www.homerecordi... This is my honest review of the Mackie DL32r, as a local live sound person. My fears and the truth about digital mixers. We love the DL32r from Mackie and the bands have never sounded better. www.homerecordi...
Hi Ken, Great video and thank you. The model DL32R is now 6+ years old. The newer model DL32S lacks a couple of the ‘R’ features (Dante comparable and H-D recording) . Question: Are you still happy with your ‘R’? Would you recommend looking at any other stage-box-wireless mixers before I buy the DL32R? I have looked at Behringer, Allen & Heath, and Soundcraft. Thanks again.
Hi, the band still uses the Mackie without issue! I have used them all, the ones you have listed, with other bands and venues that have them. The Mackie is simple and a great choice. It is very easy and dependable. I still recommend the Mackie if it’s ease you desire with reliability .
FYI, in case you are considering the Mackie DL32r but you are worried about mixing wirelessly..... we just did a gig with the Mackie DL32r, on a cruise ship, and I mixed the sound with an IPad while dancing with the crowd. I roamed about mixing as I went, and the Mackie DL32 killed it! Best investment the band has made, period!
Hi Ken, Question, is there already a separate unit with 1 mix slider, so 1 wireless daw unit controller available for a Mackie DL 32 S of a certain brand that you connect to a Mackie DL or itablet?... has it already been produced somewhere? If so, could you send me something about that? Why do you need that motorized daw controller with 1 channel and 1 fader? To be able to react even faster if you want to react live on your tablet after clicking on a certain channel. I am currently using an ipad and the physical mix sliders on a Roland M 200i.. which means you can click on a particular fader on the tablet and control it more directly in milliseconds with 1 physical motorized mix slider instead of the fader on the tablet Has Mackie released something like this in America? Now I use super fast live fader corrections with my Roland M200i mixer, a wireless daw unit with 1 motorized fader for the Mackie DL 32S would be amasing Greetings from Belgium, Europe! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xnlEovzsUb4.html&start_radio=1&rv=dzO9f8rRHqE
Hi, great question. I have stepped away from live sound and recording to perform more and more. I have not spoke the language of gear in years. Sorry my friend. Rock on!
loved your Ibe had this now for bout for years 7+ years , had to subscribe but I noticed that sometimes , ive noticed that while trying to connect to my second iPad or iPhone it won't connect any idea why, it works at my house then at times it won't , and I start first by starting the router first ( green light ) then the Mackie then I turn on the app , thanks gain for the video
I use the Mackie 32r came from the DL1608...its a leap of faith the first time you use the DL32R coming from old school mixers and as you said a ton of effects As you said this unit works so well and is so easy to use good insight into this thanks for the video Stewart UK
Hi Stewart, you hit the nail right on the head. I was not sure about it at all but have been well pleased. Today (as a matter of fact) I have a gig on a ship (booze cruise) and I am really looking forward to being wireless as I mix. I have done many shows now with the DL32r and it has been amazing thus far. No issues, no fears. Thanks for your comment.
I'm music director/sound "engineer" for my church. We're looking at getting one of these. Our current rig (of course, huge, and ridiculously complicated -- splitter for two mixing consoles, DSPs for two different sets of ensemble-based mains) is giving us trouble now, with gain pots getting extremely oxidized, rendering channels useless. Do you think this system would be appropriate for a permanent installation? I'm really enticed by getting rid of the knobs and sliders that are subject to all manner of abuse (static, disuse, moisture variance, temperature swings of 20 or more degrees each night). Not to mention how much less intimidating it will be for others having to make adjustments to the sound when I'm away.
Well I am going to give you the answer we all hate to hear, and that is "It depends". The Mackie DL32r is perfect for this band in that it gave us what we wanted, plus made the shows much better sounding. We used to have 4 monitor sends, but now have about 8 to 10 aux sends for in ears. We got rid of our problematic monitors. The DL32r has EQ, Gates, compression for each channel, but they are limited in use compared to what you probably have now. The accuracy of an iPad slider is not as fine (in detail) as a console slider, but we get the preamp input levels close enough that it does not matter too much. The rise in levels patch to patch are not too large. The benefits out weighed the cons for this band, so we love the DL32r. There are other digital mixer/ digital console brands that might be better for you and your church. Quickly adjusting 32 levels as a show unfolds, on an IPad, requires swiping left and right, across screens full of sliders. That's what I am getting at here I guess. Mackie just released the new console for the DL32r which might be perfect for you. The perfect blend of digital mixer, wireless mixing, and console when you need one.I work with another band (two loud guitar amps, bass cab, real drums, etc. and they would not do so well with this set up. They are old school and just cant see the benefits of going digital. The band that got it is sounding great, gig after gig. Heck, I even save the venues EQ and levels as a preset in the DL32r so next time we play there I simply open up that show and then rock it out. If you have bands that play there a lot, in rotation, you could do the same with inputs, routing, EQ's, compressors, gates, and so much more. Hope this helped. I'd seriously go to a reputable music store and try out a couple before making up your mind. Try the new Mackie mixer that works with the DL32r too, it might be perfect for your church.
