Just bought an Onyx Producer 2-2. Sharing my Latency numbers as mine are significantly lower than the reported on the video ! I'm guessing it's the same interface as the artist. Probably newer drivers, system, etc. 48 kHz sample Rate; Buffer size 64 samples, audio RTL 6.67 ms. 128 samples, audio RTL 12.3. Lowest setting available @48kHz: 8 samples, audio RTL 4.33 ms. 88.2 kHz sample Rate; Buffer size: 64 samples, audio RTL 5.45 ms. 128 samples, audio RTL 6.90. Lowest setting available @88.2kHz: 16 samples, audio RTL 4.37 ms. using Studio One 4.5.1 i3-8100, 8gb ram ddr4, WD sn750 SSD. Getting very good performance and latency so far, on par with my 18i20 2nd gen.
Juan Marco hey! A couple of quick questions... Is it true that the gain knobs increase a lot at the last notches? And regarding the headphone output, i use some headphones with 34 - 35 ohms impedance, will it be ok or it will create a lot of distortion? I want to use it for electronic music productions. Thank you!
@@jdarribasplatac it's true about the knobs. The sensitivity increases exponentially towards the end of the knob. I dont see it as a problem but it took some time getting used to. It doesn't necessarily mean that it delivers low gain, though honestly it's not the most powerful gain i've seen (for loud sources/instruments is more than ok, but a mic like sm7b could be troublesome). I use ath m40x which are 35 ohms and had no problems with the headphone amp
Your reviews of interfaces are among the most complete out there! Appreciate you showing latency examples etc.. when other reviewers don't even deal with this important factor! Thank you for doing these in depth reviews!!
Maybe off topic just a bit. But I bought this Interface recently and love it. I got latency down to 12ms straight off, but instead of going through all the processes I see many folks going through, I just went into the latency offset on my DAW and moved it to 12ms and now I have 0 latency. Really quick, really simple. I don't know if all DAWs have that setting, but if so, latency is a thing of the past. Also I am really happy with this Interface, great product.
Julian. I am still using the direct shorting method of your previous video. I wasn’t aware you had taken down that video until I was adding the card. So this is not emulating a 150ohm dynamic.
Yes, I had to change it. Testing with shorted pins is not completly incorrect but the 150 Ohms testing method will yield much more real world results. I'll gladly provide a 150 Ohms resistor if you need one!
Julian Krause would these work? If so I’ll go ahead and order them and break out the soldering iron. I need some more practice anyways. :) www.amazon.com/dp/B0185FJ6KG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_o.bFBbKM3BH06
I would prefer metal film resistors with 1% accuracy. These would work perfectly: www.amazon.com/Pieces-0-25W-Metal-Resistor-Tolerance/dp/B00VEZ93IK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1534865906&sr=8-5&keywords=150+ohm+metal+film+1%2F4 The smallest pack I could find has 50 pieces... But then you'll have a few more resistors to train your soldering skills ;)
Signing in just to leave a comment. I remember requesting this for a review some time ago and here it is, although I might be using a different yt account when writing the request, lol. As I could pickup from earlier research this one from macky shouldn't disappoint if I ever get around to purchasing one. Or morelike I can't really tell if the sound quality is actually less stellar than its competitors, most videos in your channel have very nice audio quality anyway. Thanks again for reviewing!
I would grab a multi meter, test it myself... but, I'm pretty sure there was a MacGyver episode where someone connected the e-probe and everything exploded...Or was it the bicycle exploded?...No No, it was def the film case exploded
Do you think you can help me out? I just got the interface, but the mic is only recording through the left speaker when I play it back...how do I fix this?
Hey Podcastage. Would you recommend this audio interface, if im only going to use it for microphones? Or is there a audio interface at around 100$ that does a better job at that?
For you guys who got problems with focusrite solo , for me I dont have any problem with my focusrite solo with my windows 10 . But i do recomend this over solo for that 1/4 jack and seperate knobs volume control (studio monitor / headphone). Thats really a big problem for me because i got my hs8 (1/4) and i use the adaptor to connect it to my solo (rca output) when in somecases you will get weird noise from your speaker , but somehow i dont got that noise , lol idk . and about the volumes knob its really annoyed me too when i have to turn off all my studio monitor so i can switch up to my studio headphones . I regret buying solos not because it has a bad driver and noises , but the lack of features they give
Nice presentations. I really enjoyed them but haven't heard you say anything about effects like reverb and echo. And if those effects are software based or in the hardware. Would you? Thanks.
