Korg's SoundLink mixers are priced for churches and bands on a limited budget, with the 16-input MW-1608 sporting a list price of $1,800, the 24-input MW-2408 a list price of $2,100.
Sometimes, companies hire big-name outside talent to help design new products. Korg did just that for its newest SoundLink compact hybrid mixers, tapping the talents of Greg Mackie and Peter Watts. The Mackie name needs little introduction after decades of prominence in the compact mixer market. Peter Watts is a name less-known, having earned his stripes designing high-end Trident recording consoles before joining team Mackie.
Digital processing in SoundLink goes beyond traditional effects.
Together, Mackie and Watts designed an affordable mixer that seeks to advance the analog-digital hybrid concept. At its heart, SoundLink is a 16- or 24-input analog mixer with eight output busses. To this, Korg has added a digital processing section with effects, feedback elimination, a spectrum analyzer, test tones, and more. SoundLink is priced for churches and bands on a limited budget, with the 16-input MW-1608 sporting a list price of $1,800, the 24-input MW-2408 a list price of $2,100.
Each SoundLink input channel has an EQ section, four aux sends (the latter two switchable pre/post), effects send and pan. You can assign inputs to the eight output busses in pairs, as well as the main L/R output. Mono inputs have a three-band EQ with sweepable midrange; stereo inputs boast a four-band EQ with fixed frequencies. Mono inputs differ in one other key way: they have a one-knob compressor.
Making a flexible, good-sounding compressor with one control is notoriously difficult, so we look forward to testing the SoundLink compression circuit. In a curious design decision, both SoundLink mixers have just eight mono inputs; inputs nine and up are stereo with two line inputs and a single mic input. We're eager to test this somewhat unorthodox channel configuration in a real-world setting.
SoundLink's spectrum analyzer allows you to see energy distribution across the frequency spectrum, a feature some engineers appreciate as they dial in a mix.
Apparently Greg Mackie spends a lot of time mixing bands, hence, we expect to find his fingerprints on the mixers he designs. SoundLink has a few such niceties we look forward to using, including four easily assigned mute groups, a flexible talkback circuit, a prominent FX mute button, and a "Break" button. The latter mutes all inputs except the last stereo input, handy for when the band is on break (or before the service starts). Another Mackie touch is a pair of headphone outputs for aux 3 and 4, each with a knob that adds the main L/R mix to the monitor mix. Meant for musicians sitting near the mixer, we aim to find out how much utility this feature has in church settings.
The other half of the hybrid equation is the digital processing section, an area where Korg has considerable experience. SoundLink offers a main effects bus with reverbs, delays, and a handful of modulation effects. A dedicated return fader brings the effects back into the main stereo mix, and you can also return the effects to aux busses 1 and 2. Beyond the main effects loop, SoundLink doesn't allow you to use digital effects on any input channels. Instead, you can assign dynamics and EQ to the main L/R, aux 1, and aux 2 busses.
Digital processing in SoundLink goes beyond traditional effects. A feedback suppression system detects and eliminates feedback in real-time, something we look forward to testing. A spectrum analyzer allows you to see energy distribution across the frequency spectrum, a feature some engineers appreciate as they dial in a mix. SoundLink's preset system allows you to save and recall settings for the digital aspects of the mixer.
Known primarily for keyboards and musical controllers, Korg is entering the compact mixer market with a bang with its Mackie-designed SoundLink mixers. We can't wait to put them to the test.
