Mackie Mixer Distortion Question

thedjnifty

thedjnifty

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So I've got myself a Mackie 802-VLZ3 mixer, and I'm looking to use that infamous Mackie distortion by driving the gain input on one of the channels, but as far as I can tell, you can only do this by inputting to the mixer via a single XLR into one of the mic pre-amps, or via a single jack into one of the line in inputs, both of which are mono.

Does anyone know how I could run a stereo signal into one of the mixer channels and still have that option to drive the gain for distortion?

Cheers
 
You need to use two channels. If you're just using a break or bassline then mono should be alright anyway.

Some desks have stereo channels with gain but it just depends which you get.
 
Serum said:
You need to use two channels. If you're just using a break or bassline then mono should be alright anyway.

Some desks have stereo channels with gain but it just depends which you get.
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Kool man I think I'll just have to stick with the mono for now then, big up
 
Tone1304 said:
cant you run it through the desk in mono and then add stereo width effect after?
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I could but I find that doesn't always sound that great and it would be nice to have the option for proper stereo, but I'll probably only use it bass / kicks / snares anyway so it's probably fine I'm just being picky lol
 
thedjnifty said:
I could but I find that doesn't always sound that great and it would be nice to have the option for proper stereo, but I'll probably only use it bass / kicks / snares anyway so it's probably fine I'm just being picky lol
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Itd be worth putting in the effort of using two monos for stereo shit. lotta basses nowadays are wide, and feeding it stereo-in istead of stereoing it out keeps the character better and gives you a better sound overall.
 
Can you only go up to a certain year/model of desk which will provide that nice distortion or will any mackie desk do just fine?
 
I think any of the mixers they do with a gain knob on the channel just above the eq section will give you what you're after mate

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I will also add that it's not like a magic button though, it does give some quite nasty distortion but you've gota work out how to make the most out of it
 
The Mackie mixers before the VLZ series are the ones to get.

The 1604 (First version/non-VLZ version), and the 24:8 bus, or 32:8 bus.

The 24:8 or 32:8 bus are the best options, then the original 1604 is 2nd best after that in the Mackie range when it comes to that old school classic sound. You can still get ok results with the VLZ series, but the ones I listed are the main ones used back in the day.

You can get a 24:8 for about £250-450 on ebay when they come up, if it has the meterbridge included and the price is decent than grab one, but the 24:8 is fairly big. If you've seen Goldie's studio in videos he has one of these old 8 bus mackie's.
 
One thing i would point out if you buy an old mackie is that the ribbon cables tend to crap out and replacing them is a real pain. The 8 bus is the definitive desk to go for if you're after that classic 97-99 sound but bear in mind those things are absolutely massive. I've had both the 32 channel 8 bus and the original 1604 and they were both a bit too big and a bit too unreliable for what I needed tbh.

i'm still looking for something more compact that drives with a similar character tho, dunno if there is anything unfortunately
 
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