Mackie Onyx Satellite FireWire Audio Interface

[edeibler2000]

ah ok, that clears up the gear confusion. Thanks for the help!

Whatever you do, make sure that your amp is still hooked up to your speaker cab. If you play the amp without a proper load on the output transformer, you'll burn the transformer up. This will be a very Very expensive repair job.

eric

[GuiltySparc]

 

Whatever you do, make sure that your amp is still hooked up to your speaker cab. If you play the amp without a proper load on the output transformer, you'll burn the transformer up. This will be a very Very expensive repair job. eric

 

 

really? Now what about people in studios that just run the amp heads? I'm just guessing this happens based on pictures i've seen (Satriani's home studio comes to mind) where they have a wall of amp heads without any cabs in sight.

 

i was really hopeing to be able to play without the speaker cab plugged in...

 

Would putting speaker cables into the speaker outs without a cab be an acceptable workaround?

[MacBradley]

really? Now what about people in studios that just run the amp heads? I'm just guessing this happens based on pictures i've seen (Satriani's home studio comes to mind) where they have a wall of amp heads without any cabs in sight.

 

 

Dummy Loads. They take the signal but don't have speakers therefore don't make noise.

[GuiltySparc]

Dummy Loads. They take the signal but don't have speakers therefore don't make noise.

 

 

hmm, i just looked through my manual real quick and it says i can use the output mute to do silent recording, so i'll be ok that way.

 

Though i have a recording date for friday and i was hoping to only bring head since hefting the 4x12 into my car by myself can be challenging.

 

How would i go about getting a dummy load, would plugging in the speaker cables (but with no cab) to do the job?

[MacBradley]

hmm, i just looked through my manual real quick and it says i can use the output mute to do silent recording, so i'll be ok that way. Though i have a recording date for friday and i was hoping to only bring head since hefting the 4x12 into my car by myself can be challenging. How would i go about getting a dummy load, would plugging in the speaker cables (but with no cab) to do the job?

 

 

No. Dummy load is an actually unit. Read on the silent record option though, and see if it will let you record with no speaker and be fine (although I doubt it).

 

 

 

PS: Micing up an amp right will sound 100x better than direct in, unless you have really bad acoustics in the room, then it will probably just be a bit better.

[GuiltySparc]

PS: Micing up an amp right will sound 100x better than direct in, unless you have really bad acoustics in the room, then it will probably just be a bit better.

 

word, though i am currently in an apartment and my amp sits in very tiny room, lol. So the silent recording is really the only option i have.

 

[GuiltySparc]

i also apologize for taking this thread way off topic.

[vintagevibes]

see below

[vintagevibes]

 

really? Now what about people in studios that just run the amp heads? I'm just guessing this happens based on pictures i've seen (Satriani's home studio comes to mind) where they have a wall of amp heads without any cabs in sight. i was really hopeing to be able to play without the speaker cab plugged in... Would putting speaker cables into the speaker outs without a cab be an acceptable workaround?

 

 

 

They are using special devices to change the power coming from the head or one of the following:

 

1) preamp out to the board

or

2) FX send to the board

 

Never plug a speaker out into a preamp in! You'll be very sorry if you do.

[GuiltySparc]

Never plug a speaker out into a preamp in! You'll be very sorry if you do.

oh no doubt, i think you may have misunderstood me. I was trying to figure out if i could run the line out to a board without having the cab hooked up also.

I did some looking around on marshall forums and the verdict is that you can run the TSL100 without a speaker cab IF you use the output mute while you do it.

Thanks for everyone's help

[jpleong]

Hi Mackie folks, I didn't see this posted here but it was posted on the Mackie forum a few weeks ago. From Ryan C (of Mackie):

 

"As some of you are aware, up until now Mackie has worked in partnership with select external engineering companies to bring to market our audio interface products. Whilst this has allowed us to realize a number of groundbreaking products, it has also limited our ability to react to shifting requirements such as new Operating System developments.

