pkennethk's forum posts 2051

I’m looking at the manual:

“ PreSonus® Capture™ 2.0 is a multitrack digital-audio recording application...

The interface portion of the Presonus mixer is clearly stated to be 18 x 4, and I trust that even without the Capture software or a Mac driver, you could stream 18 mono tracks at once into any DAW you wanted via USB.

It's the new Mackie Onyxes that I was concerned about, I couldn't find the USB i/o spec for the new Onyx mixers.

Right now, I’m leaning towards the Model 12. One thing I also read was that the Model 12 is actually newer than the Model 16 so has some updates that have yet to make it across to the Model 16 or Model 24.

Yeah, the Sound on Sound review for the Model 12 mentioned that Tascam had applied some lessons learned with the earlier Model 24, making the Model 12 a better package than the 24 in all but channel count.

Looks like the StudioLive and the new Onyx’s can only multitrack over USB to a computer, not direct to the SD 😔

Can the new Onyxes really multitrack over USB either, though? I can't find where Mackie states the X by X simultaneous i/o spec for USB, and some reviews said it was only 4 x 4... but those aren't to be trusted.

I dont think I'm explaining well but if you want CV outs you don't want an interface that's an analog mixer. Separate interface and mixer is a better idea there

Well then I forgive Mackie for not giving me yet another feature on this thing :)

The Tascam is true 12-in/10-out... which may seem like overkill for your needs right now, but trust me, having a 12-in/10-out interface is better than a 4-in/out every day of the week.

I really feel like that's the best spec in this class as far as interface routing goes.

The Model 12 is the hottest of the hot new things in this segment, from what I'm seeing, and that Sweetwater popularity ranking seems justified, based on reviews/specs. It's the only one in its segment with DIN MIDI i/o too, which is always a nice touch. The only thing the Model 12 is missing is DC-coupled i/o so AJAIK could get extra fancy with their eurorack interfacing down the road... but no mixer in this class/price has DC coupled i/o. Our 4-bus Mackies don't have it either.

And moving to in-the-box for your mixing needs is out of the question? It's your skill and your ears that clients really want, right?

Not really. It's pretty much my gear and my positive attitude... also the box takes way longer and I can't offer a flat rate. I gotta go hourly in the box because 9 times out if 10 no matter what I quote will break down to slave labor hourly rates. I know with hardware I can get the thing like 95% in an hour.

Well there you go. I can't argue with #s like that.

They're new to the mixer game but they definitely know how to make budget friendly analog gear and interfaces.

The Presonus brand has been doing mixers for more than a decade, and they've got a few folks whose console-shipping experience goes back a lot further than that... so I'm inclined to trust the quality. Looks like interface portion of AR16c is 18x4, which also bodes well. The packaged DAW, Studio One, is not necessarily huge within the synth music community here in 2022, but if you consider it more of a bonus than something you're paying for, there's no risk there.

I doff my hat to the hardcores like Jim that are willing to put in the extra work to get that extra bit of magic. The sonic benefits are definitely there, but I... I just can't... The mixer magic I want is the magic of turning it on everyday and everything works without issue :)

Look, if I could swing a brand new desk that meets my standards then I would have an audient 8024 heritage edition... but even if I could justify spending new car prices the thing still wouldn't fit in the space I have. Theres nothing compact today with the sound quality and features of my topaz... so far so good.

And moving to in-the-box for your mixing needs is out of the question? It's your skill and your ears that clients really want, right?

Mods can you please add

Name: Jackson X Series King V KVXT Burnt Cherry Sunburst

Image: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTJlDboUKep9wYzRkncb_Rn-taWJPSbhUMoMw&usqp=CAU

https://equipboard.com/items/jackson-x-series-king-v-kvxt

Update: check the USB Audio I/O capabilities of the new Onyx series. I'm seeing reddit grumblings that it's only 2 stereo pairs in/out at a time (citation needed).

The Tascam is true 12-in/10-out... which may seem like overkill for your needs right now, but trust me, having a 12-in/10-out interface is better than a 4-in/out every day of the week.

Gotta run, but do some spec poking if you can.

There's also the budget and space considerations ;-) Ive been looking at Zoom LiveTrak 12, Tascam Model 12 and now the Mackie Onyx. There are all roughly around $600 price which is a number I can work with. From what Ive read online so far, the Mackie just seems the better choice in this price range.

Poking around, looks like the Zoom LiveTrak 12 requires drivers for full functionality in OS X? Its driverless mode is geared towards iOS. Maybe Zoom can be stricken from the list if this ends up being the case?

