Mackie today delved into an entirely new genre with its U.Series Production Mixers the U.420 and the U.420d. Designed for the needs of todays musicians, DJs and producers, Mackie U.Series provides flexible connections and an intuitive, centralized user interface to ease workflow and maximize creativity.
“The keyboardist, DJ and producer of today are forced to use over-complicated mixers designed for their dad’s era, or compromise with low-quality features and severely limited connectivity options,” said John Boudreau, Mackie brand group vice president. “U.Series mixers bridge that gap — making them ideal for vinyl, modular analog synths and anything in between. These are the simplest, most intuitive mixers on the market today.”
Each model features a micro-master section with otherwise full-size qualities such as a prominent master volume knob and high resolution metering. Mic or stereo line channel strips with 3-band active EQ, a built-in DI box and RIAA phono preamps allow you to plug-in, and turn up for live sound and recording via integrated stereo Firewire I/O. Ingenious “loop-thru” routing enables you to mix and record analog and DAW playback with a couple of simple moves. Each offers a stereo aux send, headphone out with pre-main level control and self-monoing outputs.
The U.420 4-channel high-headroom stereo line mixer offers 3-band “full-kill” active EQ on each channel, a built-in DI box and a Mackie designed RIAA phono preamp. The U.420d is loaded with 2 premium Mackie mic channels with 30mm faders, and features 3-band active EQ with mid-sweep, while 2 high-headroom stereo line input channels include 2 Mackie designed RIAA phono preamps, 3-band active EQ, a full headphone cue system and a 30mm crossfader.
“U.Series mixers with included Tracktion software paired with Mackie MR5 monitors fully furnish an affordable high-performance project studio at around $500, which was previously unimaginable at this level of quality,” concluded Boudreau.
The U.Series mixers will be available in the U.S. and Canada in April 2008 and internationally in May 2008. The U.420 will be €249 and the U.420d will be €299.