Mackie's Blackjack is the smallest interface yet to feature their acclaimed Onyx mic preamps.
The Mackie Onyx Blackjack is a combined USB audio interface and monitor-level controller aimed at those who only need to record one or two inputs at a time, but who want the preamp and digital conversion quality of Mackie's larger Onyx interfaces and mixers.
The unit is designed for desktop use, and Mackie's designers have clearly gone for simplicity, quality and very robust packaging. The folded‑steel case has a built‑in rear leg so that it sits at a sensible angle on the desk, and all the connections are kept at the back, out of the way.
- The Mackie Onyx Blackjack is a very small interface that is a 2 in and 2 out USB unit. The latency is suppose to be zero but I could hear a very small amount of latency while listening to play back and it was really irritating me.
- The Mackie Onyx Blackjack is a very small interface that is a 2 in and 2 out USB unit. The latency is suppose to be zero but I could hear a very small amount of latency while listening to play back and it was really irritating me. Mackie Onyx 800R - moosers's review. The Mackie Onyx-800R is a set of eight microphone preamplifiers.
The Blackjack works with both Mac and PC computers and is compatible with all the major DAW software, other than those software products tied to the manufacturer's own hardware. While the Blackjack is class compliant and will work without the need for drivers, PC users running Windows are advised to download and install the latest ASIO driver from www.mackie.com/products/onyxblackjack for the best performance.
There are only 2 usb interfaces under 150eur offering identical preamp professional gear. These are ur22 Steinberg and Mackie Onyx Blackjack. On paper, the choice is between these two models. Regarding the DAC, Mackie really wanted to offer a quasi-professional product. These converters CS5368 Cirrus Logic.
The Blackjack comes with a bundled copy of Mackie's Tracktion 3 software, which provides a pretty painless way to get into computer recording if you're not already wedded to a particular DAW.
Ins & Outs
The Blackjack features two Onyx preamps, having mic/line inputs on 'combi' jacks/XLRs, with individual DI switching for using the line jacks as high-impedance inputs, and switchable global phantom power. The monitor outputs are on balanced quarter‑inch jacks, governed by the Monitor level control, and there's a headphone output and accompanying level control on the front panel.
The only thing missing is an S/PDIF digital input; you may not need it very often, but they come in handy for importing DAT tapes or other digital formats. Cat 2017 slot 1 answer key.
Features
At the rear, we find a USB connection, a pair of monitor outputs on quarter‑inch jacks and the two 'combi' jack/XLR inputs.
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The Onyx mic preamps, which have simple metering in the form of a dual‑colour signal/overload LED, are the same as those used in Mackie's Onyx‑series mixers, and our reviews of these products have always included favourable comments about their sound. There is no pad or low‑cut filter on this version but there's plenty of headroom, and impressive signal transparency with up to 60dB of gain. Mackie claim their Onyx preamps rival the most expensive boutique mic preamps for quality. While we probably wouldn't go quite that far, they certainly are impressive.
Conversion is via highly specified Cirrus Logic chips, and power for the circuitry comes from the USB port, so there's no need for a separate PSU. These 24‑bit Cirrus Logic converters are capable of a 114dB dynamic range (A‑weighted), which is way beyond the signal‑to‑noise spec of most studio gear. Importantly, the gain staging within the unit means that the preamp circuitry is correctly matched to the A-D conversion, to maintain headroom while minimising noise and distortion.
An important feature is the Input Monitor knob, which mixes the input signal with the DAW return mix for simple latency‑free 'source' monitoring. This means that you can set larger buffer sizes when recording without suffering that annoying delay in the headphones. Just remember to turn software monitoring off in your DAW to avoid hearing direct and delayed sound at the same time! A Mono button puts the input-monitored signal into both left and right phones and speakers if preferred; otherwise channel one is heard on the left and channel two on the right.
In general, the technical spec is similar to what you'd expect from a Mackie console, except, of course, that the frequency response is dictated to some extent by the sample rate used. You can run the Blackjack at sampling rates of up to 96kHz, and it delivers a 15Hz to 22kHz response accurate to 0.2dB. At 44.1kHz, you still get a 15Hz to 21kHz range. The frequency response of the preamps and other analogue components extends some way beyond this, with the preamps being only 0.2dB down at 50kHz. The converter dynamic range is inevitably greater than the noise floor of the circuitry, but again the circuitry performs pretty much as you'd expect from a Mackie mixer, with a generous input headroom up to +10dB in mic mode and +25dB for the line inputs.
