Take a look at the Winter NAMM Report in this issue and you’ll see that the Mackie Designs folks have introduced a lot of new products. In this issue, we will be taking a look at those that are already available or just beginning to ship. In future Sweet Notes issues we will take closer looks at all the rest of their new gear.

Mackie's new SRM450 is so precise, so powerful and so easy to use, they actually refuse to call it a PA speaker. They finally make it possible for you to get the same audio quality you might experience with high-end studio monitors in a live sound environment. And since Mackie’s the one unleashing the world’s first active (bi-amplified) sound reinforcement monitor, you can be sure it’s affordable ($799 list).

The SRM450 sound reinforcement monitor brings truckloads of power to any event, eliminating the need for external amplification and costly electronics (such as processors). In fact, this new Mackie loudspeaker — the first in a series of speakers developed with RCF, a company with fifty years of speaker experience — uses technology and features found in systems costing thousands of dollars. Each unit sports built-in high output/low distortion monolithic FR Series 300- and 150-watt amps.

From beginning musicians to AV rental houses and everywhere in between, anyone who uses a PA will find the SRM450 to be the workhorse sound reinforcement solution. Everything you need for sound reinforcement aside from the mixer (and gee, we know who makes those, don’t we?) is in the SRM450. Take a look toward the top of this great looking monitor and you’ll notice the UltraWide Dispersion horn driven by a high output, titanium compression driver. Designed to deliver high frequency sounds across a spacious horizon, the SRM450 can be heard clearly by every person in the audience. Left, right, or behind that big post all the way toward the back of the room — the crowd can hear it all!

Low frequencies? Those are handled by a 300mm servo feedback-controlled long throw woofer that can pump out the bass. What’s more, the 450’s equipped with electronic time correction, phase alignment and precision EQ, meaning that your sound is never, ever compromised. The highs and lows are smoothly blended by a precision 24dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley electronic crossover).

You won’t break your back hauling it around, either, thanks to the high-impact composite enclosure. Handles on both sides and on top make it easy to carry. What’s more, the SRM450 can be pole-mounted, flown, or even used as a floor wedge. In fact, the SRM450’s asymmetrical geometry and wide-dispersion, studio-quality horn provide unobtrusive sight lines and optimized stage monitoring performance.

Mackie packed so much performance and versatility into the SRM450, you have to hear and see it for yourself. We guarantee: Once you do, you’ll never have any question about who to trust your sound to. Imagine: Studio sound . . . live! So call your Sales Engineer for additional details and your special low pricing.

VLZ Pro-Series Mixers. You may think you’ve seen these Mackie compact mixers before, but these are completely new, redesigned versions of the CR1604, 1402, and 1202 mixers. The “old” models were some of the most popular compact mixers ever, and if you’re knitting your brows and wondering why Mackie would want to mess around with a good thing, we’d like to reassure you that while the VLZ Pro Series has a few nice extras, on the whole they kept much of it the same. And that includes the very affordable price. Mackie took what they learned from building the superior mic preamps on the Digital 8 Bus and applied it to the VLZ Pro Series. Thanks to these totally redesigned mic preamps, the mixers now have higher headroom and lower noise than the previous models. The mic preamps use special Extended Dynamic Range (XDR) technology that provides a 0 – 60 dB gain range, 130dB dynamic range, +22dBu line input handling, and distortion under 0.005%. This translates into absolutely stunning sound! Those of you who have worked with the original mixers will be very impressed by the dramatic difference; those of you that haven’t had the good fortune of working with them will simply be amazed. What the new VLZ Pro Series gives you is nothing short of the rich, full sound of a premium studio mic preamp in an affordable, versatile compact mixer. All the models have fantastic protection from radio frequency interference, and Mackie even touched up the mixer with a new, clear silkscreen, making it easier for you to set levels. Besides that, the VLZ Pro Series gives you the same great performance at a great value that has made this series some of the most popular and praised mixers in the world. You get complete control over your audio across a huge range of applications from a mixer that has true staying power and consistent performance. List prices for the series are: $1249 for the 1604, $629 for the 1404 and $459 for the 1202. Ask your Sweetwater Sales Engineer about the difference a VLZ Pro can make, and while you’re at it, check out our super low prices, too.

M2000 Power Amplifier. In designing their M2600 Power Amp ($1199 list), Mackie took a different approach than with previous amplifers, specifically in the area of protection circuitry. Many power amps have a feature to protect your amp when it’s driven too hard; the circuits kick in and the amp is saved from meltdown or implosion or turning into a killer robot or whatever. But there are two issues with protection circuitry that Mackie addresses with the M2600. The first issue is sound. When the protection circuitry turns on it can often make the sound worse . . . but we’ll get to that later on. The second issue has to do with the whole notion of driving a power amp too hard. Sure, the protection circuitry kicks in, saving the amplifier from permanent damage and rescuing the job at hand from total sound failure. Sound quality is impaired, but that’s what you get for driving your amp too hard, right? And there’s the problem. You use power amplifiers when you need power. What’s the point if they konk out in the heavy-duty sound applications that you need them for? It’s like having a great car that you can’t drive too much because the tires might suddenly lose all their air.

Mackie realizes that sound reinforcement isn’t pretty, and that sometimes amplifiers get driven too hard. The Fast Recovery (FR) technology doesn’t just anticipate that you might push the M2600 to its capacity – it knows you will! Usually, when amps are pushed too hard and the protection circuitry kicks in, your amplifier sometimes gets stuck in clipping mode instead of returning to its original performance — your sound actually gets worse! But the M2600 uses circuits which “activate” once the amplifier starts clipping, preventing saturation and high-frequency “latching” during overdrive. What all this means in plain language is that the M2600 provides super-fast recovery from bad sound. When you slip into overdrive (as you’re bound to after a while), the M2600 bounces right back with very little damage to your overall quality of sound.

Mackie’s Fast Recovery technology is the highlight of the entire FR Series of power amps, but it’s never been featured in an amplifier with the unprecedented power and capabilities of the M2600. You get a maximum of 2600W through 4 ohms (2 ohms in stereo mode). That’s a lot of power, and it’s all very clean. There’s also a variable high pass filter (10Hz to 170Hz) balanced, selectable thru-outputs; switchable to low pass outputs to drive subs with no crossover needed; and switchable stereo, mono, and bridged modes. And Fast Recovery Technology isn’t the only design innovation in the M2600. It also features the “T-design” cooling system. The process starts when the outside room air is pulled through the whole front of the amplifier. The super-quiet fan is capable of transferring up to 155 cubic feet of air per minute, but it’s thermally controlled and only kicks in when it’s really needed. When it’s not needed, it remains idle, offering great efficiency and, better yet, low noise. Finally, when the air leaves the fan it goes down two short cooling tunnels (rather than one long one) for optimal cooling capabilities.

What this all adds up to is a power amplifier that truly delivers power you need. The ideal amplifier for live performance applications, the M2600 lets you keep the music on “11” for as long as you want. Not only will your audio sound incredible the whole time, but the M2600 is tough enough to get up the next day and do it all over again. For a power amp that delivers the best combination of superior performance, power, and reliability, call Sweetwater Sound today and get the full story (and your special pricing) on the M2600.