I wanted a small mixer to replace my noisy 30 year old mixer in my small home studio. I had a few options in mind for my budget and after quite a lot of research I opted for the Mackie 1402 VLZ4 which I hoped would fit my requirements completely. I had used a Mackie before, in a live situation, and hoped that this good experience would be repeated.
I needed enough inputs and outputs and a smaller footprint, with a better range of options than before, whilst having a good clean signal into my outboard, interface and monitors.
I'm probably never going to record live drums at home or record more than 6 channels at a time and the Mackie's inputs provide for that, and the ability to leave a few more items of gear permanently plugged in without having a patchbay. The 6 channels with onyx preamps are really nice and in my opinion sound really full and warm.
The sound quality is fantastic, the Eq is excellent and the versatility of this small and rackmountable mixer is exceptional. The build quality is also very good. I had hoped that this little mixer would be good and I haven't been disappointed at all.
If this mixer fits your requirements and your budget then your search is probably over.
