Mackie 402VLZ4 analogue mixer

I have not ruled out the possibility of getting this tiny Mackie 402VLZ4 mixer for my arsenal of tools. It is small and it will be very handy for shows. For one, it looks like it is more sturdily built than the Yamaha MG06, it’s almost direct competitor. Also, the stereo inputs look like they can take balanced or unbalanced inputs, which is perfect for those smaller controllers. In any case, it’s most notable features are:

• Amazingly rugged analog mixer with two microphone preamplifiers and one stereo channel
• Onyx mic preamps offer up to 60dB of gain for great performance with any mic
• Ultra-low-noise performance gives you clean, clear sound
• High-resolution stereo meters give you fast, easy visual indication of your signal levels
• Sealed rotary controls resist dust and grime

The thing I like about this are the input knobs. As described in the features above, they are less likely to be contaminated by dust and grime that are the bane of linear faders. But the thing that is a bit of a turn-off for me is the LOW and HI equalization knobs because there are no mids. But then again, this rather inexpensive mixer needs to sacrifice something for cost and real estate space so that is not really much of a choice there. There is no EQ for the solitary stereo input channel either. But what this mixer lacks, it makes up in portability. I am toying with the idea of getting one but I already have my Yamaha MG82cx. And like the MG82cx, the outputs are TRS balanced.

So will I get it? Probably not. But it is a great little mixer and all DJs and emcees should have one of these in their arsenal.