FAQs

Yes. There is an optional Rackmount Kit accessory available through Mackie dealers. A Phillips screwdriver is all that is required for installation and the finished hardware takes up nine spaces in a standard 19” rack. Plus, leaving extra room for cabling, a racked up DL Series mixer fits perfectly into most of the flip-top racks on the market. 

Yes, indeed! All six auxiliary sends are configurable for pre-DSP/pre-fader/post-fader operation. This is done on a per aux send basis from the Mackie Master Fader control app.

No.

Yes. You can create snapshots, shows and presets offline with the free Mackie Master Fader iPad app. Presets are only stored on the connected device and can be recalled to a channel when desired. Snapshots and Shows (groups of snapshots) are loaded onto the mixer hardware which synchronizes them to all connected devices. These are then recalled from the hardware from any connected device.

Every processor has a “Default” factory preset. Simply recall this just as you would any other preset to reset the processor to its default state. There are “Default” presets for each individual processor type as well as for input channels and output channels allowing you to reset the complete channel. Finally, there is also a “Default” snapshot allowing you zero the entire console quickly and easily.

Wireless setup is easy. Simply connect a LAN port on your Wi-Fi router to the Ethernet port on the back of the DL Series mixer.

Connect the iPad wirelessly to this network. Almost any off-the-shelf router will work.

Updates start on your device's App Store (iOS/Android) or the Master Fader product page (Mac/Windows).

Once updated, the next time you launch the app and connect to a mixer, the app will indicate the mixer is running old firmware. With a single button press, the app will update the mixer. So be sure to update your mixer after an app update with enough time before a gig.

Note that if a mixer with newer firmware is connected to an older version of the app, it will also indicate this. Make sure to update your app before reconnecting.

The Master Fader 5 app allows wireless control from iPod touch (4th and 5th generation), iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S.

It’s perfect for on-stage performers controlling their own mix or for FOH engineers looking for pocketable wireless control. Note iOS11 is required for Master Fader 5.

It’s simple. The mixer itself does all the heavy lifting.

Onyx mic pres amplify the signal. High-end AD converters convert this to digital. The powerful DSP chip processes and mixes this through the low latency mix engine.

What’s missing?  Control. And that’s where the iPad comes in. It is the control surface, controlling the DSP and mixer parameters but no audio processing occurs in the iPad at all.

All the magic happens in the mixer itself which is powerful and able to produce undeniably professional sound quality.

Wi-Fi range depends on the router hardware and the environment. Obviously, each router is different and some will be better than others. We recommend sticking with a brand name you trust. If possible, purchase an 802.11n router that works over 5 GHz, though 802.11g works.

In addition to choosing a good router, the Wi-Fi signal can be obstructed and its strength reduced if there are many walls or other obstructions it must pass through.

A room full of people each with a variety of wireless devices in their pockets can also negatively affect your performance.

This table gives good coverage estimates: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ IEEE_802.11#Protocols).

Wi-Fi repeaters can be added to extend the wireless range for large venues, and many routers (such as the Airport Extreme) have this feature built in allowing you to simply use multiple routers to extend your coverage.

No. The 3G and LTE iPads use high performance cellular transmission for their data transfer. These networks both cause no interference with audio signals or electronics in the DL Series mixer and other audio gear. However, if you are using your 3G iPad in an area with poor 3G or LTE coverage, the iPad may fall back to a lower speed older network called GSM.

GSM communication uses data bursts to communicate with the network and these bursts can cause interference with audio called TDMA noise. This sounds like low level digital beeps in your audio. This will be present to some degree in virtually all audio equipment if the source of the TDMA interference is close enough and the severity will depend on the mechanical and electrical design of both the source and audio gear itself. We have designed the DL Series to reject this noise quite well. But there are still some situations where the interference can still occur based on the current conditions.

The solution if you do hear this noise in your audio, is indeed to turn off the cellular data functionality in your iPad for the show. Again, in most large metropolitan areas the iPad will get good 3G or LTE signals and this problem should not occur.

You can use a tool on your Windows PC such as Advanced IP Scanner to check your mixer's MAC address. Similar tools are also available for macOS.

To start, check your USB cable. If using a USB-C equipped mixer, make sure that you're using the USB-C to USB-A cable that came in the box. Though it may seem counter-intuitive, you cannot use a USB-C to USB-C cable.
If you need to connect the mixer to a USB-C port on your computer, you can use a USB hub or USB-A to USB-C adapter.
 
For Windows users, make sure that you're using the latest driver for your mixer. Without the correct driver installed, Windows will not recognize your mixer. You can get the latest driver from two places:

• The Drivers/Downloads section of our Support dropdown
• Your specific mixer's product page found in the Products dropdown

Check out our library of resources at the links below!

Videos: https://loudaudio.netx.net/portals/loud-public/#category/12019

Tutorial Guides/FAQs: https://loudaudio.netx.net/portals/loud-public/#category/11475