The Mackie DL1608 digital live mixer with iPad control, introduced at Winter NAMM this past January, is being field tested in anticipation of its release this summer, including the launch of the Master Fader control app in June.
Recently, the DL1608 got some face-time with mix engineers for Dierks Bentley and the band Brad (Stone Gossard, Shawn Smith, Regan Hagar, Jeremy Toback) at a live show at Seattle independent music store Easy Street Records.
The live show was part of national Record Store Day, an annual celebration where 700 independently owned record stores collaborate with musicians to celebrate the art of music.
Easy Street Records offers a small venue with a maximum capacity of 750 people that commonly hosts afternoon shows with touring artists scheduled for headlining shows at larger Seattle venues later that evening.
Front of house engineer James “Pugs” Mcdermott (Dierks Bentley) and Barrett Jones (Brad) had time for only a quick tutorial before their 30-minute sound checks. “Although I had never used this mixer before, it was straight forward, easy to use, and well laid out,” states Jones.
Besides having an intuitive interface that was easy to navigate with little instruction, another benefit of the DL1608 is the ability to control the mixer from anywhere in the venue. “It was great to be able to tweak the monitors from each monitor position on stage with the iPad controller. The ability to mix the show while walking around the floor was really nice,” Jones notes.
During the 10-hour day, which featured performances by four bands in total, the DL1608 performed without a hitch and Mackie received hands-on insight from the engineers. These types real world field tests are an essential part of Mackie’s product design process. Stress testing the hardware in a variety of conditions ensures the DL1608 hardware will work reliably for customers. In addition, real world feedback on the Master Fader control application will shape future updates as it continually evolves through simple app store updates.
The Master Fader app will be available free in the iOS-App Store in June 2012. Mackie will also soon premiere a DL1608 video podcast series offering tons of great information about the DL1608, including all the basics, advanced how-to’s, and tips and tricks. Later episodes will specifically respond to questions that customers pose to Mackie’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The DL1608 video podcast series will start in May 2012 in iTunes. The DL1608 will begin shipping in summer 2012.