I actually own a step up from this, the Producer, which I use with my iMac. Now I don't play instruments so can't comment on that, but I really like it for voice over work.
It would be nice if in your interface reviews you could also test how headphone out behaves with better headphones. Cheap interfaces are notorious for low volume headphone outs...
Great review, I just ordered my Mackie Oxyx. Just doing RU-vid videos so the latency inst a big deal for me. You scared me at 3:55 cause I had my audio up so loud to hear the noise floor.
100%. mtrack solo is 16bit, Onyx is 24bit. Onyx has a better structure, built like a tank. Mtrack solo is very janky. I have both, mtrack solo gave me problems with drivers. I would say onyx better quality/price
Hey man great video! I was actually looking for audio interfaces today, should I buy this one or another one that is around the same price? I love how minimal the noise is so should I?
@Andrew M. Sheppard Yeah thanks. I've owned the Scarlett solo before and it was great the only problem was it did have a bit of noise but the latency and it also had a terrible crackling sound. I might go with the Steinberg ur12 or test my luck with the Scarlett only because the Mackie is expensive in the retail store and I wanna be able to return it. (I'm in Australia btw)
Mackie makes great stuff for the price. I'm still using the discontinued Onyx Blackjack 2i2 I bought five years ago on clearance for $100. Pretty much like this model but it has two onyx mic preamps which can't be beat in that price range. It's stellar for voice acting and I only have to set my SM7B gain at 3:30 and my Lewitt LCT 440 at 11:30 when I record because I add EQ and compression later to bump up the volume. You are right about the DI latency though.
Dear Greetings I would like to know where I can find Mackie Onyx 1.2 interface drivers for Mac? When I bought it, I was using a PC but I'm currently using a MacBook and I've been looking for drivers for 3 days without success. Help me, thanks.
Hi Bandrew, would you consider reviewing MOTU Microbook IIc? It's been around for awhile, curious how this stacks up with others you reviewed. Keep up the great work on interface and Mic reviews. Highly informative, thanks!
@podcastage hey man thanks for the videos you put out! Just one question, if you had to choose between this Mackie onyx and the rode ai1, which is better? Not using for anything extreme, just broadcasting.
Hey I have an SM7B hooked into an ONYX Artist 1 2 and I am barely getting levels to record even with all knobs turned up to max and +48V on. What is going on? Do i need to add an in line preamp?
You do not need 48v phantom power on. When I reviewed the Mackie Onyx I was able to get a decent level with gain at 100%. If you're close to the mic and not whispering, you should get a healthy level.
Hi, I'm new to the audio interface world and would just like to play guitar using an amp sim, is there a low cost interface you can recommend that is best suited for that and has low latency?
I know the primary purpose of an audio interface is to convert an analog signal into a digital one. So guess there is no point on doing interfaces for USB mics. I was just wondering if there is something to increase the quality of the sound of my USB mic. Some kind of interface like the line 6 ux2 or just something to make the sound of my microphone more crystal clear. Thank Your for the fast answer.
I know you're probably already fed up with Neewer microphones, but I'm currently looking for a cheap microphone and those seem like the ones that I should be considering. So, I have 2 questions: 1. What is the difference between having an XLR mic+phantom power PSU+cheap external soundcard VS. XLR mic+PSU+audio interface? Is there a significant difference in sound quality, or could I get by with just the soundcard+PSU? 2. I have watched a couple of your cheap USB microphone reviews and I want to know which option is better for a tight budget, XLR+Power Supply+Soundcard, or just a USB mic (like the NW-7000)? They pretty much round up at the same price and the sound quality sounds very similar to me. That should be all, I really don't want to throw my money into something that might potentially not work as I expected, so I just want to make sure.
The difference is the usb soundcards is essentially an A/D converter. An interface is the better option and will perform more consistently. It offers phantom power, pre amp, and analog to digital converter. It is designed to connect an XLR microphoen to your computer. USB Soundcards are not intended for that.
Good video. I do find out that every time my iMac goes to sleep my Onyx Artis 1-2 goes to sleep with it but it doesn't wake up with the iMac so I have to plug it out and in again for it to work. That can't be normal, right? Any thoughts? Thx mucho...
