Phil Starr Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 (edited) Is anyone using these or any experience of one, it all looks good on paper and on You Tube but there's nothing like real life experience, how do users get on with these? Edited August 16 by Phil Starr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratman Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 I have a DL1608. It was my main mixer for maybe 5 years until I upgraded to a UI24R in 2019. I love using it, the Master Fader app is simple to use (you can download it and play with it offline, without any feature restrictions) and I still use it regularly when my SQ5 would be overkill. It’s great for small corporate jobs, duo/reception sets or pub gigs. The only downside is that on my model, the pre amps are physical pots on the mixer, you can’t save or recall their settings. And I never have got the 2 track recorder to do any recording. No biggie on either count though. Aside from that, the EQs are warm, comps sound ok, it has VCAs too. Also, if you play break music (in my case, Spotify) on the iPad inserted into the docking tray, it appears in its own channel in the app and that doesn’t use up one of the 16 inputs. I have an Apple Airport Express router for wireless control. That’s never let me down either. Such a great little mixer. If you have any specific questions, fire away. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratman Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 Also, if you’re like me and hate the way the Behringer app works, Mackie’s Master Fader is a dream to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted August 3 Author Share Posted August 3 Thanks @ratman I did look at the DL1608 as a used one came up locally, but it isn't in production any more and for the moment my RCF M18 meets my needs. For my own use I'm just planning for the next upgrade if I outgrow the M18 or it ceases to function. For live work and no sound engineer the stagebox mixer is perfect so the DL16 and DL32 are in the running as are the A&H CQ series. Master Fader though looks really great in that context, really user friendly whilst giving you access to a lot of features when you have more time. I'm particularly interested on how you get on with it when you are playing live. I genuinely think the sortware/apps are more important to look at than the physical hardware which increasingly at this price bracket does much the same things and way more than most of us will ever use. Like you I hate the Behringer app, I appreciate the flexibility but what I need on-stage is the ability to make accurate adjustments in seconds not that horribly cluttered screen a time lag and sometimes unreliable connections. It's interesting that you see the physical faders on the DL1608 as a downside, that was my biggest fear when I went digital but now I wouldn't go back, with a decent app the on screen sliders are actually easier to use than physical controls. So anything you can share about using Master Fader in practice would be really good 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirellithecat Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 Any thoughts on the A&H MixPad compared to the Mackie Master Fader? I've downloaded the MixPad and it looks pretty good in terms of layout and Fader "size" - I'm still lacking a bit of confidence in moving to a Magic Black box without a incorporated screen etc .... but ......... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilebodgers Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 The DL16s looks like a decent unit. I’ve been comparing the spec and software with the A&H CQ20b and it is very similar, but the Mackie has the advantage of subgroups, more routing options, simultaneous geq and peq on aux and main outs, high pass filters on aux outs etc. Bit more of a complete offering where the CQ is very stripped-back. It’s only 2.4Ghz wifi though, so it would need an external router to get out of the crowded wifi bands. I’d always want a wired Ethernet pc running alongside tablet control for these surfaceless mixers anyway, so both the A&H and Mackie need an external router to do this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 Ah, I hadn't spotted that it is only 2.4GHz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirellithecat Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 On 03/08/2024 at 16:25, nilebodgers said: The DL16s looks like a decent unit. I’ve been comparing the spec and software with the A&H CQ20b and it is very similar, but the Mackie has the advantage of subgroups, more routing options, simultaneous geq and peq on aux and main outs, high pass filters on aux outs etc. Bit more of a complete offering where the CQ is very stripped-back. It’s only 2.4Ghz wifi though, so it would need an external router to get out of the crowded wifi bands. I’d always want a wired Ethernet pc running alongside tablet control for these surfaceless mixers anyway, so both the A&H and Mackie need an external router to do this. This is why I'd prefer a unit which has the control interface built into it i.e. a Touchscreen. If the remote (WiFi) access goes down for any reason I would still have access to the mixer via the built in screen - so an inconvenience but not a disaster! This would make me lean into the A&H CQ 18T or something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted August 5 Author Share Posted August 5 You always have the option of using an ethernet cable for making a connection. I've never had a problem but my mixer has a dual band router so it's never been an issue. It's sensible to think these things through though as we all probably have different workflows at gigs. I use a wireless connection on my bass and do a final soundcheck out front with my iPad, after that I don't touch FOH so if everything went down the sound would continue unchanged anyway, all i'd lose would be access to my own monitors. I sing bv's as well as play so having the iPad on my mic stand is a must and a stage box mixer the only practical option and losing the big analogue mixer has really cleared a lot of clutter from my part of the stage. It might be worth a look at getting a used Mackie 1608 which has an iPad dock Mackie DL1608 You'd need a separate router to use it without the dock and you are reliant on having an iPad of the right generation but they are available for very little used. I've seen them going for as little as £250 used with an iPad included. They run with Master Fader. I do get the attraction of the A&H though. You may find that once you've identified what is important to you your choices are fairly limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirellithecat Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 Good points ....... not sure I can use an ethernet cable on (my) iPad though? Perhaps there's another way? Or am I "misunderstanding"? Basically, there is little adjustment to the FOH once we're past the first couple of numbers. However, the monitor mix often gets changed as either people feel they need a different mix as the gig progresses or we get anomalous feedback. This is primarily due to our singing drummer - and whilst he has moved to Drum triggers, his vocal Mic is problematic particularly as it sits in front of his Drum monitor!! (and no he won't try a headphone Mic or IEM's!!!). A used Mackie 1608 sounds interesting - is the tech still OK - seems like it was launched over 10 years ago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chienmortbb Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 (edited) 29 minutes ago, Pirellithecat said: Good points ....... not sure I can use an ethernet cable on (my) iPad though? Perhaps there's another way? Or am I "misunderstanding"? Basically, there is little adjustment to the FOH once we're past the first couple of numbers. However, the monitor mix often gets changed as either people feel they need a different mix as the gig progresses or we get anomalous feedback. This is primarily due to our singing drummer - and whilst he has moved to Drum triggers, his vocal Mic is problematic particularly as it sits in front of his Drum monitor!! (and no he won't try a headphone Mic or IEM's!!!). A used Mackie 1608 sounds interesting - is the tech still OK - seems like it was launched over 10 years ago? Yes you can. I use a lightning to RJ45 adaptor and the iPad immediately recognizes it as an Ethernet connection as soon as you plug it in. It is in my bag as a back up, just in case I ever get WiFi problems. Just search for Lightning to Ethernet Cable. Edited August 5 by Chienmortbb 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted August 5 Author Share Posted August 5 8 hours ago, Pirellithecat said: A used Mackie 1608 sounds interesting - is the tech still OK - seems like it was launched over 10 years ago? I can't help you with that @ratman is probably the one to ask. The problem is likely to be with using an older iPad, they seem to be long lived and I've seen a Gen2 still working but anything with a battery will eventually stop working. You've still got the Onyx pre amps built in and Mater Fader as the control software so the mixer should be OK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 The Masterfader software is dead simple to use and gives you the right amount of control over what you would need for most gigs. As a piece of software, I think its dead in the water. The development of it kinda died when Ben Olswang left Mackie. Masterfader 4 to 5 was a complete rewrite and 5 took a while to get stable. I can't see it getting any updates any time soon. I ran a pair of DL32Rs for many years and they never missed a beat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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