 

We are very pleased to announce the creation of an internal firmware and driver development team, here at Mackie, who will be designing and implementing our very own custom solutions to work in concert with both our existing hardware and future products.

 

This will allow us to both design ultra high performance drivers, that are perfectly matched to our hardware, and respond to the ever changing world of computer technology in a much more rapid fashion.

 

The following products are being included in an immediate Windows Vista development:

 

Onyx Satellite

Onyx 400F

Onyx 1200F

D2 Pro

D4 Pro

Onyx Fire wire Option Card

Digital X Bus Fire wire Option Card

 

These products utilize different technology implementations of the fire wire chipset and therefore support for the Vista platform will not become available all at the same time. The list above is not placed in any order of priority or expected availability. Due to the recent formation of this team, there is likely to be a significant development and testing phase and we cannot offer any timescale for availability yet – other than we are working on this as a matter of urgency. We will post details of Vista compatible drivers both to the product pages and the Forum as they become available.

 

For future Operating System changes – for example Apple’s Leopard OS, we ask that you do not upgrade your system until we have qualified the change with our products. We will be making regular announcements regarding compatibility as soon as we have completed our internal testing phases.

 

Thanks for your patience."

[GuiltySparc]

ah very cool, now if only they would upgrade ACID to work with vista...

[Markus Nunes]

OK. I spent some time with the good folks at The Apple Store - Stonestown Mall, San Francisco, CA. I brought along both the Onyx Satellite (dock and pod) and the Presonus FireBox. We tested several machines and the results are as follows: 1) None of the new MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo) machines would power the complete Onyx rig (pod+dock) or the Presonus FireBox. 2) The new MacBooks (Core 2 Duo) were able to power the Onyx rig and the FireBox with no problem. 3) The "older" MacBook Pros were able to power the Onyx rig and the FireBox with no problem. So, it was with a disappointed sigh on both sides that they helped me return my new MacBook Pro. The guys at The Apple Store are going to escalate this through their management channels and I have shared this forum/thread with Willis at The Apple Store to make sure Apple has the opportunity to post an official response if they so choose. Best regards, MHD

Hi there.
I'm a new one in this roads and i have a problem!!
I buy a onyx satellite but it does'nt work in my Mac Pro Desktop.
I asking for help to anyone who knows about a drivers to get this mackie work on my computer.
Thank you very mucht.

Markus
www.myspace.com/soundsofmynature

[godzilla1111]

Hi All,

I hope this thread is still active - it seems to have fluttered out a bit at the end.

Anyway hopefully someone here can help me. I have read the entire thread and I have a concern or two about the Satellite. First off, its a few days before Christmas and my wife and kids have bought me the MOS this year. I know this because I cut a deal with everybody in the house that if they make sure I get the MOS - then Ill make sure that they get the thing that they want. Sooooo... one Pan Tec Duo cell phone, EMG 81 and 85 humbucker pickup set and a full day pamper package at a holistic skin and body spa later, volia! I have a MOS. Unfortunately my wife won't let me hook it up until Christmas morning but I did convince here to let me inspect the item for any signs of visible damage. I have read here and on other boards that some users of mackie products get items with "wobbly knobs" - and when I inspected the MOS sure enough the pod unit has wobbly knobs - but heres the thing - how wobbly is wobbly? - the gain knob on both 1 and 2 on the pod has a slight wobble compared to the phone knobs on the pod - it doesnt feel "fiddy" or like the knob is placed wrong and the twist is very tight and feels smooth - but if i gentely move the gain knob left and right it does wobble - more like the whole knob assembly inside and outside of the pod unit has a sight wobble that the phone knobs do not have - so my concern is: Is this normal? this thread mentions wobbly knobs as one of the reasons why people might return the product - but it doesnt go into anymore detail than this. The same is true for other forums I have read. any thoughts on this matter would be appreciated.
Thx
GDZ1111

[GuiltySparc]

is it possible to monitor from my computer speakers with this interface?