Important question: My Mackie ProFX6V3 mixer (new since 2019) still has a Hi-Z button switch just below each of the two Combo XLR/Line inputs. But these USB interfaces don't seem to have that switch; Motu, Scarlett, those don't either. What gives? How did they manage to get rid of that Hi-Z switch? Would love to know...before I chew up all my fingernails! :) One related comment: these 2 input interfaces are BAD for karaoke. Why? Because I did an experiment today. I used an TRS 1/8"to 1/4" cable to connect my cell phone's audio out into one of the Combo inputs on my mixer. The right audio channel was badly damped down. I guess though, if I used a TRS to TS adapter, I could get the stereo output from my phone into one combined TS. They sell by the name 1/4" male to 1/8" female adapter.....
What if i use an amp sim on my pedal board that has an XLR out? Plug this into the 1st channel or should i use the 1/4inch out on my amp sim pedal and run it into the 2nd instrument channel. (My interface is in the mail) Will I encounter inadequate latency in my computer?
So I'm pretty new to all this stuff and I am wondering if there is any Audio Mixer/Interfaces out there that allow for USB headphones to be plugged in. Basically I have a Razer head set with a USB plug and some speakers which are AUX and I'm wanting to plug both in so I can simply switch between the two on the Interface. Any help would be hugely appreciated.
I am just looking for a better sound card to bypass the audio out from my laptop to have a better listening experience as I stream iTunes or Spotify to my stereo Which external sound card do you recommend. I used a Tascam USB MKII before and it made a significant difference. Which audio interface do you recommend for best audio sound going into my Denon Amp for my stereo or just listening with headphones?
For listening specifically there is no reason to go with something that is designed for recording (the primary function of audio interfaces is to turn analog into digital, not the other way around). There are plenty of inexpensive DACs and headphone amps that do those jobs better than audio interfaces. Topping DX3 Pro is a good example of a cheap but perfectly decent DAC+headphone amp combo unit.
I just got one just wondering so you wouldn't suggest it for doing demos? Just because that's what i was gonna use it for. It is interesting and I'm still learning how to use it.
I have AT M50X that pair with a blue yeti pro that I use on PS4 and pc gaming. Right now me setup is having my blue yeti plugged into PS4 via usb and then the headphones plugged into the bottom of that yeti. Is there an interface or another device I can get to get to not have all these cords going everywhere because I still have to use the PS4 earpiece plugged into the controller to hear my friends in a party.
I got one of this, with a condenser mic plugged in, my gain is set at almost 90% for the device to receive any signal, there's a range between 90-100% where the gain seems to increase dramatically. My mic works proper with the behringer umc22 with gain set at about 50%. :(
Same! Using my AT2020 mic I just got I tested the gain while gaming and there seems to be just a hair between my friends saying I sound perfect, to sounding WAY too loud, and also a hair between sounding perfect and WAY too low. I went with this one because I couldn't seem to find the UMC22 available anywhere. I just ordered the Scarlet Solo to see how that compares. Will return one of them pending results with it.
This video made me purchase this, so thank you! One question though; you mention the headphone jack offers desktop audio passthrough. How can I enable that? I'm having no luck and I'm only able to monitor the mic audio through it.
I never really liked mine and I had it two years but used it to practice 10? Times? I did my first recording and now the gain knob is scratching intermittent, weak pre Amps also, seems to match others problems, maybe some are ok but not mine, can’t afford another right now either 🎉
Andrew M. Sheppard great suggestion. I was going to just recommend them based on price range in the video. But separate videos would make it significantly more manageable to produce.
I bought this as my first audio interface. My first try to record electric guitar. I barely can hear the guitar. Signal is so low and i have to crank the preamp so much and still very quiet. Do u think mine is damage?
So you say its good for podcasting but what about rap/hip hop vocals including melodic singing? Let me know, thanks a lot for your hard work on these videos. Helps a ton!!
I have not done any direct comparisons of the similarly priced interfaces. They appear to have similar gain though. I think you'll be happy with either of them to be honest.
I think an important factor would be driver stability, which is (at least for Windows users) the main reason to prefer the Steinbergs overthe Focusrites. Don't know about the Mackie.
Hay I brought this thing off eBay and now I can't find anyone who can help me to set it up. It came complete with Rockville microphone. But no instructions.