Soundcraft MTK 12 is fully driverless for Mac (good!), but was released in 2016 -- without having invested in poking at all the features, I'm guessing Tascam Model 12 (2020) and newest Mackie Onyx Series (2021) have squeezed in more functionality. But just an unvalidated assumption.

Re: my two gripes with my own old-gen Onyx, it's pretty much a whole new ballgame at this point, so gripes likely irrelevant. I would actually be surprised if old Onyx and new Onyx involved any of the same Engineers and Designers.

All-in-all, seems like you are headed in the right direction, given your current needs and considerations. Re: used/vintage mixers, I've got plenty of old synths that need some fixes here and there, and no regrets, but mix consoles and speakers are where I draw the line. Even I don't have the will to spend time and money on mixers with dead channels and gremlins to sort... I doff my hat to the hardcores like Jim that are willing to put in the extra work to get that extra bit of magic. The sonic benefits are definitely there, but I... I just can't... The mixer magic I want is the magic of turning it on everyday and everything works without issue :)

Yeah pretty much don't want to rely on a computer but I want to at least have that option available later perhaps. I like the idea of using something self-contained without a computer for now. I plan to buy a beefy computer purely for music production later this year, Im just not in a position to do that right now and the computers I have now are just not up to the task. Im still learning this stuff so likewise Ive not taken a deep dive into any DAWs just yet, still figuring that stuff out.

Are you on Windows or Mac? If Windows, you'll need to consider how good the drivers currently are, and how long that driver is likely to be supported. Meaning, if you're getting a mixer with a built-in interface, you need to buy from a company that has proven they can deliver stable drivers over the long-haul... or just live with the fact that the interface-portion will become unusable when Windows 12 drops, which is likely way before anything starts to fail on the analog mixer portion of the device.

Mods can you please add

Name: Ormsby DC Obsolete

Image: https://www.livelouder.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Ormsby-DC-7-Obsolete.jpg

https://equipboard.com/items/ormsby-dino-cazares-dc-obsolete-7

If you can spare a few moments, flesh out the details on this entry. Lots of good, detailed press info available because it was issued in late 2020.

Mods can you please add

Name: Saema S400 Combo Organ

Image: (the link is big)

I'm having trouble finding solid info on this Organ. Was Saema a brand name Farfisa used in some parts of the world?

Do you own a Saema S400, or is this for an artist submission?

Hey man, there are things you can't get out of most other synths in those boxes! But easy, they are not lol.

A 2600-style semi-modular requires some knowhow, but what is complicated about an Arp Odyssey?

Thanks man.

To your point about the preamps? I have an older one and they work better with a hot, modern condenser mic than anything else.... the subtle gain sweep in the first half of the pots is fine for like an audio technica 20 or 40 series or some 81s and if youhavelike a 57 on a snare or guitar cab with high spl whacking it then really the pot taper makes more sense.

Yeah, if I was mic'ing cabs and drums, I imagine the range would be just about right. Mic'ing for spoken word, it baffles. I didn't heed Sound on Sound's warning.

Regarding Mackie mixers, and all new mixers that compete against Mackie's various price points, I think it's fair to say that you should judge them by the standards you'd judge a toaster from the likes of Black & Decker or Cuisinart

Or should you look at a toaster oven?

Ha! That was a suspicious metaphor, wasn't it? Busted. Non-metaphorically, I had a few friends that wanted me to go toaster oven, but I went with a Cuisinart that has extra long "artisnial" slots, for my precious sourdough, and I've been really happy with my toasting output.

I got a little busy.

Busy is good.

Being missed is also good, and your presence was definitely missed. That's in no way a complaint, just trying to show my appreciation for all that you bring to the table.

Update:

Regarding Mackie mixers, and all new mixers that compete against Mackie's various price points, I think it's fair to say that you should judge them by the standards you'd judge a toaster from the likes of Black & Decker or Cuisinart:

• A) Will it burn my toast or not?
• B) Will it keep making toast, without burning it, for several years?

In other words, Mackie makes mixers that are more appliance than fine instrument. Anyone that wants to ship a mixer in the same price category, regardless of brand name, is going to be in more or less the same boat.

But for many of us, that's all we need. If you expect a mixer at these price points to provide any special magic/coloration to your music, you will likely be disappointed. If you're dreaming about EQ that sounds better than what a good DAW plugin can provide, or you want to overdrive a channel for magical late-80s acid house grunge, don't get your hopes up. And to one of Jim's many good points, no mixer in this range is likely to be your go-to for out-of-the-box mixing of tracks you've already delivered to your DAW.

