Life often throws up fortunate accidents - one such event was the discovery of the new d.2 battle mixer while on the hunt for another Mackie product (that we didn't find).
Oh no - not another damn scratch mixer I hear you cry. But this one has at least one wow factor - the inclusion of firewire, plus the inclusion of a new optical
Infinium crossfader.
UPDATE: Although you can't see it in the pics, there's a hole in the faceplate (masked by the fader knob) - the Infinium fader is tension adjustable.
To be honest, we were a tad surprised to see such a thing at all. What caught our eye was a guy furiously scratching away on a pair of Pioneer 800's - so naturally we just had to take a look. After introducing ourselves, we had the demonstrator's (sorry dude - didn't get your name) fullest attention and he proceeded to gush with enormous enthusiasm about this new venture for Mackie. Anyway, this is the press release from Mackie:
MACKIE PREVIEWS FIRST DJ MIXER AT MUSIKMESSE Frankfurt, Germany - April 6, 2005 - Mackie is using this year's Musikmesse/Pro Light and Sound Convention in Frankfurt to offer an exclusive preview of its very first DJ Mixer, the Mackie d.2.
After two years of extensive research and development that included collaboration with some of the world's most notable DJs, the d.2 combines hallmark Mackie technologies like intelligent ergonomics, bulletproof construction, and premium analog VCA circuitry with some revolutionary new ideas that have never before been implemented in a DJ Mixer.
We have great relationships with some of the world's most active and respected DJs who have been dedicated users of Mackie active speakers and compact mixers for many years," explained d.2 product manager John Boudreau. "This group became a tremendously valuable resource for the d.2 development team. Their input, combined with our own analog design expertise, allowed us to make d.2 a true technology and value statement that we believe will set a new benchmark for two-channel DJ mixers."
Among the most notable innovations is the Mackie d.2's optional FireWire connectivity, which allows DJs to easily mix in mp3s directly from a laptop, or even record their sets directly into their computers. The optional FireWire card provides two stereo program channels into the mixer, as well as a single stereo output. In addition, every d.2 FireWire card ships with a copy of Mackie's easy-to-use Tracktion Music Production Software, which is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh systems.
Also an industry first is the inclusion of a revolutionary new contact-free, 45 mm digital cross fader from UK-based Infinium Technologies. In addition to lasting for an exceptionally long time, the contact-free crossfader provides DJs with unparalleled fingertip control, as well as the ability to personalize its "feel" with user-adjustable tension and cut-off points.
Renι Moolenaar, Business Development Director of Infinium Technologies, commented, "We are very pleased that Mackie recognizes the potential of this technology and we're confident that DJs will truly appreciate the feel and durability of this fader."
Mackie d.2 Features: Premium Mackie-designed mic and turntable preamps with quiet, transparent sound quality
XLR main outs with mic/line switch for easy stage integration (no D.I.s needed)
Program and crossfader reverse switches and contour control knobs
3-band EQ per channel with dramatic cut filters and distinctive blue backlit knobs
Two stereo program channels with CD, Phono/Line, and FireWire input select
3-position spring-loaded Transform switch with latching mode
Flexible effects routing variable EFX send control
Neutrik combo jack for XLR and Ό inch microphone connections
Planet Earth power supply - no need for power converters wherever your gig takes you
So what you have is a brand new battle mixer, new optical fader, optional firewire and a cool new look. The fader feels really nice as you'd expect from an optical device with an emerging popular concave fader knob shape. And it's tension adjustable as well.
Because this is a prototype, we didn't get to see the firewire in action but the software will allow you to play tracks from - and record to - your PC or Macs. And like the Rodec, this mixer has double throw transform switches as well.
Overall, the mixer feels nice, sounds amazing, and from a quality point of view the build feels good. The image of this mixer is quite futuristic with the blue lights and curves - definitely at the other end of the design scale to say the industrial feel of the Rodec.
