Mackie OnyxGO microphone

[Mottlefeeder]

This is possibly a niche review, but for those of us with hearing loss, it could be a game-changer.

 

The Mackie OnyxGO is a rechargeable, battery-powered microphone, mixer, EQ and 3.5mm monitor output socket, in a box slightly smaller that a 9v battery.

 

It is designed for podcasting, and the audio signal is fed to your phone by Bluetooth, so you can then record it using the companion App. The signal is also fed to the headphone socket on the device. Within the app there is separate EQ for the signal fed to the phone, and for the signal fed to the headphone output. Playing a metronome through the HiFi and listening to both the HiFi speaker and the OnyxGO through open-backed headphones, I was not aware of any latency, so it appears that the monitor EQing happens within the OnyxGO, and not within the phone. The microphone is designed to withstand close mic'ing of loud people, and I have not heard it distort when we are playing, or at HiFi volumes where my existing Tascam Bass-Trainer mics are audibly overloading.

 

For my purposes, it clips onto my bass strap, and picks up the ambient stage sound, and feeds that at my preferred volume to the headphone socket. I use the EQ to boost the mid-frequencies that I have lost, so I am now getting better clarity when the front line remember to tell me what the next song is (we are buskers, we don't have a set list). This gadget is replacing a microphone feeding a dedicated mixer with 3 band EQ that I need to provide that mid-frequency boost.

 

I am not sure if I would use it, but it will also play your Wav and MP3 tracks and mix them with the microphone signal - possibly a useful practice tool for singing or for acoustic playing.

 

Pricing is all over the place - Gear4Music have it at £35, Andertons at £55 and several others at well over £100!

 

So far, so good, but there is some less good news.

 

The app is available on the Apple store, but has been withdrawn from Googles' Android PlayStore, apparently due to software bugs. It is however still available from non-authorised sites, eg https://apkpure.net/mackie-onyxgo/com.mackie.onyxgo/download . For what I need, whatever bugs are lurking there are not causing me problems.

 

The battery life is given as 5-6 hours. This may be true if it is just used as a Bluetooth mic, but with headphones plugged in, I only got 3 1/2 hours of use before it shut down. However, it does function while charging from a USB C power source. So, it will cover your average pub gig etc, but if you are busking for 5 hours you will need a power pack.

 

David