I chose to review the 24‑channel model, simply because it is the smallest model to contain the full feature set of the VLZ4 range. Salient design features include the use of custom M80 op-amps, and what Mackie describe as an improved negative summing bus architecture, a design approach intended to reduce mix‑bus noise. The largest two models also feature compressors on four of the channels and the four buses, and all channels can access dual on‑board 32‑bit effects processors. The number of aux sends varies according to the model you choose, with the 24- and 32‑channel versions having six sends, the 16‑channel version four, the 12- and 14‑channel versions two, the eight‑channel version one, and the tiny four‑channel version none at all. On all models other than the four‑channel 402 VLZ4, the channels sport a three‑band EQ, and the 24- and 32‑channel versions also include a sweep control for the mid‑range on all mono channels. However, all of the VLZ4 mixers are fitted with the Onyx preamps. In fact, in most respects the VLZ4 mixers can be looked at as updated versions of their VLZ3 predecessors, as they offer very similar feature sets. This new fourth generation of VLZ mixer comes in configurations that offer anything from four to 32 channels. Despite the 'colour', the distortion figures for the Onyx preamps are extremely low, with the frequency response extending up to 50kHz, so whatever magic they impart must be pretty subtle. I've always felt that the Onyxes sounded just that little bit less 'cold' at the low end than that VLZ mixers: a hint 'fatter', shall we say, but not in a hyped way. The consoles in Mackie's flagship Onyx range, meanwhile, were more expensive and employed a different preamp design - still based on the same XDR circuit, but including parts custom-made to Mackie's specification. For example, when reviewing the 1604 VLZ3 for SOS, Hugh Robjohns remarked that they "have always been amongst the best of any budget console and, for that matter, nipping at the heels of many high‑end consoles”. The more affordable was the VLZ series, the first three generations of which received plenty of praise.
The latest generation of Mackie's VLZ mixer range incorporates their premium Onyx preamp design.įor some years now, Mackie have manufactured two ranges of analogue mixers.