We did however point out a handful of slight issues - line fader curves aren't tight enough, the distance from the knob bottom to faceplate needs tightening and the line channels are a little too far apart. Mackie themselves are tweaking the design as well. The transform switches will be rotatable and the headphone section knobs will be changed to faders - apparently because Jazzy Jeff said so at WMC.
Current price TBC but looking at 800/900 with the firewire coming in at 150. ETA is late summer
not too sure about the design of this to be honest.
I like it - looks nice and I know that Mackie makes quality studio mixers, so this (hopefully) has the same build. The FW integration is awesome. Looking forward to see what comes from this mixer.
Giz, from your comments it sounds like this isn't their "production model" and they may have a few revisions...?
Best looking mixer out for a long time. Shame about some of the features.
..and it has the oddest upfader curve.
It would be awesome if:
they did sort out the cue fader
made the upfader curve like the pioneer/rodec
the transform switches could rotate to your preference
it had pan faders
infintity cut EQ faders would be nice
i agree with you CS80, the upfaders are too far one from the other. it spoils some tricks (one hand euro scratch, one hand doble fader trans)
i wonder why the hell companies make mistakes like this. dont they ask to djs before designing a mixer???
Yes Pulse, you're right. this isn't a production model, it is a prototype, and still being changed / improved. The guy at Mackie (Who's name I can't remember either - Sorry!
seemed genuinely interested in our comments and suggestions and actually asked the question himself as to what we thought about the line fader distance.
As we said, there are already some changes happening on the transform switches and the headphones section, so there may still be time to incorporate feedback from the show. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
Mackie products are insanely well made, user friendly, hella long lasting and thoughtfully crafted. The competition (i.e. Rane, Vestax, Technics, Numark, etc...) are really gonna get a run for their money on this one. We will as well heh! Nice job Mackie
That is an incredibly well-designed mixer. Should be bulletproof. Definitely want to check it out.
Excellent ergonomics for a skratch mixer, the channel faders look quite long (length wise) though
and far too far apart!
The sound output quality on Mackies desks is nice, so hopefully that knowledge will be passed down to this.
And the firewire really got me going, thats amazing. We have a little 8 channel digital mackie desk at college wire firewire output and it works really well. Its good to see them using all their experience to get this product right. I like the input switches at the top off the channel line (with the fire wire icon). Could you use this to juggle with?
All that functionality is great but I think they really need to fix the channel fader lay out. I think they should move the master cue LEDs off to one side, there is no need for it to be right in the middle there.. that would free up space
Overall this is good shit, maybe other studio equipment companies will take Mackies lead.
Mackie, put a lag space adjust on that thing!
"Mackie, put a lag space adjust on that thing!"
Hahahaha ... they should call you "DJ Lag"
I bet this Mackie mixer is fantastic.Would certainly like to try one out
i hope the crossfader reverse button isn't an 'optional extra'
Nah dude - there was a problem with the prototype. It was swapping channels instead of reversing the crossfader so they removed the button.
I like it, although the space between the channel faders needs to be tightend.
The new Infinium fader sounds sweet, can't wait to try it out.
Mackie damm u know this has to be good when they done
some one should tell them to make there eqs in to faders like the 07
this mixer does look nice. I do agree about the width the faders have been placed apart and the position of the transformer switches. I would move the transformer switches to the side a little more and move the faders closer together. The LED monetering for the channels and the master are a great idea but i personally would put the channel LED's on the out side of the channel faders so the faders can be closer together.
I am more intrested in the fader TBH. Looking on there site it said it can be retro fitted, i am thinking of replacing the ALPS channel faders in by new Pioneer DJM909, either that or mabe the EB fader just to make an amazing mixer that little bit better, i might remove the transform switches too as they are a little annoying in the position, like the position on the Mackie mixer.
Sadly Wozza you are stuck with the alpha channel faders in the909-they made it so there is no way to physically fit in any other type of fader!
What a timely comment ProfBX, i was just about to go try a P&G in my friend's 707
real stoked out to the fact that Mackie made a skratch mixer...damn...surprise this one...