Kern Ramsdell They added a physical console to the wireless one? As far as the DSP limitations, we could keep the current ones, which are tuned to the house, as is. (Part of the problem is the software on those is basically arcane now, and having it retuned would require us hiring the installing firm to come in and update not only software, but hardware, to the tune of thousands and thousands of dollars, plus man-hours.) Most of what we do is "set it, and forget it", since we don't have a lot of variance in instrumentation, and very few visitors. I've rung the feedback out of the room and the monitors myself, so we're in a decent place that way, but the possibility of four (or more) discreet monitor mixes is really nice as well, since I max out the sends on our consoles for monitors, vestibule feed, and a dedicated recording line out, using one input channel as a buss. It's a total duct tape job, I admit.
They have brand new console that also incorporates three iPads all running the Mackie app. You are right in that it sounds funny. One thing that struck me as a limitation at first with the DL32r is a lack of insert points. Since the EQ/comp/gates/two verbs/global delay are all in the app, Mackie felt no one would need those. They were right in my case, maybe yours too? You are right about the monitor sends too. We love having 8 sends, easily reachable and totally tweak-able. There are direct outs and head phone outs all on the unit too. Plus you can route everything as you wish in the app and save that as a show.
Hi Ken, thanks for the awesome review. I just discovered this mixer today and I'm thinking of it for our church (currently using a 24 channel analog Mackie) My mind is blown by the possibilities. However, for our purposes, I'd rather have our volunteers control it from a laptop in the sound booth. Does the mixer include an ethernet port to connect it to our network? If you've connected a laptop to it, is it possible to send a mix through the network for our livestream computer? Otherwise I'd probably use our current patch panel with some xlr gender changers to send a mix to the booth. Sorry for the length, thanks for any suggestions you might have.
Hello, great question. The Mackie is a network. You will need an apple wireless router for it, btw. Any one with the password can mix from an iPad from quite a distance. Hearing a mix as you move about, and how it changes was eye opening for me.
Thanks for the vid. I purchased a DL-32R for my band as soon as I could, upgrading from the DL-1608. Loved it and continue to love it. Can you elaborate more on how you burn CD's of the show to sell at the venue after the gigs? I'd like to hear more about how you do that, exactly...
It may not be as simple as I made it sound, but this is my approach... The Mackie DL32r records multi-track (from the pre amps) to an external hard drive. You will want to stop recording after each song or stop in music and then hit record again to separate the songs. After that you will want to open a DAW (ProTools or Studio 1)on a laptop and import said multi track files. Then you can quickly mix them in your DAW, and then bounce out wav. or mp3 files to burn to a CD. Sounds like a lot, but once you set up templates it is not bad at all. I also suggest setting up a stereo pair of mics in the venue to mix in as the main L/R. This will make the CD of songs sound like the space you play in, rather then just recording the "close mics".
I use a "spinning disk" type of hard drive, yes, one I plug in to power it up. There are some listed in the manual I think, along with a full explanation of types that will work. I actually use an older Maxtor brand "Personal Storage 2100". Works great.
a solid state drive as opposed to a normal "spinning" hard drive is far superior and will not skip while it tries to record the audio when it is sitting too close to a massively vibrating subwoofer. :)
You said something about the band being able to adjust their individual monitors. Can they do that from a seprate device they have on stage with them (i.e. their own iPhone) or do you have to adjust it for them? If they can do it them selves, do you know how many IOS devices can be connected at the same time?
The Mackie DL32r has its own wi fi. The musicians all "log into" the Mackie DL32r and control their own monitor send levels via phones and tablets, and we usually run at least 10 devices at a time, all logged into the Mackie.
I am looking into purchasing this awesome item, but I’m a little skeptical. I had a Yamaha 01V digital mixer, and it drove me crazy. I’ve used the 16 Mackie analog for 15 years, and I had the privilege of running a 24/4Busses Onyx, it was a piece of cake, running sound on stage, play guitar and percussion’. My question is, can I still be able to play rhythm guitar and still be able to run the console. I had 15 years experienced, but it was a struggle. I am also looking into the SRM Mackie 18” subs and pairing them with the SRM 15” Full Range. Is the Router expensive, and what type of in ear monitors that is affordable for a starting musicians again. I’ve been hiatus for 8 years. Mahalo bro!
