You went way beyond what would be considered necessary for a review/setup guide, and I thank you for that! The detailed explanation of the record source button and how it facilitates uses such as Zoom or Skype calls is pure gold. I assumed that the record source button was either/or but your clear explanation reveals the true nature of the function and how intelligently the unit is designed.
Thanks for the video man I have a big knob + at my studio and been having serious problems... Well I thought was serious problems until I watched this video! Cant wait to go back and use all the buttons correctly! Very informative video and a massive help! Thanks again!
Very detailed review. Well done. It's a good thing I saw your review before considering buying it. That awful popping noise would have driven me crazy.
@2:31 That’s how most budget audio interfaces and monitors are, there’s a whole lot of explanation into it. in any case regardless of your setup there’s a sequence to power up and down your setup, rule of thumb: the signal receivers go on last, and the signal creators go on first. And turning the setup off is just reversed. This is to say, you should turn your interface on first then after 2-3 seconds turn on your speakers. Basically your monitors should never be on when turning your interface on or off.
This is a rule of thumb in nearly any major studio. In fact, they initially had mounted on/off switches in the walls so that the speakers, computer, and mixing console could be easily powered up/off in sequence. I wonder if there're currently products that avoid the popping issue... I guess most major studios are stuck with old analog equipment that's still considered industry-standard.
@@fabiancg7793 yeap, I’ve dealt with $1,000+ studio monitors, and would still power on/off in sequence, don’t wanna find out if they make the popping sound or not by not following the sequence😂
Thanks for the thorough review! I was thinking of using the Studio+ as a 6-output audio interface with nice additional capabilities. Now I realize that I wasn't right since the control panel only shows a pair of channels of output. Also the "pop" sound is terrible. You can leave on Genelec speakers and they don't use any electricity, so you don't have to turn them off.
I got to the end of the review and I was surprised to see that the Mic Preamps are not hot enough to power your Rhode Procaster mic. That is disappointing, Mackie! Also, the Heat/Power Consumption concerns me as I leave everything on most of the time. I am still probably going to try it out as the overall feature set may suite my needs. Thanks again for the walkthrough.
This demo and walk through of features was Fantastic! Thank you. Question: Have you noticed a level discrepancy between the L and R monitor out (big knob) at lower levels? I have the Passive and apparently this is a common issue with the Passive. I am hoping it has been fixed with this one. To clarify: as I turn up the big knob, at certain positions from 7 to 9 O'clock, the left or right will be considerably lower in level than the other side.
Yep, i have this problem (although not with outputs, i find it's a problem with the 1+2 inputs). I used to use the Input 1+2 so i could listen to just left side of sound and right whilst doing mixes. But after only a few months, it started to give uneven levels, sometimes one side would drop in and out. It's a real shame, as i love to work like that. But no biggy. Now i use inputs 3/4 and now i always having matching sides. (most people do this from the start, but it's probably what some people refer to when they get unbalanced levels on the L+R)
Great Review and tear down. What I want to share here is I have the Studio Plus and I love my unit BUT !!! I am on my second unit. The USB audio card is not reliable and can give up. When this happens the meter bridge will freeze and no audio passes though Analog channels and renders the USB signal nil. If you need the analog channels to work yo need to open the unit up and remove the USB card and Beg mackie for a replacement card. These are great units and blows the Presonus monitor Station V2 away and the Behringer has basically copied the Studio plus (minus the all Metal build) and what's crazy is that their unit may be more reliable but who knows i don't know anyone that has their newest unit as it mimics the Studio plus 1 to 1. from a feature perspective. and for Popping issue, those are facts, I have three AV receivers and those speakers don't pop!! but Pro Audio gear does - Soft Start and ending Buffering exists. Again Great Video.