Thanks for that info Prof BX, usefull as always. I havnt taken off the faceplate to have a look yet myself but i will if only to rotate/remove the transformer switches. Oh well i suppose i can live with the Alpha short body fader.
Hey y'all,
Thanks for the great feedback and commentary. I'm the product development manager on the d.2 and I can confirm and deny a few things for ya'.
#1 design goal - premium sound quality. Which is what most folks expect from a mackie mixer.
# 2 design goal - extremely robust mechanical design (in other words - built like a tank)
#3 keep it simple - no fx or filters or crazy stuff. Enter the dj market with a simple solid piece of gear and move forward from there.
I'll try to get the program fader distance minimized as much as I can but I may not be able to get much closer. Sorry about that one. The reason is that the meters are at a different height off the circuit board than all of thew other components that we use, so the meters require their own circuit board. We can't easily move individual meters around. And yes, we asked tons of DJs about the design when it was on paper. We showed it at Remix in the US last month and noone out of hundreds of big name and regular workin' DJs said a thing about spacing of those faders. This was the first time we previewed in europe, so i think that's a trick you crazy MFs do more than in the states. Like i said i'll try to get it fixed as best as possible. Hope ity doesn't send too many of you away from the board. We could ditch the extra program meters, but I would like to keep 'em.
If anyone can give me more detail about the upfader curve issue, i'm sure we can make the required change there.
-crossfade and program fader reverse is a standard feature.
-transform switches can be rotated in up to 8 positions
Anyway gotta run, but i'll check back here.
Please let me know if you have a problem with a manufacturer posting on your forum. Some forums don't allow it. I promise not to try to sell anyone. Just answer questions and ask for input.
Adios!
johnboy
After further review,
we may be able to put the pgm meters on the outside and scrunch those faders in to the standard 3 inch spread.
My question to you all.
If we do that, the transform switches will be above the meters and not above the faders. Is that a performance problem??
Thanks again!
This is why we preview prototypes. It gives us a chance to make some last minute changes based on users feedback.
Oh, and the pgm1/pgm 2 cue knob, will be a horizontal fader on the final product.
johnboy
For me it would be no prob.
Nice not to bump into the transform switches when scratchin with the upfaders... thats what i think anyway.
Johnboy - welcome to
. As for manufacturers posting - we positively welcome it. That's what this place is all about - manufacturers being able to interact with the end users in a constructive way. Feel free to drop by any time. Also - could you drop me an email - gizmo@skratchworx.com - just so I have your full details.
The upfader curve issue I mentioned - you just need to tighten it up a little. Even on it's sharpest, there's still a good 4-5mm of linear fade. I don't think we expect it to be ultra-sharp like a crossfader would be, just tighter than it is now.
As for the spacing of the faders - closer would be better. Scratch DJ's either use their pinky and index fingers or simply grab them both with one hand. It's not the most used technique but if you're going to enter the market, best do it right. But I can understand that this would effect the position of the transform switches. Ordinarily I'd say no problem as most DJ's don't use them to transform with any more. But being double throw switches, there's scope for some cool new techniques combining the upfaders with the transform switch (Euro scratch variants?). Offsetting them could make that technique very tricky. That's just my opinion, having used the d.2 for a short time at Messe. NdB will no doubt have his opinion as well as he was there too. Perhaps some more feedback is required from the
massive.
And one last thing - you need to reduce the faceplate to underside of fader knob distance as well. It's likely that DJ's will get their fingers under the edge and keep flipping off the knobs!
On the whole though, I think you've got a damn fine mixer there.
My personal opinion on upfaders are that they should cover at least 5 main curves.
1,2) Crossfader like cut at EACH end of the channel fader.
3,4) Sharp fade (full volume in around 1/3rd of fader travel) at EACH end of the channel fader.
5) Typical linear fading response - perhaps a tiny bit logarithmic.
That way you have covered all bases really, especially if you have reverse controls on the faders.
So you have a nice fade for echoes and mixing, sharp cut for scratching / doubling up with crossfadeer, steep cut for things like drumming where you need to fade the edges a bit.
