MACKIE DLZ CREATOR VS RODECASTER PRO II - ONE WILL BE CROWNED!! 

I love my RCP2, saw this Mackie and instantly wanted it in my life. I saw what for me is a deal breaker off the bat and can not for the life of me understand how such a high end unit does not have the multi USB input that the Rode offers.

Hello...can I program a button on the DLZ Creator to switch off the reverb and echo, for example? Thanks for your answer.

Great comparison. Have you tried the Yamaha AG08? I think you'll really like it.

Which between these do you find has the better quality DSP? HPF, Gate/Compressor etc... Also for your question for which sound we prefer for the SM7B on both, at least for me, I prefer how the SM78 sounds on the Rodecaster. There was a sound I didn't like when the SM7B switched to the Mackie at 6:19 not a fan.

Very nice comparison, thank you so much! The margin of victory for RØDE is pretty slim when considering the uneven playing field in comparing a mature product and a newly introduced product. The screen size sells me and the unit size doesn’t concern me. The individual rotary dials on the DLZ Creator are a really great feature as is the menu system. The sound pads seem to be designed to prevent accidental usage since your hand will be hovering over them quite a bit so that is not a problem for me. I thought the Mackie sounded cleaner on your preamp test. The Mackie automix feature did not come into play in the comparison. Both have ducking with the RCP2 only on one channel and i can’t find out how many channels on the DLZ although when using automix it seems to be across most of the channels. (?) Lots of headroom for improvement on the DLZ and maybe the RCP2 is in the early stages of feature bloat? Thanks again, and please keep up the great work!!!

I was waiting for this. Thank you!!

Hey, thanks for doing this. Much much appreciated! I was gonna go with Mackie, but realised it was unable to take two wired connections. I connect the Rode/Zoom to skype/wirecast on the computer and bring in guests through whatsapp/phone connected via the TRRS connection. Mackie seems to be only bluethooth and my past experience with bluetooth phone connections has not been good! What is your take on it?

Great job! Enjoyed the video to the last minute, good points, fair comparison. The auto-gain and automix features are pulling up the DLZ a little more imho, although I did have some issues with this first iteration of the automix.

Outside of live stream, are these things good for anything else other than... live streaming or live performances? I don't do either.

how is the routing on both? is it possible to have a mic connected but set it so that it doesn't feed the mic to the monitor outs?

I bought the rcp 2 and have sent it back twice! The first time it wouldn’t connect to WiFi and it wouldn’t connect with the Ethernet cable. I got a new one and the smart pads go crazy without even touching it. Waiting on the third one to come and if it is faulty I’m gonna go with the mackie

It's interesting to hear your opinion on these two. I love my DLZ and Rode obviously has a great product. I can only imagine what Rode will come out with next, this is why I love competition in the market place. Again thanks for your videos.

Nicely done. Although I do like larger screens, desk space is precious. If I needed one, it would be the Rode.

"Size does matter, especially when it comes to touch." I'll just leave this here....

I look forward to the Mackie Duo ! Great view !

2 HUGE advantage of MACKIE DLZ , 2 stereo analog inputs through some audio interface you can add 4 more microphones and there is automix , it would be good if you could activate it on all channels

I would have appreciated if you announced the categories. I was listening to your video while cooking, and had the hardest time to follow which feature was being discussed.

Since you mentioned it, what is wrong with the gate on the DLZ?

I like my Mackie. They have plugins that are coming as well. That’s awesome

Less than 45 seconds in, and I heard a non-button “that said”… Great video!

I love the size and looks of the Mackie, unfortunately i simply don't have the desk space for it. Also. i already own the RCP2 and it really is a fantastic piece of kit. I would love Rode to bring back the physical faders from the RCP1 though. I just prefer them to the virtual faders on the RCP2.

The other comparison which you sort of eluded too is the size of the two units. I think Rode also wins this category. Smaller is better when dealing with table space and mobility.

Well done but just you know i did the sound quality test using the Earthworks ethos, on Gigcaster8, RCP2, Mixcast4 & DLZ creator; believe me the GigCaster8 top for me in sound quality followed by Mixcaster 4 Dlz come last for me. I believe like you said the gate might be the issue, I tested them all having central AC on to test the noise gate and Mixcaster$ Top for handling the noise better , That been said I still like the DLZ Creator for Screen Size and lay out but Sound quality is also important to me. and for all I can see now is like GigCaster is killing.

It seams like most of what Rode wins on could could be overcome with another iteration of the Makie or maybe a firmware update. I really love what both of these are capable of and would love to see their features in a mixer that has more inputs. These are geared towards small creators but would be very beneficial to event streamers like myself. However we often need more than 4 inputs. I did an event last week that required 14 mics plus additional input from a computer for a couple of remote guests. I had to hire an audio engineer with a bigger mixer than my Zoom L8. The fact that the Mackie will output to NDI is a game changer. Inputs would be nice. Better still if we could incorporate Dante, Madi, or other network audio alternatives.

Nice comparison

I like the Mackie DLZ Creator. I like the user interface and Easy - Enhanced - Pro options. However I wish Enhanced mode had just a little more specific tweaking capability. It seems like just a hair more than Easy mode. DLZ Creator also supports audio over USB as an input as well as Bluetooth which is great. However, it only has 4 inputs with preamps...Mackie Onyx 80 preamps which came out 18 years ago in 2005...😬🤷‍♂️ More of a "mini mixer" than a true mixer. I'd like to see at least 10 combo jack inputs, all with better preamps. There's a rumor I heard that Mackie is working on a bigger, more expensive version of this but I have no idea of when it will come out or if true. Another new digital mixer that's a peg up from these is the new Yamaha DM3S ($1,699) and DM3D ($1,999). More inputs and supports up to 96kHz. However, I much prefer the UI of the DLZ Creator. Digital mixers have really come a long way. If I had to buy right now I'd probably get the Yamaha DM3S or DM3D but if Mackie makes a bigger, better version I'd lean in their favor.