I got it for christmas and it seems like whenever i select it as my audio device, it kills all the sound to my computer speakers and i can only hear using the headphone jack on the satellite. I would like to be able to hear everything through my speakers if possible, just use the satellite as an input rather than input and output.

[godzilla1111]

So I decided to re-post even though nobody responded to my concerns about the "wobbly knobs" - thanks guys!

the wobbly knobs dont seem to be a problem - this thing sounds great!
my only experience with pre amps before I got the satellite is with a behringer eurorack 1202 - (and yes - it has wobbly knobs too) - and i read so much about these satellite units being hit or miss - i really wanted to get a unit that was a hit - and i think i got one - no whine present unless i turn the headphones way up and dont have anything plugged into a hot preamp - channel - but that whine does not make it into the recording - sweet!

I am still blown away with the sound of the preamp - actually I should say "blown away by the "no-sound" of the preamp" when i recorded with the eurorack 1202 my guitars sounded like crap - raspy - thin - harsh - brittle - I would have to do serious tweaking with EQ- and other dynamic plug-ins just to get a track that was usefull - and then i would have to layer GTR tracks over each other untill they all just kinda blended into a washed out GTR track that i would say "heres where the REAL guitars would be when I get a studio" - well no more! the Onyx preamps are awesome - especially when i go direct - what ever sound i hear in my tracking headphones - the satellite is capturing flawlessly - its hard to tell the diference between the recorded direct guitar track and me playing direct through the headphones - so now I just dial up the GTR sound i want through my pedal board and push record and I got that sound on my recorded tracks - no EQ or masking plug-ins - just real guitar tone and it is awesome - anybody that is recording GTR and Bass either mic'ed or direct should buy the satellite just for the preamps - at less than $100 per channel its a steal -

so Guiltysparc..

I am having trouble with getting the satellite drivers and the M-audio 24/96 drivers to work at the same time in my Sonar DAW - I wanted to use the Satellite as my input and the 2496 as my output so I could track with the MOS and then listen to it back through the 24/96 because that is where my speakers are connected to - its a real pain in the ass to switch drivers back and forth enabel and dis able in the device manager and restart sonar everytime i want to switch outputs - so I hooked up a old stereo reciever with kick ass speakers to the outputs of the satellite and just use the A/B function on the MOS when i want to hear through speakers - I think that you will have to do something like this or just do the driver swap thing like i described above - best of luck

GDZ1111

[GuiltySparc]

thanks Zilla!

Ya, after i read through the manual again i ended up using a mini -> 1/4" adapter and plugging my computer speakers into the control room outs on the mackie and that works pretty well.

I'd like to get a set of decent monitors though, like $100 for two speakers, so i dont have to switch around the plugs for my computer speakers when i'm not using the mackie. Any suggestions?

Also, i my knobs seem pretty solid so i'm thinking your wobble might not be 'normal'.

[godzilla1111]

yo sparc-

I see that B&H Pro Audio is offering a pair of Wharfedal Diamond Pro 8.1 active monitors for $189.00 - and im thinking that you aint going to find a better deal than that - I heard a lot of good things about these units over at tweekheadz lab - they are reported to be very flat (this is a good thing) and i would recomend that if you really want to get serious about recording that you find the extra $89.00 and buy these - the computer speakers are fine if ya got nothing else - next step up would be a pair of high end stereo speakers - but still you wont be hearing what you are really sounding like - all computer speakers and car speakers and home stereo speakers are "tuned" and/or eq to sound better than they really are - so if you mix with these you wont get an accurate mix - you might have notice that your stuff sounds really good on your computer - but when you burn a CD or whatever and listen to the same stuff on your car stereo or a friends house it sound differnt - weaker -washed out - too much bass or just plain sucks - thats because you are not mixing with a flat monitor - so i would suggest that you either save up and get a pair flat active monitors (or passive ones- but this requires a amp to power the speakers - read extra $$$) - then at least get a decent pair of flat tracking headphones so you can really hear what is being laided down on you recordings - it takes awhile to get used to the flat sound - but after you get used to them - you will perfer the sound - then when you play your chops at your buddies house it will sound much better - because the "tuned" speakers on his stereo will now be flattering your sound - just like the pros. I have a pair of sennheiser hd 280 pro headphones that i would recomend as good flat tracking headphones

check out tweeks guide at tweekheadz lab (just google it) for good info on monitors vs speakers

"Zilla"

[GuiltySparc]

thanks dude, i'm using a set of klipsch 5.1 for my computer speakers but they are definitely not flat sounding. I'll take a look at tweekheadz and try to find some flat headphones as well.