Have these at each end of the travel and no-one could possibly compain!
My graphics skills are pitiful but this should get the point across, give or take a little bit - though I've added a couple of bits.
Having the transform switches above the pgm meters instead of the faders would actually be better from a performance standpoint, as even with a good amount of distance between the top of the faders and the transform switches, it is still a pain when you move your hand up and bump the transform switch. This is one major problem with the Pioneer scratch mixers. As for the lone fader distance, moving them closer together would be a HUGE step in the right direction. Doing one handed control of both sides is not at all unheard of on either side of the pond (as the Skratchworx USA rep I can tell you that we do one handed moves quite a lot, lol). I think that having the pgm meters seperated from the master meters would also make things a little less confusing when trying to get volume levels right as well.
Personally i think having the transformer switches above the LED's will be better then having them above the faders for the reason Prof BX gave. If you look at it your hand will go in a natural curve from the crossfader to the upfaders and then to the transform switch.
I do think the possition of the faders is the most important aspect of discussion here as the faders are used a lot more then the transformer switch.
Having the PGM on a vertical fader is a brave move i think, i think it has not been done before. Perfonally i perfer a knob for reliability and feel. The short faders seem to be loose and i have seen a couple break down and crackle, a know is more reliable in that way if i am not mistaken. I know there is an up point for a fader in that you can make quick changes, i just perfer the reliability that seems to come with a knob over a fader in this issue.
As for the upfader lag i feel about a 2-3mm lag would be about right.
Looking at the picks again i noticed a LED on the top plate to say if the channel faders are in reverse, would it be possable to add one for the crossfader too?
With the firewire ports, great idea but i would of thought USB would have been better for compatability stakes. Lets face it, mac owners have firewire (yay i have a mac) but PC owners do not tend to have the port, especially laptop owners (which you need if travelling). Is there any software in development for use with the firewire ports or will you have to use existing software? I beleave a custom piece of software (with free upgrades) would work best as you can talor make the software to the mixer.
This seems a strange point but i am glad you have included an on/off switch. Something that was lacking on the Urei mixers when i saw the prototype. I do not know about anybody else but i like to turn my mixer off when not using it and it helps with not getting an elextric shock.
I think a very good strong scratch mixer is in the making here and i would love to try it out when the design is complete (otherwise i will just pick the mixer apart with all the little fautts (or what i see as faults)).
Check out the up faders on the Rane TTM56,they are really good
Excess and I cut on this at WMC in Miami. I wasn't impressed with the fader. When we were cutting on it it was way too loose, but you can adjust it. It just felt a little strange to me. Maybe it was the knobs themselves.
There's nothing really unique about this mixer. The FX send as a button is annoying to me personally, not to mention that they are in a completely inaccesable place. The only "new" thing I could notice was that the knobs light up. Woooo. Neat. It is Mackie quality though...built like a tank.
"After two years of extensive research and development that included collaboration with some of the world's most notable DJs"
They still didn't get it right?
Manufacturer's should just get onto this site and ask us all how to design their products because they obviously have no idea!
At least then we can get some real quality products.
Hey all,
Had at great week with engineering on the d.2 this week.
The upfaders will now be 3 inches apart instead of 4. that matches or betters most of the competition. thanks in part to your firm comments about this.
also the crossfader variable curve is now full volume 1mm off the edge when cutting. i don't think there are any tighter curves out there
thanks again - between the remix event, musikmesse, and this forum i think we have made the necessary design corrections. 2nd round of prototypes coming in late may. we'll bring it to remix new york in june and start shippin them in late summer. than it's on to the 4-channel club mixer
For nicknack - making the fader as loose as possible is the design goal cuz you can tighten it. if the fader can't get loose enough, there are a ton of folks who will never use it.