Weird Anomalies Of Sound would be a good band name.

Do you believe that Mackie/Rode now I guess will bring out a new DLZ creator soon, or is it with us for a while to come?

I've noticed that Mackie has recently introduced some new streamer interfaces called Mackie Caster 1 and 2, perhaps as a way to explore this market. However, I sincerely hope that Mackie DLZ doesn't suffer the same fate as Tascam's Mixcaster 4 😂. It's worth noting that Mackie still utilizes Polywave files, while we've moved away from using them in RCP 2.

Great video, both are good units, I must admit I'm relieved RODE won, it's the one I have. The excitement of a new release like mackie's is inevitable, but before we jump on mackie we can wait and see those updates. 🔥

I bought the DLZ and used it for a week. Returned it due to poor build, latency and just all around not happy with the device. I had the RCP2 for 2 days and couldn’t take the latency. Keeping my original Rodecaster Pro for now.

If I didn't have a RCP II I'd went for the Mackie. Never needed the second USB, love the bigger screen, been using Mackie stuff since early 90's, got two analog mixers, it'd just work. The size of the whole unit though…. Mackie should've thought of the Vesa mount option, still.

Just a heads up, you have 76db of gain listed on the graphic for the Mackie while you're talking about it being 80. Best...

Recently found your videos and like the style. But sorry but this is a bit hard to follow if you're just listening to the audio. Didn't know which section you were talking about. 🙂

I like the bigger screen on the Mackie. Also it has more of a mixer vibe. Mmmmm. It's a tough one and they'll evolve over the next few months. For a first attempt Mackie is a promising development to their line.

YO ya cambie mi rodebroscaster 1 por mi nueva mackie dlz

What do I Think???? I think it's very clear You are a Rodecaster Freak!!!! What about the ability record directly in to your Protools or Any other Software????????

Did I miss the RRP comparison?

Nice comparison! I'm probably an anomaly in that I prefer to livestream with as few software apps for control and encoding as possible, but I've had a much better experience running audio out the balanced monitor/line outs to a camera with balanced inputs on the Mackie vs. the RODECaster Pro II. It really shows that these companies come from very different backgrounds - Mackie from pro mixers, RODE from a more software focused approach (i.e., assumes that streamers will use OBS or other software encoders and not hardware streaming encoders).

Hm... again, where is automix feature? It's very important for recording two or more people. I have no idea why you didn't mention that - for me (and not only for me) is the most important feature of Mackie and the most important reason to change from RodeCaster to Mackie. 76dB instead of 80dB in Mackie on the comparison chart... Pads also are very individual - I have RodeCaster and hate these delicate pads activated by breath ;) I'm not a Mackie's fan-boy, but you should be more objective in my opinion - of course, I've noticed this is not really serious scientific competition, but... ;) BTW, I'm curious, where do you get such large distortions in the audio signal? I've tried on my RodeCaster and SM7B with maximum gain and have stable noise without any pulse.

What is the price difference?

Talkback?

Awesome

prefer pad use being less prone to accidental use and firmware update with usb is not an issue here either...sending love and peace to everyone...

I love MACKIE DLZ

Did you say one had 80 db gain, but the gfx reads 76 for both?

Hogan versus Warrior.

The Rode has Windows software to run with, where as Mackie runs out of the box.

Suggestion: Boss Gigcaster console review

Used them both. Did not need a second usb c connection. Screen on the DLZ so much bigger. Just love that.Longer travel distance for the faders on the Mackie. Monitor out control with the fader on the Mackie..Nicer and more intuitive controls..as a beginner I love the DLZ much more. There 's a price difference though. Mackie is €175 more expensive..thanks for the vid.

I'll be honest, neither make the SM7b sound good. But then again, I've never liked the sound of it. But the Mackie makes it sound less bad. As for the routing, I wish routing is as easy as the Wave XLR is, because I want multiple different channels, and I want all these channels separated in OBS as well

so tascam mixcat 4 for the win!

you can get a xlr to 3.5mm from rode.

Ok…I have grandkids visiting, so my attention got diverted a lot, BUT…I counted no less than 4, which is an impressive time-to-that-said ratio.

Mackie all the way

Someone neeeeedddsss to bo boss gigcaster and rode and dlz.....

I sold the RC2 for the Automix of the Mackie. And the balanced output. Mackie wins!

In the mic comparison, the DLZ Creator sounded better (more natural) to my ear. Nice comparo!

Well here is something the DLZ will do that The RCP 2 will never do, recover from a power failure to original state without a human pushing the button.Such a simple task you think, but the RCP just can’t do it

Second one at 2:05…

Rode =Apple Mackie =Android

Australians are fighting hard... Last time they fought a war against emus they lost it(real fact).... Lets see how it will pan out this time

Ok RODÉ GUY YOU PHONNY

Rode 2 is garbage the 1 is better

Shame on Mackie, they are a Giant compared to RODE in the mixer industry but they to set in their ways, and need to design for context. Podcasting is different, though simular to live but special nuances. Out of the box, they should of turned up the heat.