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!!!

I'm using this mixer in my small home studio with some synths, drum computers and effect modules.

The mixer is encased in metal plates and built like a tank. The faders and knobs have a good feel, not too loose, and the lights are bright.
The 4 aux sends are awesome and sub groups can come in very handy.

This mixer sounds great and the low noise onyx preamps do their job.

Great mixer!

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.