Mackie Onyx Blackjack review

Mackie is well known for its mixing desks, several of which are equipped with its respected and high-quality Onyx mic preamps.
"Dead easy to use, whether recording in stereo or mono..."

Now, while a mixing desk might not be an essential part of computer recording these days, decent mic preamps in the signal chain will help you record the best possible signal, so Mackie has introduced the Blackjack, a two-channel USB interface built around a pair of Onyx preamps.

Exceptionally rugged and fitted with Neutrik combi sockets, the Blackjack will take signals from any microphone as well as being able to take a Hi-Z signal direct from a guitar or bass.

USB bus-powered, the Blackjack features separate volume controls for both its monitor and headphone outputs.

In use

Dead easy to use, whether recording in stereo or mono, the Blackjack will let you capture audio from your guitar or microphone onto your computer, while clearly monitoring what you're playing or singing.

An input monitor knob routes the analogue signal directly from the preamps to the monitoring outputs so you can eliminate any latency delay by mixing the signal in proportion with what's coming back from computer.

The Onyx preamps combined with Cirrus Logic converters ensure a pristine signal path for recording the optimum sound into your DAW.