Hi, I am looking for a bit of advice. I am an aspiring dance music producer and I am planning on improving my production this year and taking it all a bit more seriously and potentially making it into a living. My current monitor is set up as follows. I have a set of Rokit 5 Rpg3 and a Focusrite 2i2. I am currently in the market for a better / second set of monitors for another reference, however, I am and not sure what to get. This is what I am looking to achieve in my studio. I want to be able to switch between 2 sets of monitors, dim the volume, mute the volume and also switch between stereo and mono and alos switch between headphones. Also, I would like the new set of monitors to complement the frequency of my rockits I currently have, as in, when I flick between the 2 sets of monitors they don't sound much the same, but rather have different curses on the spectrum, etc for mixing like a car/iPhone/studio/club, etc I have a DJ setup that I would like to channel through the same 2 sets of speakers which I am currently doing by using 1/4 jacks through the line inputs on the Focusrite 2i2. I also have a Rode NT1 but I don't use it much only when recording other Artists as I don't sing myself. My budget is about €500. And I am currently considering the following: Option 1 Keeping my current set up and buying 2 x Yamaha HS 7 or Yamaha HS 7 MP (Not sure of the difference) Mackie Big Knob Passive Option 2 Selling my Focusrite 2i2 Mackie Big Knob Studio 2 x Yamaha HS 7 or Yamaha HS 7 MP (Not sure of the difference) Option 3 Either one of the interface options above but changing the monitors to 2 x Adam T7V or similar? Thanks and looking forward to hearing what you guys think.
Do you know what’s the name of the adapter or where can I find it cause I order it but it didn’t come with anything just the interface so I’m trynna buy the right adapter for it.
I own this unit. Even with phantom power off it does get hot. I'm very interested to know what the power consumption is. Im goung to put it on a smart plug and measure what its pulling as i have this on 9 - 5 and beyond every day.
I picked up a used Mackie interface and was stumped as to why there was a feedback loop, recording the usb source as well as the microphone. I eventually found 23:10 and my issue was solved!
26:20 I think the issue with using the 2track button(on the back) is that the other person on the call will hear themselves echoing back. Using headphones instead of disabling input 1/2 would be best case scenario for zoom calls or online gaming chat etc. However, I can see that it would be great for recording/sampling from websites etc, straight into recording software :)
27:51 Monitors/speakers switch on last and switch off first. I've had headphones amps and mixers that make awful sounds when powering up/down. PS many thanks for such a detailed video and overview
it’s not stereo or pan for that switch. it’s “stereo/pan” that you can engage or not. when it’s out it is off and inputs 1 and 2 are both mono. when it’s engaged (pressed in), it sends channel one to the left and channel 2 to the right channel, this is for if you’re plugging in a stereo keyboard or guitar processor, etc,,
So what I have seen is that this system usually goes out in about a year from reviews that I have seen around the net. Can you let me know if this is something you have encountered? People have been talking about the HUMMMMING noise coming from this unit. I like Mackie and they have been great, but I am a little leery of this product if this is the case. Any help would be appreciated.
Men, you dedinitely need more screens on that desk setup, that might ease and comfort you well :) Great SetUp! Which screen mounts are you using (sorry if I did not recognize in case this is being described elswhere).
Thanks for the nice demonstration. I wanted to get this 2X2 passive monitor controller. I have a question, Can I connect a pair of monitors and a subwoofer in 'A' output and a pair of monitors in 'B' output? Output 'A' = mon out- sub in- sub out -speakers in. Output 'B' = mon out- speakers in Please guide me regarding this method I have Adam audio t5v monitors and Adam audio T10S subwoofer.
If I ran a keyboard in and wanted to run one of the outs back into the keyboard for sampling another input how would I do that without a feedback loop? I want to connect my computer to a input and sample into my mpc 61, but the mpc will run to a input also.
The reason for your speaker popping is because you're supposed to turn the speakers on LAST after you've turned everything else on. It's a major role of thumb. If you don't do that then you could end up blowing your speakers. So remember: when powering ON everything always turn speakers on LAST. When powering OFF everything always turn speakers off FIRST.
sure that's fine and applies to amplifier and speaker combinations but when used on a desk with active speakers and an audio interface, one cannot practically power off each active speaker on one's desk every morning, so you end up leaving the Big knob on all the time. Other media interfaces do not have this problem. Devices have a soft start and soft power off option.