Testing
Plugging the Onyx into my Macbook Pro, I launched Logic Pro and immediately found the Blackjack available as a named input source — no drivers, no fuss. As with most mic preamps that use standard potentiometers, the useful mic gain does tend to be bunched into the last one third of the gain control's travel, but that didn't present any problem, as I set the gain for a speech test at a 96kHz sample rate. The playback quality was excellent, so I repeated the test at 44.1kHz. There was a small but discernible difference between high and low sample rates, the higher rates seeming to give a fuller, slightly smoother sound that some might describe as more 'analogue'. The difference is quite subtle, and is in line with what I've heard from other mid‑priced interfaces, so it is down to the individual to decide whether the extra fidelity is worth trading against half your computer's track playback and plug‑in count. I can't really ascribe a specific tonal character to the Onyx preamps — they just sound clean and musical to my ears.
Music playback through the Blackjack was also to a high standard, even at 'normal' sample rates, with a full but well‑controlled low end and smooth, extended highs. The headphone output delivers plenty of clean level, too.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that this simple and very affordable little unit delivers both on sound quality and convenience, in a package that's as robust as you could wish for. I had no problems with USB whining in the background, and unlike some of the lighter plastic interfaces on the market, it didn't fall off the desk as soon as I plugged in a mic cable!
Other than an S/PDIF input, there's really nothing more you could ask for in a basic interface, and while there are cheaper alternatives, once you add in the cost of a monitor controller/headphone amp and take into account both the mechanical and audio quality, the Blackjack starts to look like a real bargain.
Alternatives
There are many similarly sized interfaces available, including the less costly Presonus Inspire (which is Firewire‑based), but nothing I've used yet has matched this combination of a good-quality interface with practical monitoring in such a robust package.
Pros
- Built from steel, just like a Mackie mixer.
- Good audio quality.
- Tracktion 3 software included.
Mackie Onyx Blackjack Reviews
Summary
The Blackjack is an irresistible combination of chunky‑but‑compact hardware with exactly the right facilities for basic recording to a high standard.
information
£210 including VAT.Loud Technologies Europe +44 (0)1494 557398.
$199.Loud Technologies +1 425 892 6500.
Mackie's Onyx Blackbird offers eight Onyx mic pre's, 8-in/8-out ADAT, word clock I/O and FireWire output.
Following the successful launch of its Onyx-i mixer series, Mackie now expands its Onyx Series with the Onyx Blackjack and Onyx Blackbird recording interfaces. Onyx Blackjack is a desktop 2×2 24-bit/48kHz unit with USB output. I was more interested in the single-rackspace Onyx Blackbird, a 16×16 24-bit/96kHz unit with eight Onyx mic preamps, 8-in/8-out ADAT, and word clock I/O and FireWire output. Blackbird can be used either stand-alone (connected directly to any device with 44.1- or 48kHz ADAT Lightpipe or S/MUX II at up to 96 kHz) or via FireWire to a PC- or Mac-based DAW. Unlike Mackie's Onyx-i mixer series, Onyx Blackbird doesn't support M-Powered Pro Tools, although the interface works with most other recording apps, including SONAR, Logic, Cubase, Digital Performer, Ableton Live, Mackie Tracktion 3 (bundled free with Blackbird) and Avid Pro Tools 9.
Summary
The Blackjack is an irresistible combination of chunky‑but‑compact hardware with exactly the right facilities for basic recording to a high standard.
information
£210 including VAT.Loud Technologies Europe +44 (0)1494 557398.
$199.Loud Technologies +1 425 892 6500.
Mackie's Onyx Blackbird offers eight Onyx mic pre's, 8-in/8-out ADAT, word clock I/O and FireWire output.