Maybe I can get an Answer here. I have a Behringer B-1 connected to a Phonic MU 1722X And from there connected to a Terratec Aureon 5.1. Admittedly, the gear is hella old. I took the B-1 and 1722X From my father after his death,m he used to do Internet Radio, but for some reason, it was lacking cables. When I connect it to the PC I obviously get my voice, but with an obscene amount of noise, not background noise but scratching and high pitched interference like noise. I connect it using a normal sound cable, nothing fancy or so, simple sound cable to a PC output port. My Budget for this is quite literally Zero, but my Blue Snowball is hanging on its last thread here. My Question is, how should I connect it, and which cable should I try to get.
If you haven't solved this already, your problem is a ground loop. You can't run an unbalanced connection between two mains earthed (IEC Class I) devices like that mixer and a PC and expect it to work without issues - and a consumer sound card only has an unbalanced input. The unbalanced Rec Out on your mixer cannot be used with a PC. (It would work OK with a typical tapedeck, minidisc recorder, or notebook on battery.) If you only ever need to use recording software (realtime not required), there's a trick: Get an XLR (female) to TRS cable (or a TRS to TRS balanced) plus an adapter to 3.5 mm, so one balanced output connects to one stereo line-in. In software, separate left and right channels, invert one channel, and mix them together. You could call this a "poor man's balanced input". This works surprisingly well, and potentially extremely well if channel imbalance is also taken into account. On Linux you can even create a custom sound device that'll do this system-wide. www.diyaudio.com/forums/pc-based/326747-virtual-balanced-regular-soundcard-linux-results.html Not sure why the specs of this mixer are so bad, the circuitry itself looks quite promising and should get the job done for what you need. Not sure how much the integrated switch-mode power supply can be trusted though. Between this and the PC's PSU, I am definitely not surprised that an unbalanced connection won't work out. Also, the Aux Sends are balanced but the Aux Returns are unbalanced, this makes no sense - you could use an effect/pedal there, but out of the Aux Send I'd want to use a cable that leaves pin 3 unconnected so that the poor "cold" side driver is not being shorted out by the unbalanced input. Aureon 5.1 (non-"Sky"), as in the CMedia 8738 based thing? Boy, that chip is _crap._ You can pick up a multitude of used soundcards for 10€ on eBay that are so much better in A/D and D/A it's not even funny. (Even a Xonar D1 if you're lucky. That's about 30-40 dB less noise, 40 dB less THD and 60 dB less IMD.) Still no balanced input though. Not sure how to inexpensively connect your stuff, I'm afraid. It takes more than just a cable. A Behringer HD400 still is 19€ right now, and then you'd still need a 2x 1/4" TS to 3.5 mm cable (plus the cable to get into the HD400 in the first place). Any decent isolation transformer will be in that vicinity. Soundcards and interfaces with balanced inputs are not being given away either. I'm using a lil' Behringer mixer with an external plug pack transformer myself, these and similar units can be used on unbalanced inputs no problem as they are floating and not mains earth referenced internally. You just have to be careful not to buy the smallest models like the 302, which don't provide the full 48 V of phantom power - budget condenser mics usually need that.
I basically gave up on actually fixing it, i wanted to use it for streaming since it provides better options then my blue snowball, which has the problem of having 2 of 3 Modes not working, the last mode available is the omnidirectional one, which is near impossible to use for streaming, aside from that, i gave up on streaming as well, i how ever kept on looking at options and one i cam across recently is the U-Phoria UM2 which might be an Option here. But then again, i lack the funds and hence i put it all on ice until maybe next year. Still thanks for the answer, i saved that one up on my desktop once i get back to actually going for it.
I got my Onyx Artist yesterday and my worries were entirely unfounded. At 44100 / 64 samples it works flawlessly with input at 2.95 ms, and output at 2.49 ms. That's round trip at 5.44 ms which is perfectly adequate. I can get it down to ~4.2 ms at 8 samples but that would probably make it start falling apart as the tracks starting adding up. 5.44 ms is perfectly fine.
Wait but your latency seems WAYY lower than what Podcastage showed in his video at 48k. Did you do something different? I want to know because I'm planning on buying an audio interface to practice electric guitar playing with effects on Windows.
@@amagupt I guess it comes down to different gear. I use Mixcraft as a DAW, using ASIO (obviously) from the Onyx driver. No issues with latency. I don't know why it's so different from OP.