When I got my 1640i, I just needed something that could let me hear my synths and drum machines together without my computer being on. I was deciding between the 4-bus Allen & Heath Zed and the 4-bus Mackie options, and I went Mackie for 2 reasons:

1) The audio interface portion of Mackie's product did NOT require drivers on Mac... which means it would be more or less future proof. 7 years later, it's long since discontinued, but I'm still using it everyday, firewire into 2 (TWO!) different Apple adapters and it still performs the tasks I need. It'll develop some pops and clicks now and again, but I restart the beast and it behaves again. That's more longevity than anyone can/should expect from an audio interface.

2) John MacLean (of The Juan Maclean... yeah, this was loooong ago) has a pretty good handle on what he wants from analog gear, and he had this recurring gripe in interviews about how the British 4-bus mixer/interface combo he was using had quit on him after a short while, and the company in question did not stand behind the product and did not help him in any way (I'm not going to mention brand name, because I can't find the quote, and I I'm not 100% sure it's the brand I recall)... SO, he replaced it with a Mackie 1640, and on multiple occasions he commented how the Mackie (and I'm paraphrasing) "doesn't sound like anything at all" or "It's pretty neutral sounding, and the best I can say about it is that it doesn't sound bad." Kind of backhanded compliments, at best, suggesting his previous small-format mixer had a more pleasing coloration than the Mackie. And I was like "ok, well, I need all these features, I need long-term reliability, and I can live with a mixer that doesn't add magic fairy dust, but is still just decent enough for a veteran outboard-obsessive like this"... and also, I had someone offering me a VERY steep GC family discount for their final week of employment there... so I just had to go for it. :)

My 2 biggest gripes with this previous-gen Onyx are:

• 1) all the usable gain in the mic pres is in the final quarter of the pot... and I'm not exaggerating. Even with a Cloudlifter, you'll be teetering on the edge of the range to use an SM7B at spoken-word volumes. It's a really shocking behavior for any Mackie, let alone their range-topping hybrid mixer. I'm glad to hear, from Jim, and from a review I just read, that the new Onyxes apparently don't have this issue.

• 2) Mackie tends to squeeze in more routing/config options than their competitors, but at the cost of basic usability. I STILL have to consult the manual, 7 years in, because a lot of the layout (on this model, at least) just isn't something I can fully commit to memory and/or intuit. Never had that issue with other mixers, just this one.

To Jim's points, if you need a signal-combining appliance that is reliable, but devoid of any of the magical sound-enhancers analog gear is often associated with, Mackie has historically proven themselves on these fronts... and my own first hand experience held true to that reputation.

OK, longtime Onyx 1640i owner here... but first I have some questions:

1. I'm looking at your EB, and you've got a ton of cool synths... what are you currently using to hear 3 or 4 of these machines together at the same time? Both of your interfaces are only 2 x 2, so I'm curious.

2. What's your primary motivation for wanting an analog mixer, instead of, for example, a dedicated 8 or 16 input audio interface? I know all the mixers you mentioned also double as audio interfaces, but you could put that same money into an interface purely dedicated to A/D conversion, and come away with better quality recordings... but there are a ton of good reasons why you might want the option to NOT involve a computer 100% of the time. Just curious where you're coming from on this front.

3. Given the number of synths you already have, why aren't you looking at something with more channels, like an Onyx24?

4. Where is @jimmarch1 hiding? This is totally a Jim topic.

Mods can you please add

Name: Yamaha WT11

Image: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61v-I2fAynL._AC_SX569_.jpg

These wind-focused sound modules are kinda rare, info out there is patchy. If you're able to take a few moments to add some details to this entry, that would be much appreciated. Thanks!

https://equipboard.com/items/yamaha-wt11

Thanks man. I’ve been fighting with the weird buggy listing of it for a bit

Yeah, I saw that weird non-entry too. Don't know what happened there. Thanks for reminding me; I'll log it to be put out of its misery.

And thanks for fleshing out the entries. They look great now!

Update: reviewed some of your submissions. Those were all pretty much perfect, thank you! You're over 500 GearIQ now. Free to add boutique items as necessary.

Hello mods, can you please add:

Name: Suhr Asatobucker

Image: https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-4jt3dx4b/images/stencil/original/products/4033/11001/9fd16784-703e-40e2-9d21-b707e094995a__00158.1622119126.jpg?c=2

https://equipboard.com/items/suhr-asatobucker

BTW - reviewed your (very thorough) submissions, you're over the 500 GearIQ hump now. No more having to ask for adds on the forum. Go forth and continue making good decisions. Thanks!