@@ecologicaltime I'm not saying to "power everything off every morning." Let me simplify what I said: Since you have your speakers plugged into your Mackie Big Knob, if you ever need to power the Mackie OFF make sure you turn your speakers off first before turning the Mackie off. If you ever need to power the Mackie back on then turn the Mackie on first and then turn on your speakers. Again, that's only if you HAVE TO power on/off the Mackie. If you don't do those things then it will cause the popping sounds in your speakers, which can ultimately blow your speakers. And that power cycle applies to ANY device that you plug your speakers into. For instance, I have a Behringer UMC404 audio interface; when my krk monitors are plugged into it if I were to turn the interface power off while the monitors are still on (which I've done accidently a few times) it would cause a pop sound in the monitors, and vice versa; have monitors on first then turn on interface would cause a pop sound as well. So what I'm telling you is that that pop sound you hear when powering on/off the Mackie whilst keeping your speakers on is not a problem exclusive to the Mackie Big Knob, it's simply because you didn't turn your speakers on AFTER turning on the Mackie, and you didn't turn your speakers off BEFORE turning off the Mackie.
thanks for your reply. I merely note that the power supply does not have soft start on and off and that it makes a pop sound even when the volume is turned down to minimum shown at 27:30. The unit is quite power hungry, leaving it on 24-7 wastes energy. Not all audio devices make a pop sound, even the M-audio interface does not do that when plugged in to power up or unplugged to power off. What bothers me is that is does that even when the volume is set to O - that is my main point. A well designed power supply does not do that and since this is most probably used for DAWs, it should take that into account that people cannot unplug speakers every time, its not a power amplifier setup and your points about the sequence of plugging in and out are 100%
Are these things compatible with headphone amps? I have two TRS cables running out of monitor A output into an ART headphone amp and I get an awful line noise? Any solutions?
You should always switch your speakers on last after switching on your desk and switch them off first then switch off your desk. Otherwise you will eventually damage your very expensive drivers.
Yeah, but this has a terrible problem, you can't record anything beccause when you're talking with your mic putting some effects in a daw, but you wanna hear the mic and some music, the audio of the usb goes also to the daw, causing echo when talking wit the mic, or a modulation to the music
Oh no!!! Why did you tap the mic? That's not right..... I'm quite shocked..... your microphone is crying out loud......😭If you keep doing it, you'll broke your mic.
Do not buy the Mackie Big Knob Studio. I work in a TV Station in Los Angeles and have had 5 of these units fail. We went with the passive version. It's much cheaper but you need powered speakers.
Using this for 5 years still found one useful information from this video. The best detailed review ever
You went way beyond what would be considered necessary for a review/setup guide, and I thank you for that! The detailed explanation of the record source button and how it facilitates uses such as Zoom or Skype calls is pure gold. I assumed that the record source button was either/or but your clear explanation reveals the true nature of the function and how intelligently the unit is designed.
Awesome, thank you!
@@ecologicaltime I bought one. Besides some minor imaging issues, it's working well in my studio.
I've had this unit for two years and this helped me actually use it properly. Thanks.
best review of any product i have ever seen
thanks
Facts
Thanks for the video man I have a big knob + at my studio and been having serious problems... Well I thought was serious problems until I watched this video! Cant wait to go back and use all the buttons correctly! Very informative video and a massive help! Thanks again!
By far the best signal flow description I’ve encountered.
Big Knob has very good DAC, extremely detailed output, I started to hear details I've never heard before
Very detailed review. Well done. It's a good thing I saw your review before considering buying it. That awful popping noise would have driven me crazy.
This is really a thorough and helpful video. Thank you!
Best review i have ever watched...you are the best teacher ever...please do review for every other music equipment...
@2:31 That’s how most budget audio interfaces and monitors are, there’s a whole lot of explanation into it. in any case regardless of your setup there’s a sequence to power up and down your setup, rule of thumb: the signal receivers go on last, and the signal creators go on first. And turning the setup off is just reversed. This is to say, you should turn your interface on first then after 2-3 seconds turn on your speakers. Basically your monitors should never be on when turning your interface on or off.
thanks. It is a bit annoying as my speakers dont have power buttons on the front. The unit should have had a soft start.
@@ecologicaltime totally agree !
This is a rule of thumb in nearly any major studio. In fact, they initially had mounted on/off switches in the walls so that the speakers, computer, and mixing console could be easily powered up/off in sequence. I wonder if there're currently products that avoid the popping issue... I guess most major studios are stuck with old analog equipment that's still considered industry-standard.