OK Jose, there are quite a few questions to answer here, quite a few points to make, so here it goes... I come from Mackie consoles also, and I know them inside and out, and I have used them for a long time. The Mackie DL32r is a stage box (no snake needed), a digital mixer, and you mix your gig wireless with an Ipad, as you may already know. The unit goes for about 1600 dollars, and I absolutely love them. The DL32r has been a total game changer for our band, and for my job as live sound engineer. Let me tell you that after you EQ and compress each of your tracks, and the main L?R, you can set the faders where you need them and then play guitar and sing. However, there seems to be a great deal of headroom with our units pre-amps, and some adjusting is needed, but I do go easy with the compression amount. Our Mackie DL32r has never glitched, not even once, and we gig hard year round (bars, festivals, events, party cruises). We keep the unit in a rack, in a humidified space when possible, and it is like a tank. The selling point these days (for me) is setting up in a venue or club and recalling a saved preset, and boom, all dialed in. Less gear needed (no snakes, outboard gear, etc), better running gigs, and no sound check needed! I like the Mackie DL32r for its simplicity, too, or its limitations. The competition just gets too complicated for a giging band. Give me an EQ and comp/limiter/noise gate on each of the 32 tracks, on the main L/R outs, and I am happy. I just dont need much more then that, and the Mackie DL32r is a no brainer. I cant speak for the Mackie speakers/subs you mention. However, I gig with one band that has very massive Mackie subs and mains which are older units that are very nice sounding, but they dont run their sound very well. The PA speakers they own will sound amazing if only they could dial the gigs in a tad better. It bugs me that they are so close to a stellar show but it remains just out of reach. They need to hire in a sound person and pay them equal share. OK... In ears... Here is my advice on in ears. The bands I work with all agree that getting in ears has made all of the difference. Loosing stage volume, stage noise, monitors and amps, has been a game changer for me too. I see this a lot, so pay attention here... Buy your in ears once. Do not buy a cheap unit first, and then upgrade when you become frustrated. Your gigs will suffer, you will grow frustrated, and you will spend twice as much. I love the Shure units, and get a decent set of actual in ear monitors too. You will thank yourself a million times over.
What i mean is after recording multitrack at my DL32R record side & the recording wave file not auto transfer at playback size.Please advise me how to import audio file into playback list.It is mp3 file in the itunes library which i converted to wave file can use for playback at master fader?
Hi, I am sorry if I am confused about your issue, but I am trying to be helpful here. Please feel free to give me more info, or word your issue better. I think you are asking about virtual sound checking using freshly recorded multi track audio. Is that right? I have listened back to a multi track, but only thru headphones. I record "live bands", multi track, all the time, too. I can instantly play the recorded audio back inside the DL32R. Let me add, and you probably know this, that the recorded audio is placed in a "packed folder" that must be down loaded to your computer and then "in packed" with Wave Agent Beta software. Then it can be played and imported into a DAW with ease. I believe only stereo files can be uploaded to the DL32R "playback" MP3 feature.
yes, i do all that already but still not appear in my DL32R playback.In this case i think my DL32R having the problem.By the way thank you for advise..
only 48k wav audio files can be imported for playback in the DL. It is far more convenient to use a separate device to play back music into the DL mixer. With a separate playback device, you will have simultaneous access to Master Fader's volume controls while you are cueing tracks. .02
I asked this question on another video but maybe you can answer it. Do you have any physical surface other than the iPad and if not does that ever cause a problem? Does the wifi ever drop out?
We use only Apple products with the Mackie DL32r. I use only an older iPad to actually run the shows, and the band uses only iPhones and iPods to run their in ears volumes. The DL32r's Wi-Fi has never failed, but the iPad I use often times has to sync up (takes about one full second) if I stray too far away from the mixer with the iPad. I believe the Mackie DL32r is the best digital mixer on the market, and I have run them all.
Hi Kern, my only concern is whether I could run DL32R aux sends into my 8 channel Digital Audio Interface though I understand that the DL32r has simultaneous recording capability. Thanks in advances..
Hi Gilbert, Yes, you could set up 8 separate "mix auxes" and then run those into your interface, but the DL32 does do multi track (32 tracks) recording flawlessly like you mentioned. I have used these recordings (mixed in my DAW)to make videos and mixes for bands.
Thanks Ken. Great response and best review so far..I'm still contemplating between Soundcraft UI24 and DL32R, considering the price difference is huge..what is your take on that..? Thanks again..
I would suggest the Mackie DL32 as it is built like a tank. It has never even had a glitch in several years now, and we use it four to eight times a month for gigs and practices. I am not too familliar with the SoundCraft board.