Mods can you please add

Name: Hesu Demon 12” speaker 60-Watt

Image: https://www.thomann.de/ie/hesu_demon_12_8_ohms.htm

It’s a guitar speaker

8 Ohms https://equipboard.com/items/hesu-demon-12-8-ohms

16 Ohms https://equipboard.com/items/hesu-demon-12-16-ohms

Mods, can you please add Poison Noises Pedals

They are about to be featured on the JHS show tomorrow.

All of their products are on poisonnoises.com and are already played by many celebrity players.

Congrats!

You want Poison Noises added as a brand here, correct?

With this logo, correct?:

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f4d70164e51ab76f6b0550d/1619641253961-QCTU7R9BBN39ZDNBY90O/PN%2BEST%2BLogo-01.jpg?format=1500w

Are there any Poison Noises products that are not already in the database?

UPDATE: @#$% it. I'm gonna assume you wanted this:

https://equipboard.com/brands/poison-noises

Added brand, added 2 missing products, linked all 12 to brand.

Good luck tomorrow!

Mods can you please add

Name: Behringer BA 85A

Image: https://thumbs.static-thomann.de/thumb/orig/pics/bdb/475621/14699041_800.jpg

It's a Dynamic Super Cardioid Microphone that is gaining in popularity because of it's affordability.

https://equipboard.com/items/behringer-ba-85a

Mods can you please add

Name: [Bjärton Studio]

Image: [http://www.vintage-guitars.se/Bjarton/SN_21008_1.jpg]

Acoustic guitar manufactured between 1959-1967. Exported under the Hagström brand outside of Sweden.

https://equipboard.com/items/bjarton-studio

Hey I Have Noticed When Looking At The Boss Gt1 Pedal On Equipboard That There Is Two Of This Artisthttps://equipboard.com/pros/steve-terreberry

Good catch, @osphate!

Both profiles have a lot of followers, so not sure what the Admins will eventually do, if anything... dupe items happen all the time, but dupe artists are kinda rare these days... we'll see what happens. Appreciate you lookin' out. :)

Sorry to hear about the bug, I'd be frustrated too.

I fixed the entry in question.

Update 1: well, I tried to fix it, at least. It seems the brand "Brainworx" was mistyped when added awhile back, and we're going to need an Admin to fix that... No matter what I choose for the brand, it keeps defaulting back to the mistyped "Brainwor" just as you experienced.

Update 2: should be fixed now. Thanks, Michael!

👍👍 (it's not a great review, but it's a start. 😅)

You're just getting started here, don't be so hard on yourself. I trust you'll add more thoughts down the road, when/if they come to you.

Also, you have a chance to be the first person on Equipboard to review the Landscape Stereo Field... just stayin'... :D

Hey, I'm totally game for this level of accuracy

I have every confidence you could nail the body size, scale length, tone wood options, and even take a good stab at the level of distress they opted for upon order, all from one good still photo... but (as you point out) you're not one of the ppl I'm worried about. :D

Thanks for your hard work. And if you're like me at all, at the very least you'll have enjoyed learning a little bit about this.

Ohhhh I wouldn't bother if I didn't enjoy it. I get a bit punchy when it comes to acoustics, because it's my weakest category, by far... yet I'm too impatient to just let this stuff sit until someone else (maybe) jumps on it.

So, here's to hoping you stick around awhile and continue to lend your acoustic expertise to this site. Cheers!

Oh, one last note, there's a typo in the OM. It says Pre-Ware not Pre-War.

Good catch. There's probably at least one other typo in there somewhere, I was flying through that list.

I'm curious if, @300+ Gear IQ, you now have the permission level needed to fix this yourself. Let me know if you're denied access. Thanks! ;)

Understood. I would suggest the opposite in this case, removing the Herringbone from the 000 entry or any others as they primarily refer to the herringbone on their website as a D-28-style guitar. So I would do the following:

-Herringbone -Dreadnought -OM -000 -00 -0

Done.

• Herringbone
• Dreadnought
• OM
• Triple-0
• Double Aught
• Single-0

This is consistent with how Pre-War is breaking it down on their website (this month, at least), so works for me.

THANK YOU for taking the time to lend your expertise!