@@fabiancg7793 yeap, I’ve dealt with $1,000+ studio monitors, and would still power on/off in sequence, don’t wanna find out if they make the popping sound or not by not following the sequence😂
@@ecologicaltime FACTS
A very very great and Thorough job...Thank you
Wow, this guy takes reviewing to another level
Thanks for the thorough review! I was thinking of using the Studio+ as a 6-output audio interface with nice additional capabilities. Now I realize that I wasn't right since the control panel only shows a pair of channels of output. Also the "pop" sound is terrible. You can leave on Genelec speakers and they don't use any electricity, so you don't have to turn them off.
Amazing video, thank you
This answered every question I had about my new product :)
Super review. I‘ve got the +version if the Big Knob. I’m also happy with it! 👍🏻
Wow! Thank you so much for this! You knocked it out of the park! Really appreciated.
Great job on this review. Thank you!
Excellent walktrough!
Yup, they get real hot lol I discovered the same problem after a few days of purchasing it, I have the Studio + Model and it makes the studio hot 🤣
Excellent walk through Video tnx.
Self Powered speakers? If so they have to be turned off first. POP Happens with ANY Control Mixer in that scenario.
thanks, i have units that dont do that.
This is a really helpful review, thank you very much!
Well explained.. Beyond review ❤
finally a video for this think with good explaination, thx man great video
really good review
I got to the end of the review and I was surprised to see that the Mic Preamps are not hot enough to power your Rhode Procaster mic. That is disappointing, Mackie! Also, the Heat/Power Consumption concerns me as I leave everything on most of the time. I am still probably going to try it out as the overall feature set may suite my needs. Thanks again for the walkthrough.
thanks, its a decent unit. The procaster is known for needing extra amplification but even with Rode NT1 i have the gains very high.
This demo and walk through of features was Fantastic! Thank you. Question: Have you noticed a level discrepancy between the L and R monitor out (big knob) at lower levels? I have the Passive and apparently this is a common issue with the Passive. I am hoping it has been fixed with this one. To clarify: as I turn up the big knob, at certain positions from 7 to 9 O'clock, the left or right will be considerably lower in level than the other side.
i haven't noticed this, i would need to check
Yep, i have this problem (although not with outputs, i find it's a problem with the 1+2 inputs). I used to use the Input 1+2 so i could listen to just left side of sound and right whilst doing mixes. But after only a few months, it started to give uneven levels, sometimes one side would drop in and out.
It's a real shame, as i love to work like that. But no biggy. Now i use inputs 3/4 and now i always having matching sides. (most people do this from the start, but it's probably what some people refer to when they get unbalanced levels on the L+R)
Great Review and tear down.
What I want to share here is I have the Studio Plus and I love my unit BUT !!! I am on my second unit. The USB audio card is not reliable and can give up. When this happens the meter bridge will freeze and no audio passes though Analog channels and renders the USB signal nil. If you need the analog channels to work yo need to open the unit up and remove the USB card and Beg mackie for a replacement card. These are great units and blows the Presonus monitor Station V2 away and the Behringer has basically copied the Studio plus (minus the all Metal build) and what's crazy is that their unit may be more reliable but who knows i don't know anyone that has their newest unit as it mimics the Studio plus 1 to 1. from a feature perspective. and for Popping issue, those are facts, I have three AV receivers and those speakers don't pop!! but Pro Audio gear does - Soft Start and ending Buffering exists. Again Great Video.
Hi, I am looking for a bit of advice.
I am an aspiring dance
music producer and I am planning on improving my production this year
and taking it all a bit more seriously and potentially making it into a
living.
My current monitor is set up as follows. I have a set of Rokit 5 Rpg3 and a Focusrite 2i2.
I
am currently in the market for a better / second set of monitors for
another reference, however, I am and not sure what to get. This is what I
am looking to achieve in my studio.
I want to be able to switch
between 2 sets of monitors, dim the volume, mute the volume and also
switch between stereo and mono and alos switch between headphones.
