Mackie Onyx800R Interface

For an extra 8 tracks of digital recording with pristine sound at a great cost, check out the Mackie Onyx800R. And piggyback the Onyx800R to the DigiDesign Digi003R for a streamlined mobile recording rig..

This setup gives you 16 channels input/output with 8 Onyx digital pre-amps and 8 Focusrite pre's on the Digi003. If tracking local garage bands is your thing, this is plenty of i/o for an audio engineer/producer in a project studio. Basic session setup will most likely pan out to 8 tracks for drums, and 8 ins for vox, gtr, bass, and keys. This setup will vary for each session, but that's the basic idea.

Any project studio environment can extend it's track count by using an array of Onyx digital interfaces alongside the basic digital recording setup of DigiDesign or other recording gear manufacturers.

So, optically hookup the Onyx800R to your

digital interface like a Digidesign Digi003R..

and add the digital gear to the rest of

your computer-based recording setup..

next add some drum mics..

and maybe a sub-kick or 2..

and throw up a decent vocal mic..

..and you're off to the races, recording demo/cds in your project studio! Don't forget to come back for the next blog article in this series to learn how to "open a new session" in Pro Tools on a Mac. Til then- peace!

Mike the AudioK9


check out the Mackie Onyx 800R stats:

Onyx 800R Technical Specifications

Frequency Response
Mic Input to Line Output (Gain @ unity):
+0, –0.1 dB, 20 Hz to 30 kHz
+0, –3 dB, 10 Hz to 170 kHz
Mic Input to Digital Output (AES, 192 kHz sample rate):
+0, –0.2 dB, 20 Hz to 85 kHz
+0, –1 dB, 10 Hz to 90 kHz
Distortion (THD & IMD)
Mic Input to Line Output (@ +4 dBu output):
THD+N: <>123 dB (Mic In to Line Out)
>113 dB (through A-to-D converters)
Noise
Signal-to-Noise (A-weighted):
>103 dB (ref. +4 dBu, Mic In to Line Out, Gain @ unity)
Equivalent Input Noise (E.I.N.), 20 Hz to 20 kHz Bandwidth,
150Ω source impedance:
–129 dBu @ +60 dB gain
Residual Output Noise:
Line Out: < –102 dBu (Channel Gain at unity) Digital Out (AES, 48 kHz): < –113 dB FS
Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) Mic In: >60 dB @ 1 kHz, Gain @ maximum
Crosstalk
Mic Input to Line Output:
< –100 dB @ 1 kHz, +10 dBu signal on adjacent input,
150Ω source impedance Input Gain Control Range
Mic In: 0 dB to +60 dB Line In: –20 dB to + 40 dB
Phantom Power +48 VDC Equalization
High-Pass Filter: 75 Hz @ 18 dB/octave
Rated Output Line: +4 dBu
Maximum Rated Output: +24 dBu @ Balanced Line-Level
Outputs AC Power Requirements Power Consumption:
45 watts Universal AC Power Supply: 100 VAC 240 VAC,
50-60 Hz Physical Dimensions and
Weight Height: 1.75 in/44 mm
Width: 17.75 in/451 mm (main body of unit),
19.00 in/483 mm (with rack ears)
Depth: 14.38 in/365 mm (including front knobs and rear BNC jack)
Weight: 10.6 lb/4.8 kg

Maximum Input Levels
Mic Input: +22 dBu, Gain @ unity Inst
Input: +21 dBu, Gain @ –20 dB
Line Input: > +22 dBu, Gain @ –20 dB
Input Impedance

Ch 1 and 2 Mic Input:
300Ω, 500Ω, 1.3 kΩ, or 2.4 kΩ balanced
Ch 3 through 8 Mic Input: 2.4 kΩ balanced
Inst Input: 1 MΩ
Line: 20 kΩ balanced, 10 kΩ unbalanced
Output Impedance
Line: 100 Ω balanced
Signal Level LEDs
–20 dBu, 0 dBu (normal operating level), OL = 22 dBu
Sample Frequency Selections
32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz,
176.4 kHz, 192 kHz, External
Bit Depth Selections
24-bit (full range from converters), 16-bit (dithered)
Analog Input Connectors
Eight balanced XLR mic inputs
Two 1/4" TS high-impedance instrument inputs
One DB25 connector with eight balanced line-level inputs
Analog Output Connectors
One DB25 connector with eight balanced line-level outputs
Digital Input Connectors
One BNC connector for external word clock input
Digital Output Connectors
Two Toslink Optical Connectors
Both transmit channels 1-8 at 44.1/48 kHz operation
One transmits channels 1-4 and one transmits
channels 5-8 at 88.2/96 kHz operation
using S/MUX standard
One transmits channels 1-2 and one transmits
channel 3-4 at 176.4/192 kHz
operation using S/MUX standard
One DB25 Connector
Transmits AES/EBU or S/PDIF formatted digital audio
with single-wire/dual-wire options available at all
sample rates

Digidesign Digi003R Factory

Digidesign Pro Tools Software

Digital vs. Analog?

Digital vs. Analog? This debate is ongoing in the geeky circles of audio technology and music production. However, one point clearly rules in the project studio- budget!

And advances in gear makes it practical for most indie musicians and engineers to fire up a home-brewed music studio.

And oh! by “project design” we mean targeting the major audio components and jacking the gear from a mom and pop music store or a major pro-audio retailer whether online or brick and mortar.

Now back to earth.. think digi-audio and dream of your own original music on MySpace, iTunes, or a local BestBuy shelf.


analog to digital transformation!

audio101- acoustic soundwave to digital signal
hardware/software schematic in digi-studio
ProTools basics
session set-up
arm/disarm tracks
save/storage/file-management
recording tracks
editing tools
basic mix
bounce to disk
advanced tip: how2 bump tracks to free up processing power!
iZotope-oZone mastering plug-in
professional audio CD burner HHB Burn-It!+
to dither or not to dither!
Red Book CD standard

"digital" bits/bytes.. 10101010101010101!