In addition to the typical reverb/delay effects bus, SoundLink adds dynamics and graphic EQ to the stereo, aux 1 and aux 2 busses. Other digital features include feedback suppression across those same three busses, a spectrum analyzer, tone generators, scene store/recall and a few other niceties.
For a decade or so, it seemed the only compact mixer on the planet was the Mackie 8-bus. Greg Mackie grew his company on the back of that ubiquitous little mixer, while countless bands and small churches relied on its quality sound and bulletproof reliability. When Korg decided to design a new hybrid analog/digital mixer, they tapped the talents of Greg Mackie and large-console designer Peter Watts. From this collaboration came the SoundLink MW-1608 and MW-2408 compact mixers, which combine the analog wizardry of Mackie and Watts with the digital audio savvy of Korg.
“SoundLink offers serious mixing power in a compact package.”
When it comes to mixers, “hybrid analog/digital” can mean many things. In SoundLink’s case, it means an analog mixer with digital effects—no automation, no DSP on each channel. This is a common approach at this price point, but SoundLink takes its digital processing to a deeper level than most. In addition to the typical reverb/delay effects bus, SoundLink adds dynamics and graphic EQ to the stereo, aux 1 and aux 2 busses. Other digital features include feedback suppression across those same three busses, a spectrum analyzer, tone generators, scene store/recall and a few other niceties.
What makes SoundLink notable is its solid analog performance, generous digital features, and a handful of clever touches straight from the mind of Greg Mackie.
On the analog side, SoundLink offers a mix of mono and stereo inputs. The MW-1608 has eight mono inputs and four stereo; the MW-2408 has the same eight mono inputs plus eight stereo. The eight mono inputs have a high-pass filter (HPF), three-band EQ with sweepable mid and a one-knob compressor. Stereo inputs swap the HPF and compressor for a four-band EQ with fixed frequencies. All inputs feed four stereo busses and/or the main stereo output. You can assign the four output busses to the main output as subgroups, and they also have analog output jacks. Four aux busses allow up to four monitor mixes, or the last two can be toggled post-fader to work as effects sends. SoundLink has an interesting Greg Mackie-inspired feature that lets you add the main stereo mix back into the aux 3 and 4 outputs. This trick makes it simple to set up two “main mix plus more me” monitor mixes, and it’s surprisingly fast and effective.
Other noteworthy features on the analog side include a talkback mic input with footswitch, solo buttons for all busses, a top-mounted 1/8” stereo input (for background music) and “BREAK” button to mute all but the last stereo input. When it comes to mutes, SoundLink is very well-equipped with four easily assignable mute groups and bright mute indicators.
In use
SoundLink is solidly built, with sturdy knobs and smooth 60mm Alps faders. Korg packed a lot of features on the front of the MW-2408, and things can get a bit cramped. Channel assign buttons are a challenge to push if a fader is nearby, and the subgroup faders are packed in so tight they’re nearly touching each other. It’s good that SoundLink offers more space around the input channel knobs and faders, where your fingers will spend most of their time. Though cozy, SoundLink’s layout is very intuitive.
Turn on the digital feedback eliminator and SoundLink effectively kills feedback as soon as it starts. There’s nothing to configure, and no harm done to the rest of the mix. Fantastic.
From input to output, SoundLink sounds very good. Preamps are free from coloration, and the EQ is effective. One-knob compressors are notoriously hard to implement, and this one has some issues. The compressor is too tame, essentially inaudible on some sources even when maxed out. In other cases, where input gain was set high for lots of signal, it did a nice job of leveling dynamics in a transparent way. Auto makeup gain was hit-and-miss, often adding too much level as the knob was turned up. That said, I still missed having the compressor on inputs 9-24.On the digital side of the hybrid, SoundLink gets high marks. Its reverb effects are excellent, delivering everything from large, lush halls to compact, tight rooms. Digital gain reduction on the stereo and aux 1/2 busses is effective, though control is limited and auto gain reduction sometimes excessive (by as much as 10 dB). SoundLink’s graphic EQ works well, offering both a 9-band mode and “pseudo” 31-band mode. In combination with the spectrum analyzer, the latter mode is useful for identifying and eliminating feedback with a narrow notch.
“On the digital side of the hybrid, SoundLink gets high marks. Its reverb effects are excellent, delivering everything from large, lush halls to compact, tight rooms.”
Clicking around a digital interface is no way to kill feedback quickly, however, so kudos to Korg for putting some serious effort into SoundLink’s digital feedback eliminator. Turn the feature on for the stereo, aux 1 or aux 2 busses (or all at the same time), and SoundLink effectively kills feedback as soon as it starts. There’s nothing to configure, and no harm done to the rest of the mix. Fantastic.
I’m stumped as to why Korg loaded the SoundLink with so many stereo inputs from which they dropped the compressor and HPF. There’s space for another knob and button, so it must have been a cost decision. In an ironic twist, SoundLink’s excellent manual (which reads like a mini live sound clinic) quotes Mackie touting the benefits of HPF on most input sources. While the analog hardware is locked in, a firmware update could address omissions on the digital side. Currently, you can’t rename user effects presets or even scenes. The digital compressor interface shows threshold only, but no gain reduction. The USB output carries stereo only, not the eight busses.
The MW-1608 and MW-2408 have street prices around $1,300 and $1,500 respectively, which puts them in a rather crowded field. What makes SoundLink notable is its solid analog performance, generous digital features, and a handful of clever touches straight from the mind of Greg Mackie. In sum, SoundLink offers serious mixing power in a compact package.