hope that makes sense
to krosfyah - we're here on this forum asking questions and taking prototypes to miami and germany to get input from people like you instead of just showing up at a store with a mixer for sale. the design and engineering of mixers is a 18-24 month cycle that takes multiple iterations to reach the goal. there are electrical engineers, industrial designers, and mechanical designers involved who have no clue about the world of DJs. i hope you can appreciate that as a product manager, I have to bring these highly skilled individuals up to speed on how you all operate. It's fun but it's not necessarily easy to research, design and produce audio products. feel free to keep flaming us though, it just makes me work harder to get it right
couple more responses
we now have a crossfade reverse light on the top and yes there is a power switch. the power supply is internal and can be used globally 100-240VAC (japan to berlin)
please continue to pick the mixer apart. if we don't fix it on this one we'll fix it on the next one.
have a good weekend people
adios
just noticed that the transform switches can not be turned. Mabe you should have a look at making them so they can be put at different angles.
From the original news story...
quote:
" The transform switches will be rotatable"
Long day at the office Wozza?
looks like a hot bit of kit my mates had makie gear in his studio for ages no probs. and quality sound, now curves are sorted out and the lines faders are closer i certainly would grab one. In regards to to the transform switches they dont have to to be above the line faders in my opinon makes no diffence to me if the x-fader is as good as it sounds. make sure you post a release date for this on this site.
I'm liking the idea of pushing the line switches to the outside. I've got fairly large hands, and I've never been able to cut on line faders without pulling the stems off the tf switches first.
I'm liking the resolution on the vu meters too, but I notice the 0dB is half way up? I'm not sure that we should be encouraging peeps to overdrive the mix bus, especially if you've got an 1394 isoc transport? You may have plenty of headroom, but I'd rather see detailed bottom range, and the tops lighting up red if you even get close to clipping: You know that most party DJs run everything turned up to 11.
Apart from that, it looks like a nice box.
it just seems amazing to me that with all the mixers out there to refer to as examples, companies still cant get it right.this is just another example of disconnected companies making a product for a quick buck. the rane ttm56 is like a freak of nature its the greatest to ever be made! stop all the mixer debates and just pick up a 56!
quote:
"Hey y'all,
Thanks for the great feedback and commentary. I'm the product development manager on the d.2 and I can confirm and deny a few things for ya'.
#1 design goal - premium sound quality. Which is what most folks expect from a mackie mixer.
# 2 design goal - extremely robust mechanical design (in other words - built like a tank)
#3 keep it simple - no fx or filters or crazy stuff. Enter the dj market with a simple solid piece of gear and move forward from there.
I'll try to get the program fader distance minimized as much as I can but I may not be able to get much closer. Sorry about that one. The reason is that the meters are at a different height off the circuit board than all of thew other components that we use, so the meters require their own circuit board. We can't easily move individual meters around. And yes, we asked tons of DJs about the design when it was on paper. We showed it at Remix in the US last month and noone out of hundreds of big name and regular workin' DJs said a thing about spacing of those faders. This was the first time we previewed in europe, so i think that's a trick you crazy MFs do more than in the states. Like i said i'll try to get it fixed as best as possible. Hope ity doesn't send too many of you away from the board. We could ditch the extra program meters, but I would like to keep 'em.
If anyone can give me more detail about the upfader curve issue, i'm sure we can make the required change there.
-crossfade and program fader reverse is a standard feature.
-transform switches can be rotated in up to 8 positions
Anyway gotta run, but i'll check back here.
Please let me know if you have a problem with a manufacturer posting on your forum. Some forums don't allow it. I promise not to try to sell anyone. Just answer questions and ask for input.
Adios!
johnboy"
Hey Johnboy,
How can I contact you. I would also like to give you an open invitation to my site http://www.prodjforums.com/.
We, like here at
http://www.skratchworx.com, also encourage OEM involvement with our member base. Some of our members, along with myself, have taken a great interest in this mixer.
Some of us just tested it out this last week and I think at least 3 members are purchasing one.
Any way hit me up on my site when you get around to it.
BTW....got to give it up to the Skratchworx Team for always staying on top of their game.....keep up the great work guy's!!!
On 09-04-2005 19:01, CS-80 commented...
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