@@vovindequasahi Hi man. I had another question for you. I just got my Onyx Artist, and am running it on Windows for recording/practicing electric guitar. Are you also stuck on 44100 Hz and can't switch to higher sample sizes, or is it just me 🥲
مشكلته معاي اني لازم اشيل الواير و ارجع اركبه بعد تشغيل الكمبيوتر عشان يشتغل مع انه باقي كروت الصوت مافيهم هذا العيب اذا احد يعرف حل لهذه المشكله اتمنى يبلغني و شكرا
I never had an interface from Focusrite, but I checked some reviews while I was browsing for interfaces on Amazon (it's not looking great). They seem to have some annoying as hell problems with drivers for Windows users. And some people have their interfaces stop working out of the blue (again, from what some reviewers described, in Amazon), needing to unplug the device and reconnect, to continue using. If you're recording a quick video for RU-vid that's alright, but if you want to narrate a story, or a long podcast session, it's a big problem.
i went to your site.I'm not clear on how to get in touch directly. I watched your Mackie Onyx 1 2 video. I have a Mackie Onyx 2 2 and pulled it out of the closet the other day. I am unable to record much more than noise or a very weak signal. My guess is, you probably know where I can go to get help. I have updated and re installed previous drivers. To the best of my recollection, this worked just fine 14 months ago.if you can send me to the proper blog/help/support page, i do appreciate. BTW using Ableton 9 lite I will probably figure a way to get this message to you through your site, where i will leave contact info./ if you can respond directly to this through RU-vid that would be great Thanks very much Mark
Whoa, someone actually did review with some measurements and numbers instead of just counting the knobs and saying it sounds awesome, unbelievable. Yeah, latency figures are really underwhelming, I have their old Blackjack box and it has like 7.5 ms roundtrip for 64 samples @ 44kHz and around 12ms @ 128 samples (measured). No reason to change I guess.
ZeeKat Do you use Windows? Do you play guitar with amp sims? Is BlackJack latency low enough for guitar sims? Does BlackJack headphone out is good? (or quiet and bad like in Steinberg?)
Johann Daart I use Windows 7, there's no official drivers for 10 but apparently it works on 10 too (installed in compatbility mode). I play amp sims (recordings from my channel since about 4 years are on Blackjack and ampsims), so it's good enough I guess. Headphone out is very loud - made my old quiet Sennheiser headphones loud and the new audio technicas impossible to go past like 30% volume without blowing the eardrums. There's actually a warning about the headphone amp being very loud in the manual.
Thank you for replying :) Could you check what's the RTL of this Mackie, reported by your DAW @64 and @128 sample buffer? I mean both input latency and output latency. Blackjack is old and Windows support of it is tricky, but it probably has better pre-amps and better headphone out than newer units like Steinberg UR22mk2. Many users say that Steinbergs headphone out sound worse than smartphone out... I guess if Mackie latency is good, then it's still worth buying, even if Win support is bad.
It shows 2.4ms in/2.4ms out for lowest setting (64spl buffer and lowest latency USB streaming mode in driver, real world latency around 7.5ms, driver misreports a bit and I have manual offset put into Reaper settings to correct that), if I remember correctly something like 3.6/3.6 for 128 samples and lowest latency USB, which translates to around 10ms round trip, but I'm usually using the safer "low latency" USB mode @ 128, which shows 4.8/4.8 and measures around 12ms round trip. There's handful of lower latency interfaces around, but with all the benefits the Blackjack guarantees me currently (perfect daily and ASIO stability, good headphone out, multi client driver, instrument input that handles my guitars and active basses without clipping etc) I think I'd need to have a serious reason to replace it. I'll wait til they deliver the same interface, just with RME-level latency numbers :)
Wow, thanks! So it's latency is actually ok. Not bad for older device, similar to Steinberg UR22. From newer devices, Zoom UAC-2 offfers very low latency, close to RME USB. From reviews it seems that it has good preamps and enough gain on them to drive more demanding microphones, but outputs are a quieter, especially headphone out. But it also has some problems with drivers, you need to have Intel CPU and Intel USB2 or USB3.0, otherwise (AMD or USB 3.1 lol) it's not working correctly. Kurczę, jesteś Polakiem, to sobie poćwiczyliśmy angielski ;) Dzięki!
@@Podcastage hey Bandrew. I really really need to ask you this .... what's your take on the behringer xenyx 1204 usb mixer, being used in the signal chain for voice over....and do you think, it can give dynamic microphones (not the shure sm7b), clean enough gain ?....thanks bro
