Mackie Onyx Artist 1-2 USB Audio Interface

I was previously using a Line S**t UX2 since 2011. I can tell you the model name IS NOT the acronym for User Experience. That thing SUX!!The Onyx Producer 2.2 has the Onyx preamps which, to me, sound great. I love the independent channel gains and combo jacks. But the BIGGEST selling point, for me, was the Input/DAW blend. I can still hear what I'm tracking against whilst being able to adjust out the latency the track in recording. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS INTERFACE!!

A Very Solid 2-2 USB Interface In A Crowded Field Of Choices

Overall:I recieved my Onyx Producer as a gift. I also have an Audient iD14, so it's easy to do a side by side, A/B comparison between the two. 1st off...Hat's off to the build quality from Mackie, this interface is a top choice for mobile uses. The Mackie driver installs/works perfectly in every DAW I tried it with, basically every DAW. Really is built like a tank, knobs/pots are heavy duty and smooth. Not average anything will do, this unit uses premium parts. I would give this a 4 star if an Audient iD14 is a 5 star, preamp and headphone-wise. The MIDI i/o is the extra plus of the Producer 2-2. This unit made me a Mackie believer, it has out-performed interfaces twice the price of this one. Again, it's nice to have zero driver issues no matter what DAW I use in ... MoreOverall:I recieved my Onyx Producer as a gift. I also have an Audient iD14, so it's easy to do a side by side, A/B comparison between the two. 1st off...Hat's off to the build quality from Mackie, this interface is a top choice for mobile uses. The Mackie driver installs/works perfectly in every DAW I tried it with, basically every DAW. Really is built like a tank, knobs/pots are heavy duty and smooth. Not average anything will do, this unit uses premium parts. I would give this a 4 star if an Audient iD14 is a 5 star, preamp and headphone-wise. The MIDI i/o is the extra plus of the Producer 2-2. This unit made me a Mackie believer, it has out-performed interfaces twice the price of this one. Again, it's nice to have zero driver issues no matter what DAW I use in Windows. Headphone amp is above average, not equal to the iD14's though. Plenty of mic gain, I like them because they don't add anything to signal. An excellent mobile interface; it's solid plus reliable and surprisingly inexpensive.

Great quality sound and very low latency

I was using the line in on a sound blaster X-Fi plat to record into my DAW from a Mackie mixit 8. This meant the inevitable loss of range and woeful latency, an absolute nightmare for recording vocals. I also have stereo sound sources that I wanted to record (External synth and VT03). The 2 inputs being able to take the left and right channel for stereo (From the mixer) is great, with the added bonus of midi ports for my synth.The sound quality and low latency from this device is fantastic, all the synth sounds are coming through bright and clear. Vocals from the VT03 sound as they should with very minor latency that is barely noticeable (At maximum resolution!).I would definitely recommend this to anyone starting out with computer music - it is the missing ... MoreI was using the line in on a sound blaster X-Fi plat to record into my DAW from a Mackie mixit 8. This meant the inevitable loss of range and woeful latency, an absolute nightmare for recording vocals. I also have stereo sound sources that I wanted to record (External synth and VT03). The 2 inputs being able to take the left and right channel for stereo (From the mixer) is great, with the added bonus of midi ports for my synth.The sound quality and low latency from this device is fantastic, all the synth sounds are coming through bright and clear. Vocals from the VT03 sound as they should with very minor latency that is barely noticeable (At maximum resolution!).I would definitely recommend this to anyone starting out with computer music - it is the missing piece that completes my home studio and certainly did not disappoint.

Great sounding interface

Great sounding interface. Better than the good umc22. Is not plug n play on windows 7 but easily get the driver off the website. Two thumbs up from me.

Nice solid unit

I know this isn't the Mackie of old (my ancient 1604 VLZ), but still a very solid unit. I had read in another review that someone had better results using a USB 2.0 port, so I tried that. Had lots of ticks and pops on playback from Spotify and iTunes, so I moved to a USB 3.0 port on the back of the machine and that solved the problem - FYI, YMMV. I do wish the driver had a speaker EQ designed in, rather than just loudness and bass boost. . . but I can live with it.

Rugged and dependable

I bought this Onyx Producer 2-2 a year ago, and have been using it daily. It is very dependable and well constructed. The DAWs I have used it with recognize it without delay. Guitar (hi Z) and mic inputs have a preamp. The preamp will introduce overdrive at the top end of it's range. I don't use that, so I set the preamp just below that level. The headphone monitor is highly useful, and produces clear audio and has it's own preamp. If this unit were lost or stolen, I would replace it with the same model. Well done, Mackie.

Solid interface

Used for output to Mackie CR4-X speakers and to input my bass into my PC. Knobs have a nice tension to them and enjoy the large master knob to easily adjust volume. The interface does feel nicely built and solid. Driver installation was quick and simple.

Speaker Audio Full of HISS

Ive had great luck with Mackie Onyx mic preamps and had high hopes for this product. But, using this with a brand new 27 iMac and Yamaha MSP7 studio monitors, I am getting high levels of HISS in the speaker audio. At max speaker monitor level on the Artist 1.2, its ridiculous. And, its there even at low volume levels. Big problem, I am looking for an alternative audio interface now. I can not recommend this product for this reason.

Wish it had external power

Product is great and I haven't had any issues with it so far. My only gripe is that I wish it had a port for external power like an ac input or something. Using a USB-A (to B) cable works normally but on my laptop that only has usb C ports it freaks out with a USB-C to USB-B cable and keeps turning on and off. I tried messing with settings on Windows to see if it was a USB 2.0 issue. I was only able to get it to work through a USB hub where I had it plugged into the hub with the USB A cable it came with. I considered purchasing a USB-C active cable but I guess I'll stick with using this product connected to a usb hub.

like they say, 'Built Like A Tank'

the Onyx does just as advertised, simply and at an unbeatable price. Good clean signal from my e.guitar and mic inputs, playback sounds good. Just make sure you check its input/output levels are up in the Audio/MIDI Setup controls (Mac); I didn't at first and couldn't get even close to a loud enough output from the Producer, thought it was a bad unit and about to return it when I stumbled upon Audio/MIDI Setup. Was just used to my previous Apogee Duet which uses their Maestro software to set levels instead of CoreAudio.