Essential for violin on a loud stage 
by Bob Lieberman from Portland, OR, August 2007
Music Background:  Performing electric and acoustic violinist

I recently purchased this unit after trying a TC-Helicon VSM-200. THe VSM is voiced for vocals, and I found it both muddy and sluggish for electric violin. The Mackie is much clearer. Also, the on-board EQ (that doesn't go out the pass-thru to the board) is very helpful in bringing my sound up front in my personal mix without driving the sound guy crazy. Our salsa band is very very loud on a small stage. I play horn parts along with a trumpet, two saxes and a trombone. With the Mackie I can let the PA worry about the warmth of my violin. What I need in a personal monitor is to hear the notes or my intonation will be off and I will start to hide on stage. I have the Mackie on a mic stand at armpit level about 3 feet from my right front. It's just perfect. I used to rely on either the PA monitor, or my own amp on stage. But a violinist needs to hear himself loudest always and hear it before everyone else, in order to have correct intonation. With the PA or the amp, we all hear me at the same time. With the amp, I was blowing away the poor soul who was standing next to me. I've found, in my 20 years playing, that the band never wants the violin monitored as loud as I need it. But the Mackie has solved that problem. It's light, easy to mount and unmount, and fits in my all purpose carry bag with my other gear.

  wonnnnnnnnnderful little PA 
by TiannaHallDotCom from Houston, August 2007
Music Background:  Full Time Professional Jazz Vocalist / Jazz Quartet Bandleader

I purchased this little PA to use on gigs while my BOSE PAS system was being repaired and have been blown away by the power, quality & size of this women's shoe box sized PA provides. I gig 5 or 6 nights a week, so it has been a lifesaver. People keep looking around me and my trio to figure out where my "big PA" is. They can't believe that this itty bitty thing is what is producing all that sound! I reccommend it whole-heartedly and am beyond thrilled with this product. I'm not a reverb using kinda girl, so not having onboard effects/reverb is fine with me. I use the FABulous Neumann KMS105 every night with this PA but was happy with the sound with my Sennheiser "Evolution Series" E935 as well as the good ol' Shure SM58. I would have been happy with a PA with half the quality of this one considering the tiny price tag. Don't think about it... just get it. You won't be sorry.

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