Following the successful launch of its Onyx-i mixer series, Mackie now expands its Onyx Series with the Onyx Blackjack and Onyx Blackbird recording interfaces. Onyx Blackjack is a desktop 2×2 24-bit/48kHz unit with USB output. I was more interested in the single-rackspace Onyx Blackbird, a 16×16 24-bit/96kHz unit with eight Onyx mic preamps, 8-in/8-out ADAT, and word clock I/O and FireWire output. Blackbird can be used either stand-alone (connected directly to any device with 44.1- or 48kHz ADAT Lightpipe or S/MUX II at up to 96 kHz) or via FireWire to a PC- or Mac-based DAW. Unlike Mackie's Onyx-i mixer series, Onyx Blackbird doesn't support M-Powered Pro Tools, although the interface works with most other recording apps, including SONAR, Logic, Cubase, Digital Performer, Ableton Live, Mackie Tracktion 3 (bundled free with Blackbird) and Avid Pro Tools 9.
One of my pet peeves about interfaces is the way manufacturers tout these as having 16, 24 or 32 inputs, when that number typically reflects every single possible way audio can enter/exit the device. In the case of Onyx Blackbird, its 16×16 capability includes eight XLR analog inputs and another eight channels via the Lightpipe ports. With Onyx Blackbird, the extra ADAT-in port really comes in handy when cascading two units for full 16 analog input capability.
That said, Onyx Blackbird delivers. The first two inputs are what Mackie terms Super Channels; design-wise, they are identical to the rest but add nice touches such as a hi-Z switch for DI inputs, a highpass filter switch, independent phantom power switch for just channels 1-2, TRS insert jacks and a direct monitor section for listening to inputs 1 and/or 2 in the analog domain for no-latency listening. This section also includes a mono/stereo listening switch and a monitor level pot. When overdubbing in the studio, I used the latter to affect the balance between playback tracks, the source mic(s) and what goes to the headphone bus, making it great for creating quick 'more me' performer mixes without having to jump through a lot of hoops.
The other six analog combo XLR/1/4-inch mic/line inputs (on the rear panel) also offer 60 dB of max gain, bicolor LED signal-present/overload indicators and the same preamp quality as the first two. There's no sense of 'two nice ones and the rest'; for example, when miking drums, everything's sonically matched. The 'master' section has two independent headphone outs with level controls and a switch for choosing to hear either the main mix or a custom mix created using the Blackbird Control software. There's also a Monitor Level control for adjusting control room level.
BLACKBIRD CONTROL
Installing the Blackbird Control app was a breeze. Rather than include a copy with the interface, it's a fast, free download, so when you install you'll have the latest version. There's no copy protection, so I put it on my MacBook Pro for Logic, desktop Mac for Final Cut/Soundtrack Pro and another version on my PC that runs SONAR. I was off and running in minutes.
Mackie Onyx Interface
Blackbird Control is a full-on matrix mixer that provides pan/mute/solo/fader/routing for all of the inputs, along with assignments for sample rate select (44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 kHz), internal or external clocking (from a digital source or the rear panel BNC word clock I/Os) and few slick tricks like onscreen phone mix level and muting control, and fast, high-res metering with peak hold. And within Blackbird Control, presets can be saved, cut, copied, pasted—a real timesaver.
ALL ABOUT THE SOUND
Flexibility is fine, but the worth of any interface comes down to the sound. The preamps are Mackie's Onyx design, offering ample headroom and excellent performance (mic-to-insert response is spec'd at only -1 dB from 10 to 150k Hz, and EIN comes in at a ultralow -127 dBu). I had no problem using the preamps with older, low-output ribbon mics, ranging from a vintage Lustraphone to a favorite pair of Royer SF-1s. Here, used as distant room mics, noise was never an issue, even when cranked way up. Even though it's a small point, I liked the highpass filters on the first two channels; fixed at 75 Hz with a steep -18dB/octave slope, they eliminated the LF rumble and muck without getting in the way of the music.
Mackie Onyx Driver
My only complaint is its lack of individual analog outputs for all the preamps, like the D-25 port on Mackie's Onyx-i mixers. This comes in handy in live location recording where you want to create a separate split for a P.A. feed, but in the studio, this is hardly an issue. On the digital side, the combination of Mackie's JetPLL jitter elimination with top-end Cirrus Logic CS5368 A/D converters and CS4385 DACs provide a level of performance that's far better than I'd dare to expect from an 8-channel unit carrying a $499 (street) price tag. Thumbs up on this one.
Mackie Onyx Blackjack
Click on the Product Summary box above to view the Onyx Blackbird product page.