I'm with you 110% that body size, scale length, and tone woods make a huge difference... but the reality here is that a sizable % of us aren't great at judging the relative size of an object. We see it all the time for studio monitor lines that come in 5", 7", and 8" sizes, guitar amp combo lines the differ only in size, and with acoustic guitar makers that offer different body sizes... it seems only a fraction of the general pop is great at judging such things from still images, and even fewer are able to verbally articulate those differences in their submission notes... so chances of users correctly IDing instruments that vary only by body size is low... but, as you so lucidly articulated, this breakdown is what makes the most sense relative to the vintage classics they're referencing, and relative to their own naming conventions, so let's do what's right and hope for the best.

UPDATE: I missed your note re: potentially consolidating Triple-0/OM, as Pre-War did on their own site. If you think it's best we merge the two, just say the word.

Thanks for the detailed rundown, much appreciated.

What's important is that we consolidate Pre-War's past and present catalog into the fewest number of entries here that makes practical sense for Equipboard's aims.

When I see that they have multiple models they refer to by multiple names, I see a situation where an artist is going to mention "I also have a guitar from Pre-War, a Herringbone" or something vague like that, and a user is then going to tag this mention as a "Pre-War Guitars Herringbone 000 Old Growth East Indian Rosewood" because that might be the first entry that pops up with the word "Herringbone" in it (this happens every day here, I kid you not). Or the artist will be pictured with a 000 sized Herringbone, but someone will tag it as OM, because the artist is 5' 2" and throwing off the sense of relative scale.

Right now, the best way to prevent such a thing, is to not make these gear entries any more specific than they absolutely have to be. Erring towards simplicity is better for the Equipboard database, and it's also better for Pre-War, as it means they'll have multiple artists tagged to one item (raising it's ranking here and within search engines) rather than 25 different product entries with 1 artists each.

So, what I'm proposing is that we just have one entry here Called "Pre-War Guitars Co. Herringbone" and any guitar they make, of any size, of any tone wood and any level of fake aging, that has ever had the word "Herringbone" in it, past or present, well, it goes under that Herringbone entry.

...but I'm not an acoustic guy, so I can't judge exactly how offensive such a simplification would seem to all the community members out there.

Can we get away with putting all Pre-War Herringbones under one entry, or is that too crude?

Mods can you please add

Item: Pre-War Guitars Co. Dreadnought Link: https://www.pre-warguitars.com/model-d

Note, this is distinct from the previous requests as this is a non-rosewood dreadnought. They differentiate the two by the names I listed.

At least I can see how they got from "model-d" to "Dreadnought" on this one. :) I appreciate the extra explanation, thank you!

https://equipboard.com/items/pre-war-guitar-co-dreadnought

Mods can you please add:

Item: Pre-War Guitars Co. Herringbone Link: https://www.pre-warguitars.com/herringbone

Pre-War Guitars Co. wants to make sure we're all thoroughly confused by their naming conventions.

They also make a "Herringbone" in 000 and OM sizes... but the OM (configured as a Herringbone?) has the same scale length as the one they're just billing as "Herringbone" without any mention of body size.

I'm not an acoustic guitar expert... but these guys could stand to be a little more consistent with their product naming. I'm sure they're a nice bunch of luthiers who will make me very comfortable spending $10k on a guitar if I call and ask questions... but c'mon...

Are the "Herringbone" and "OM" (configured as a Herringbone, I guess?) the same guitar, whilst the guitar they used the call the "Herringbone 000" but now seem to be calling the "Triple-0" in some instances, is a completely separate model using a 000 body size and smaller scale length?

Sorry, none of this is your fault, but you seem to know your acoustics. I bet you can help straighten me out here.

This post sent me on a bender of banjo-shredding YT vids. I hadn't taken time out to listen to some furious plucking like that in ages, so I thank you :)

Thanks to you and pkennethk! Been on a spree adding some easy-to-identify guitars to some musicians so I appreciate your help!

Those were some solid, thorough submissions, @mark_kauzlarich. Many thanks!

`thanks!

Thanks for being the first person to rate & review that same National N720. Every little bit helps :)

Mods can you please add:

Name: Mark Whitebook Dreadnought Image: https://www.trilogyguitars.com/2017-mark-whitebook

Mark Whitebook is a famous luthier who made around 70 guitars in the 1970s for famous musicians and then retired, only recently coming back to build more.

More info here: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/podcasts/podcast-151-luthier-mark-whitebook/

https://equipboard.com/items/mark-whitebook-dreadnought

Mods can you please add

Name: Olson Parlor Guitar

Image: https://olsonguitars.com/the-art/guitar-models/guitar-model-parlor/

This is luthier James Olson's only 12-fret acoustic model and is played in a custom variation by James Taylor so I'm looking to add it.

https://equipboard.com/items/james-a-olson-parlor