Mackie is taking over the small format mixer world again—but this time it's going digital. Last year at NAMM the DL1608 was getting all of the attention, and this year the baby brother is getting the spotlight. Welcome the DL806 Digital Mixer with iPad Control.
What you get is the exact same mixer as the DL1608, offered in a smaller frame. (Editor's Note: See the Church Production review of the Mackie DL1608 digital mixer). The DL806 has eight input channels, four aux sends, and a stereo output. Everything else is exactly the same. You still have the same plug-in capabilities of EQ, compression, delay and reverb. Each output channel has a 31-band graphic EQ and a compressor/limiter plug-in. You get the same ability to play back and record audio internally from your iPad.
At Winter NAMM, Mackie was also showing off the newest update to its Master Fader app on the DL806. There is a new “vintage” EQ and compressor to select from. These new interfaces are reminiscent of Neve EQ and 1176 compression, and they promise a more colored musical sound compared to the more precise “modern” options.
Another update to the Master Fader app is the ability to lock out specific controls for other wireless devices. Since up to 10 devices can be connected simultaneously to the same mixer, this is a great feature. Now you can just let your guitar player have control over their aux mix and not the EQ of their channel; it allows for some hierarchy of control. Good move, Mackie.
Mackie is creating an impressive line of digital mixers, and when they release a 24- or 32-channel version, I think the church market will react very strongly. I'm just not sure that churches need an eight-channel digital mixer. It's a lot of processing power in a small package (which is really cool) but it's quite expensive compared to an analog mixer. There is nothing else like the DL806 in the market right now, but we'll have to wait and see if it sticks.
Related Articles:
Mackie Debuts Smaller DL806 Eight-Channel Digital Live Sound Mixer with iPad Control
Audio Review: Mackie DL1608 16-Channel Digital Live Sound Mixer with iPad Control