 

Thanks for the help!

[s1rrah]

Great thread you all; thanks for the detailed comments early on in the posting.

...

I was hoping some of you might comment on the following:

I am testing various bedroom studio type recording interfaces for my PC which will also double as a critical listening device (line out to headphone amp, etc. for CD's/records). I'm currently demo'ing an EMU 0404 and sort of dig it but would like more versatility in inputs (has only two XLR's and no 1/4").

Anyway ... my recording needs are very simple: mostly singer songwriter stuff, two guitar tracks maximum with rarely more than 2 vocal tracks. I mostly record at home to capture ideas. I never record with more than one instrument or voice playing at the same time (IE > just do single track by single track layering).

How do you guys think this Mackie Satellite stacks up against the EMU 0404? How about compared to the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra?

Another concern of mine is the ability of the headphone out to power headphones like the Sennheiser HD650, which, due to it's 300ohm rating is notoriously hard to drive, requiring some good juice to really perform. As I monitor almost exclusively through such headphones, the headphone out should be able to power these or it wouldn't work for me.

Also, how is the headphone amp in general sound quality wise? Are there details of the types of circuitry (OPAMPS, etc.) used in the headphone amp?

...

I have a thirty day window within which to return this EMU 0404 should I decide to try the Satellite.

Any comments on any of the above?

Thanks in advance!

[GuiltySparc]

/\

I can't comment on the first part of your post (havent used the other interfaces you mention) but i'm in a similar situation. I've been recording my 100w marshall in my apartment, silently, useing a pair of Sennheiser HD250 Pros as my primary monitoring device.

I'm not sure how your 650s differ, but the Mackie powers my 250s just fine. The headphone out sounds really good and can get really loud. I keep the headphone volume on the unit at about 4.

[makeluv247]

Hi

 

Still looking for the best buy, and this seems much more practical than the PreSonus Inspire 1394. My only problem is that my XPS 420 is a Vista machine, and even if the drivers for XP are out there for it, I'm not going back. Can anyone comment on compatibility with Vista or the future release of drivers? If not I'll have to buy something else, but this looks great. would be a shame.

 

Thanks

[TwistedUp]

hi guys, first of all, sorry that my english isnt perfect... im a spanish guy trying to mount his first home recording system...

oh well, i have this new onyx satellite and my brand new alesis 620 as well... installed everything, chose in my daw setting input and output the onyx, but i cant seem to have any signal from my monitors.. they just dont give any sound at all, except from a lil hum (sign its connected)...


can someone help me please...? ive tried as well some pc speakers... no sound at all

[TwistedUp]

ok, here are more details... the firewire led doesnt light at all, when my onyx satellite is on and the computer is on traction... however, and this is the most weird thing... on the control outputs, i get output when connecting the guitar to the input 1, but only on the left monitor! ive tried all 4 outputs and switched my monitors and it seems the right outputs of the onyx are broken...

should i trade this unit?


please someone help...

[Trace401]

Hi, My names john, I Practice Home Studio Applications at home on the weekends, i usually put my Condenser through a Beringer 808 Mixer (Ya i know.. ) and am looking to upgrade my quality via a decent Interface. My Question is, Will This device allow me to hear all the sounds from my computer and my microphone at the same time (Example. U route the mixer i have now into the line in on my onboard soundcard, and when its plugged in i hear whatever is plugged in the mixer through my computer speakers while recording or not. ) Is this possible?