Mackie 402-VLZ3 Premium 4-Channel Ultra-Compact Mixer

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List Price: $129.99
Sale Price: $99.99
Today's Bonus: 23% Off

• Sleek, rugged steel chassis
• Sealed rotary controls to resist dust and grime
• 4 high-headroom line inputs

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I got the Mackie 402-VLZ3 to replace an Alexis multimix, and the difference is stunning. There's almost no noise or hiss when recording with the Mackie. For $99, this level of quality was a nice surprise to me. Highly recommended. You can turn it up quite a bit before noticing any hiss.

This is not USB or firewire, so you will need a stereo RCA to mini (1/8) cable to connect to your PC line-in. It doesn't come with any cables. It does include a downloadable license for Tracktion 3 software.

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I bought this so I could connect both my guitar and mic to a Roland SonicCell and record audio using Logic on my mac. The pre-amp is great; better than expected. I reduced both hiss and hum in my audio tracks.

The only minor complaint is that channel 3&4 do not have separate level controls (treats as stereo); I don't need the extra channel at the moment, but it would have been nice to have as a spare channel (since it is advertised as a 4-channel mixer, which is true, but...)

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My guess is that anybody reading a review on the Mackie 402-VLZ3 is trying to decide whether to buy Mackie or Behringer.

It is true you can get what appears to be a lot more mixer from Behringer for significantly less money than the 402 VLZ3.

So it makes perfect sense to buy Behringer until you learn your lesson -"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me."

OK, I've been a fool at least a half dozen times, and I am now an officially recovering Behringer addict.

I've also got Behringer's largest mixer, the Eurodesk MX9000, taking up space in my office. It will take 2 men to haul outside and heave into the dumpster.

I never, ever abuse equipment, but I am struck by the failure rate of Behringer gear. And also, I've tried to get things fixed. Forget about it!

Hate to review Mackie by talking about Behringer, but the bottom line is this: Mackie gear is utterly reliable. It has never let me down. And it is not expense. The only problem is confusion when Mackie is compared to other products which are really not in the same class.

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I use this for sporting event presentation. Music is played via Ipod to mini plug to RCA tape input. A Shure SM58S is used via XLR cable as the main microphone and a Line 6 XDR955 wireless microphone is used for frequency worry free reliability. One input remain open for adding a second ipod for the national anthem, for another performers music input device or for a back up mic. The output is via two Harbinger APS12 powered speakers that cover a space that is over 400' feet wide. We place the speaker side by side so that we on have to run one extension cord and there is no annoying echo like delay that can make hearing difficult. XLR to ¼" adapters are needed to connect the ¼" mixer output to the XLR cables. You can't have too many XLR cables with quality connectors.

I love how such a quality mixer unit comes in such a small package. The mute button is an essential function. I am interested in the Mackie PROFX8 8-Channel Compact Effects Mixer with USB for the slide volume controls, but I am glad for the small size of the Mackie 402-VLZ3 Premium 4-Channel Ultra-Compact Mixer which make transport, set up and take down easy.

I purchased this to replace my Behringer Xenyx 502 mixer which was starting to have some scratch on the primary mix volume control. The Behringer unit sounded completely fine to me for the time I owned it, but I was blown away when I hooked the Mackie up in its place. The sound is noticeably more clear. The Mackie also feels much more solid in the controls and I like the layout and design more on the Mackie. With the Behringer, the headphone volume is affected by the main mix volume control (except for the tape-inputs). On the Mackie, the headphone volume control is 100% independent from the main mix volume control, which I think is the way it should be.

As a headphone amp, the Mackie is superb. I'm running Sennheiser HD598's and they sound absolutely beautiful, crystal clear on this Mackie mixer. I can say the same for my Dynaudio BM5A studio monitors as well. If you're debating between a Behringer mixer or a Mackie, I'd say definitely go with the Mackie. It's well-worth the extra $.