Also,
I would like the new set of monitors to complement the frequency of my
rockits I currently have, as in, when I flick between the 2 sets of
monitors they don't sound much the same, but rather have different
curses on the spectrum, etc for mixing like a car/iPhone/studio/club,
etc
I have a DJ setup that I would like to channel through the
same 2 sets of speakers which I am currently doing by using 1/4 jacks
through the line inputs on the Focusrite 2i2. I also have a Rode NT1 but
I don't use it much only when recording other Artists as I don't sing
myself.
My budget is about €500. And I am currently considering the following:
Option 1
Keeping my current set up and buying
2 x Yamaha HS 7 or Yamaha HS 7 MP (Not sure of the difference)
Mackie Big Knob Passive
Option 2
Selling my Focusrite 2i2
Mackie Big Knob Studio
2 x Yamaha HS 7 or Yamaha HS 7 MP (Not sure of the difference)
Option 3
Either one of the interface options above
but changing the monitors to 2 x Adam T7V or similar?
Thanks and looking forward to hearing what you guys think.
Is it better than Focusrite Scarlett?? I'm so confused!!
Do you know what’s the name of the adapter or where can I find it cause I order it but it didn’t come with anything just the interface so I’m trynna buy the right adapter for it.
I own this unit. Even with phantom power off it does get hot. I'm very interested to know what the power consumption is. Im goung to put it on a smart plug and measure what its pulling as i have this on 9 - 5 and beyond every day.
I picked up a used Mackie interface and was stumped as to why there was a feedback loop, recording the usb source as well as the microphone. I eventually found 23:10 and my issue was solved!
26:20 I think the issue with using the 2track button(on the back) is that the other person on the call will hear themselves echoing back. Using headphones instead of disabling input 1/2 would be best case scenario for zoom calls or online gaming chat etc. However, I can see that it would be great for recording/sampling from websites etc, straight into recording software :)
27:51 Monitors/speakers switch on last and switch off first. I've had headphones amps and mixers that make awful sounds when powering up/down. PS many thanks for such a detailed video and overview
How to you switch the inputs to Hi-Z for guitar? Isn’t there typically a button for that?
it’s not stereo or pan for that switch. it’s “stereo/pan” that you can engage or not. when it’s out it is off and inputs 1 and 2 are both mono. when it’s engaged (pressed in), it sends channel one to the left and channel 2 to the right channel, this is for if you’re plugging in a stereo keyboard or guitar processor, etc,,
is this interface suitable for recording electric guitar with VST amplifiers?
So what I have seen is that this system usually goes out in about a year from reviews that I have seen around the net. Can you let me know if this is something you have encountered? People have been talking about the HUMMMMING noise coming from this unit. I like Mackie and they have been great, but I am a little leery of this product if this is the case. Any help would be appreciated.
Great tutorial detailed as hell 👌
Men, you dedinitely need more screens on that desk setup, that might ease and comfort you well :) Great SetUp! Which screen mounts are you using (sorry if I did not recognize in case this is being described elswhere).
Can I connect two condenser microphones on the input 1/2 and a guitar on the input 3/4 (mono)? How many inputs recognize the DAW? Two? Three? Four?
Excellent tutorial!
Thanks for the nice demonstration. I wanted to get this 2X2 passive monitor controller. I have a question,
Can I connect a pair of monitors and a subwoofer in 'A' output and a pair of monitors in 'B' output?
Output 'A' = mon out- sub in- sub out -speakers in.
Output 'B' = mon out- speakers in
Please guide me regarding this method
I have Adam audio t5v monitors and Adam audio T10S subwoofer.
yes it can work just you you described and you will be able to control the volume of the sub woofer with the trim knob
@@ecologicaltime thank you very much for your help. I will go with the plan.
Keep the music equipment content coming. Youll get More views and subs
If I ran a keyboard in and wanted to run one of the outs back into the keyboard for sampling another input how would I do that without a feedback loop? I want to connect my computer to a input and sample into my mpc 61, but the mpc will run to a input also.
The reason for your speaker popping is because you're supposed to turn the speakers on LAST after you've turned everything else on. It's a major role of thumb. If you don't do that then you could end up blowing your speakers.
So remember: when powering ON everything always turn speakers on LAST.
When powering OFF everything always turn speakers off FIRST.
sure that's fine and applies to amplifier and speaker combinations but when used on a desk with active speakers and an audio interface, one cannot practically power off each active speaker on one's desk every morning, so you end up leaving the Big knob on all the time. Other media interfaces do not have this problem. Devices have a soft start and soft power off option.
