Mackie made the NAMM debut of the Onyx 400F, a 10-channel, 192kHz-capable FireWire audio interface that features the new flagship Onyx microphone preamps, as well as on-board DSP matrix mixing.
The Onyx 400F is designed for anyone looking to easily and affordably add high-quality microphone preamps to a DAW-based studio or live recording system. And because it’s 192kHz capable, all of the detail and clarity of Mackie’s flagship Onyx mic pre is sure to not be lost in the final recording. In addition, an on-board DSP mixing matrix allows latency free headphone mixing and routing independent of the DAW software. This is a particularly useful feature for those operating older DAW-based systems where processing power is limited.
Front panel controls on the Onyx 400F include control-room output level, dual independent headphone outputs with dedicated level control, dual instrument inputs, and four-segment metering for the mic inputs. The rear panel includes four combo mic/line inputs, balanced TRS sends and returns for the first two mic inputs, four line inputs, eight line outputs, control room outputs, Word Clock I/O, MIDI I/O, SPDIF I/O and two FireWire ports.
Of course, packing this much performance into a plastic enclosure was simply out of the question. As such, the Mackie development team paid careful attention to the Onyx 400F’s build-quality and industrial design. The rugged 1U rackmount steel chassis features an attractive extruded aluminum front panel with machined aluminum knobs. A black plastic accent strip is flushed mounted into the front panel to complete the look.
The Onyx 400F is bundled with a complete software package which includes Tracktion, Mackie’s intuitive audio recording and MIDI production software, as well as the Mackie Final Mix mastering toolkit. This bundle ensures that Onyx 400F customers will have a complete recording/mixing/mastering solution right out of the box.
With a solid combination of performance, durability and rugged good looks the Onyx 400F will not only outlast other products in it’s price category, it will be right at home sharing rack space with even the most esoteric audio gear.
The Onyx 400F will be available in early 2005 and will have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $899.00.
For more information, visit the Mackie site.
