Anyone who knows me knows that I’m still the biggest fan of analog recording around. 

Not only do I love the way analog sounds, but I’m also quite fond of being able to reach out and grab a knob or fader to control a function. 

That’s why, even when using a DAW, I like to have an analog mixer to go into - and out of - the computer. It gives digital recordings more of an analog sound while making my work process much easier and faster.

I use this same method when working with (Avid) Pro Tools. With higher end Pro Tools systems, like Pro Tools HD with Pro Control and even Pro Tools LE 003, the desktop (or rack-mount controllers) also have knobs and/or faders that allow you to manipulate your signals “out of the box”.

Pro Tools M-Series hardware interfaces, however, offer less physical (knobs) for the control of the signals, and Pro Tools requires use of proprietary interfaces to go in and out of the computer/software, which means being limited to the sonic signature of the converters of those interfaces.

That is, until now…

A few days ago, a mysterious “Black Box” arrived at my door. It contained a Mackie 820i 8-input Onyx-i mixer with a FireWire interface, a copy of M-Powered Pro Tools 8, a “ransom note”, and a DVD promising to explain it all.

The video indeed unlocked the mystery: a viral marketing campaign. A “Mackie Insider”, identity concealed by ski mask and pitch-shifted voice, spilled the beans: new Onyx-i Series mixer/interfaces will run Pro Tools without the need for Avid hardware.

The box also included copies of a newly developed Mackie V1.0 Universal Driver (Windows and Mac OSX) compatible, with full installation instructions.

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The driver bypasses the protection that previously allowed only Avid/Digidesign/M-Audio interfaces to run M-Audio Pro Tools software. (The driver is incompatible with current FireWire-equipped Onyx compact mixers.)

While the “Black Box” marketing idea is slightly corny, it turned out to be highly effective.

Mackie, that “ol’ reliable” company most notable for its low-cost quality mixers, has come up with an alternative solution to using the Avid/Digidesign hardware interfaces. 

To the point: the release of Onyx-i means availability of an analog mixer running M-Powered Pro Tools 8 at an attractive price-point.

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By the way, Mackie also qualifies these mixers for use with Logic, SONAR, Cubase, and Ableton Live.

The series includes 8-, 12- and 16-channel units (models 820i, 1220i and 1620i respectively), plus the 1640i, a 16-channel/4-group offering with 16 x 16 bi-directional FireWire I/O that enables both multitrack recording and mixing.

List prices: 820i - $649.99; 1220i - $899.99; 1620i - $1,299.99; and 1640i - $2,199.99. Keep in mind that street prices should be considerably less.

In the meantime, you can read more by going to www.mackie.com/products/onyxiseries/

Now, the next big questions: how does this new Mackie package work and sound? How easy is it to use and install?

I’m taking it to the studio, starting today, to find out some answers. More soon.

Bob Buontempo has more than 30 years of professional recording experience, and has been the president/owner of Buontempo Entertainment Services since 1976. He has also taught numerous recording and audio educational courses over the years.