@@ecologicaltime I'm not saying to "power everything off every morning." Let me simplify what I said:
Since you have your speakers plugged into your Mackie Big Knob, if you ever need to power the Mackie OFF make sure you turn your speakers off first before turning the Mackie off. If you ever need to power the Mackie back on then turn the Mackie on first and then turn on your speakers. Again, that's only if you HAVE TO power on/off the Mackie. If you don't do those things then it will cause the popping sounds in your speakers, which can ultimately blow your speakers.
And that power cycle applies to ANY device that you plug your speakers into.
For instance, I have a Behringer UMC404 audio interface; when my krk monitors are plugged into it if I were to turn the interface power off while the monitors are still on (which I've done accidently a few times) it would cause a pop sound in the monitors, and vice versa; have monitors on first then turn on interface would cause a pop sound as well.
So what I'm telling you is that that pop sound you hear when powering on/off the Mackie whilst keeping your speakers on is not a problem exclusive to the Mackie Big Knob, it's simply because you didn't turn your speakers on AFTER turning on the Mackie, and you didn't turn your speakers off BEFORE turning off the Mackie.
thanks for your reply. I merely note that the power supply does not have soft start on and off and that it makes a pop sound even when the volume is turned down to minimum shown at 27:30.
The unit is quite power hungry, leaving it on 24-7 wastes energy. Not all audio devices make a pop sound, even the M-audio interface does not do that when plugged in to power up or unplugged to power off.
What bothers me is that is does that even when the volume is set to O - that is my main point. A well designed power supply does not do that and since this is most probably used for DAWs, it should take that into account that people cannot unplug speakers every time, its not a power amplifier setup and your points about the sequence of plugging in and out are 100%
thank you so much for this review
HELLO, I APPEAR TO UNDERSTAND IT IS COMPATIBLE WITH LINUX. CAN YOU CONFIRM IT?
My question is can I mute monitors and still have sound in heaphones? So when I record I can just mure the monitors and record artist in same room?
yes
Is it compatible with protools 12.5?Thanx and congrats!
Are these things compatible with headphone amps? I have two TRS cables running out of monitor A output into an ART headphone amp and I get an awful line noise? Any solutions?
what computer spec are you currently using .
Many thanks ...
Overall sick Review
Good review. Your power on/power off procedures are Ass backwards, that’s why you’re speakers are popping!
hello, the card can mix the basic voice volumes without necessarily using the pc for mixing?
Is it better than Scarlett?
You should always switch your speakers on last after switching on your desk and switch them off first then switch off your desk. Otherwise you will eventually damage your very expensive drivers.
Hey, do we need to download drivers to plug in this in windows ? Please reply, thank you
plug and play although there are some drivers but can work without for Windows 10
Yeah, but this has a terrible problem, you can't record anything beccause when you're talking with your mic putting some effects in a daw, but you wanna hear the mic and some music, the audio of the usb goes also to the daw, causing echo when talking wit the mic, or a modulation to the music
where can i get a replacement power suply?
the power off pop is almost a deal breaker
That's because you're always supposed to turn your speakers on LAST, and always turn them off FIRST.
Thanks
Is the USB 24 192
Please guys can somebody help me, my Big knob studio USB is not working....
the speakers get turned on last to avoid the pops. cheers
Can I hook up 3 studio monitors with this controler
For 3 pairs of studio monitors you could use the studio+ model of this
thx
The +4/-10 switch is not a boost/pad.
i know right. you think he would have read the manual before doing a tutorial video 😂
Sorry i can not get this to work at all
Oh no!!! Why did you tap the mic? That's not right..... I'm quite shocked..... your microphone is crying out loud......😭If you keep doing it, you'll broke your mic.
the mic is under the frame about 1cm away so its not directly tapped. Relax the diaphragm is still fine.
Do not buy the Mackie Big Knob Studio. I work in a TV Station in Los Angeles and have had 5 of these units fail. We went with the passive version. It's much cheaper but you need powered speakers.
WUAH WUAH WUAH WUAH WUAH
so this has loopback? i could record a discord conversation between me and someone else? like an interview?