Mackie 1642 VLZ4

I've been producing and mixing records for twenty years now and have had a digital desk from day one, starting off with a Yamaha Promix and eventually ending up with a Yamaha 02R96. A few years ago I sold the 02R96 and went 'in-the-box' using Logic and various plugins from developers like UAD, Slate and Softtube. I always missed the hands-on feel of faders though and did a lot of research about DAW controllers like the AVID Artist Mix and upcoming Behringer X-Touch but was never quite convinced they would work for me. I use vintage drum machines and also wanted a desk I could hook up to those and use independently of Logic and my computer. One of the main benefits of digital desks or mixing in-the-box is that you can save and recall mixes and tweak them forever. But this can also a problem in that you rarely need to commit absolutely, and it's harder (for me) to know when something's finished. I decided I'd like to try an all analogue desk and after seeing what else was available went with the Mackie 1642. Obviously benefiting from decades of R+D and economies of scale I was blown away by the quality of this desk. Solid, heavyweight chassis with a classy powder coat finish, great feeling pots and super smooth faders. Obviously that means nothing if the sound isn't there and again, I was massively impressed. Crystal clear sound, really nice EQ, loads of routing options and a really cool sounding distortion when the channel input is overdriven. I run my old drum machines into various coloured DI's before going into the Mackie and couldn't be happier with the result. It's little scary knowing when I've finished a mix and pull the faders down, that's it, I can't recall it, but at the same time it's been liberating, I'm working faster and enjoying it way more that I did mixing in-the-box. This would be a great desk at any price but for what Thomann is selling it for, it's nothing short of amazing!!!

This is such a clever mixer with a pristine audio quality!
Except for the tape in/out everything is offered with balanced in and outputs. This makes such a big difference if you connect balanced audio cards or gear. WIth the Macki Big Knob connected, I also can select between two studio speaker systems. I scaled down in size of the mixer in my studio, but not in quality.

Litte note: with the stereo inputs or the main LR you might think that it is not even (L+R) looking at the led rows. But if you move the slider (stereo input or L+R) it picks up in the led display and it is again even.

Dispatched 12th September 2016. Delivered 16th September 2016 to the UK. This is a difficult review to write as I have always understood Mackie to be a good quality product. In fact I have a Mackie desk in my studio and have been happy with it for some years (apart from a mute button which requires an extra hard push).I bought the 1642 VLZ4 mixer after reading the review here and based on my previous experience. Overall when I unboxed the unit all seemed well the faders, switches and buttons all felt well built and responsive. The black on black faders however are not the easiest to see in a dark environment and a desk light will be required. The major issue occurred the first time I had the chance to use the mixer with all channels plugged in 17th September 2016. Channel 5 simply did not work and two of the line in plugs at 13 and 14 crackled and popped as the gain was increased. The reason why I have given such a low score for quality is that quality control must come under this heading and how the unit left the factory unchecked must reflect on this.