best value in the
history of live sound—from Mackie, of course.
A NO-COMPROMISE DESIGN
Priority one for the Onyx 80 Series was to create a live sound console
that made absolutely no sacrifice in sonic integrity at any stage of
the design. So the Onyx 80 Series engineers started with the highest
quality analog components available—from premium op-amps to IC chips
costing exponentially more than previous designs. By utilizing
semi-discrete eight channel modular circuit boards, the Onyx series
combine the flexibility of single PCBs for each channel, with the cost
advantages and minimal cabling of large-scale integrated circuit boards.
No
corners were cut; Every Subgroup, Left, Right and Center main bus is
electronically balanced for an uncompromised signal from input to
output. All-new summing bus circuitry was designed from the ground up
to maximize master section headroom, while minimizing noise and
crosstalk. And most notably, we developed premium Onyx mic preamps and
Perkins EQ circuitry specifically for optimum performance within the
total Onyx system.
We also went overboard on
the "toughness" factor, even by Mackie standards, building the Onyx 80
chassis with beefy aluminum extrusions and steel bulkheads for
over-the-top physical protection of the technology inside.
 ONYX MIC PREAMPS
Creating our flagship Onyx mic preamps presented a unique challenge. On
one hand, we wanted to deliver traits more commonly associated with
boutique studio mic preamps: a tight, focused high end, superior
ambience retrieval, detailed lower bass octaves, and highly textural
midrange—no matter what you plug in. On the other hand, we knew Onyx
mic preamps would have to function in the real world of live
performance, which often includes high levels of radio frequency and
microwave energy, long cable runs and the occasional “hot-patched”
cable. Read more.
ALL-NEW PERKINS EQ CIRCUITRY
 Before
we tell you about the Perkins EQ section, we should probably introduce
you to its designer—the legendary Cal Perkins. Along with Greg Mackie,
Cal was the driving force behind Mackie innovations like XDR mic
preamps, HR Series monitors and more... not to mention his 30-plus
years of experience designing classic audio gear for other big names in
the business.
To create his all-new Perkins EQ, Cal started
with the Wien Bridge circuit topology—a very musical design inspired by
the hallowed “British” desks of the 60s and 70s. This design
essentially trades boost/cut capability for a wider, highly musical Q
filter. But Cal, ever the perfectionist, decided that live sound
engineers deserve a better bargain. Read more.
INTERNAL ARCHITECTURE
As
important as great mic preamps and musical EQ sections are, they are
only part of the reason we can confidently call the Onyx 80 Series a
"premium" live sound console. Equally as important, though admittedly
less sexy, is the Onyx mixers' proprietary negative-gain architecture
and minimized signal path.
For
those of us who don't speak electrical engineer, negative-gain
architecture means that by running at internal levels of -6dB, Onyx
mixers can handle up to four times the number of hot signals of regular
mixers before clipping. Minimized signal path, on the other hand, is
the reason the Onyx mixers' EQ section is above the Aux assignments -
creating a linear signal path from the mic preamp to the EQ, through
the Aux sends and on to the channel faders - resulting in a 50% shorter
path (and less noise) than many of our competitors' mixers.
THE MOST FLEXIBLE FEATURE SET IN ITS CLASS
 The
Onyx 80 Series mixers break the “you get what you pay for” adage by
offering more channels and features than any other mixer even remotely
close in price. These features include eight pre/post-switchable,
stereo-linkable Aux Sends for in-ear monitoring and effects
routing—plus eight Stereo Aux Inputs (yes, that’s 16 line inputs), each
with 4-band Perkins EQ. This means you’ll no longer sacrifice mic
inputs to accommodate effects returns and playback devices. We’ve also
added new features that any hardcore live engineer can appreciate, like
a Monitor Flip function; a 10x2 Matrix Mixer; four Mute Groups; and an
optional redundant power supply. Read more.
POWERFUL AUX/GROUP FUNCTIONALITY
Who wants run-of-the-mill Aux and Group sends? Not our customers;
they’ve come to expect more value when it comes from Mackie. That’s why
each of the Onyx 80 Series' eight Aux Sends become stereo pairs when
the stereo switch is engaged, reducing the amount of head-scratching
when asked to provide four stereo mixes for IEM (in-ear monitor)
systems.
Aux/Group Flip switches “flip” the
controls for the Aux Sends and the Group Sends, so that the Group
Faders control the Aux Send levels, and the Aux Send GAIN controls
adjust the Group levels. The Group signals still appear at the Group
Send outputs and the Aux Send signals still appear at the Aux Send
outputs. This allows you to use the 100mm long-throw Group fader to
make more precise settings for the Aux Sends.
"BUILT-LIKE-A-TANK" CONSTRUCTION
 Extreme
chassis rigidity is achieved in the Onyx 80 Series from the
tough-as-nails modular monocoque design, then reinforced with beefy
aluminum extrusions, plus strategically placed steel bulkheads. Then,
the console is torture-tested for impact, shock, heat, vibration and
humidity—it's even dropped repeatedly from a height of three feet! So a
block of onyx stone is gonna flex before an Onyx 80 Series chassis
does. Read more
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