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Mackie 402-VLZ3 Premium 4-Channel Ultra-Compact Mixer Review
The 4-channel 402-VLZ3 delivers pure VLZ3 quality in our smallest form factor ever, making it ideal when your input counts are low, or when space is at a premium. In a sleek, small package, you get the signature VLZ3 high headroom, low noise design, complete with 2 XDR2 preamps, premium EQ, and modern mix bus architecture, for the best-sounding, mini-est pro mixer on the planet. And the price is mini, too—in fact, it’s our lowest price in recorded history for a VLZ3 mixer. At last, you no longer need to buy more mixer than you need just to get the quality you deserve.
XDR2 preamps
Extended Dynamic Range=Extended Sonic Possibilities XDR2Among the features that have earned the VLZ3 mixers their stellar reputation are the XDR2 "Extended Dynamic Range" mic preamps. That’s because serious amounts of time and energy went into their design, and the result is phenomenal. You simply won’t find preamps this good on any other mixer in this price range. The XDR2 preamps deliver pure, clean, studio-grade sound—the kind of quality you’d expect to find in pricey boutique mic pres. They have an incredibly wide frequency range, especially in the low end, and even at extremely high gain settings. They offer incredibly low noise, amazing RFI rejection, and with 60dB of available gain per channel, the 402-VLZ3 can handle inputs ranging from a whisper to a scream. With the superior sound of the 402-VLZ3’s two XDR2 preamps, rest assured you will always get optimum performance out of your professional ribbon, dynamic, and condenser mics.
Musical EQ for Your Tweaking Pleasure
EQ Knobs The 402-VLZ3’s ultra-musical 2-band Active EQ provides just the right amount of sound shaping flexibility. We invested tremendous resources into optimizing the center frequencies of our EQs, and improved the interaction of the separate EQ bands, so your tracks can be molded and tweaked for the perfect result. The 402-VLZ3’s low shelving at 80Hz and high shelving at 12kHz mean you can quickly and effectively sculpt your tone for the ultimate in punch and brilliance—and with up to 15dB boost/cut capability per band, you get loads of latitude. There’s also a 100Hz low cut/high pass switch for each mic input, so you can keep the ultra-low frequency muddiness out of your sound—and give your bass that extra punch if used in conjunction with the Low EQ.
Small Yet Powerfully Flexible
Though small in stature, the 402-VLZ3 provides an incredible abundance of professional features and mission-critical tools to enhance your mixing experience—and your creativity. In addition to essential features like phantom power for your condenser mics, you get a variety of user options that make the 402-VLZ3 a surprisingly versatile mixing machine. Two switchable Hi-Z instrument inputs allow you to plug instruments like electric guitar or bass in direct—no external gear required—or, disengage the switch to connect line level sources such as keyboards, or CD or mp3 players. Use the high pass filters on channels 1 and 2 to cut the rumble with the touch of a button. Connect line level stereo gear like DJ decks using the assignable stereo RCA input, and either route to your phones for queuing up, or to your main mix for overdubbing while monitoring back from your computer on phones. Flexibly monitor and record mono and stereo sources using the stereo pan function—when the switch is out, a mono source will be split between the left and right of the main mix equally, and when the switch is in, channels 1 and 2 are hard-panned left and right (perfect for recording stereo mics). Keep an eye on your levels with the bright 8-segment stereo meters, as well as the responsive overload LEDs that warn you when you’re overdoing it with the gain and/or EQ. No matter how you use it, the 402-VLZ3 supplies everything you need to get the job done.
Ultra-compact, sleek, rugged chassis
ProfileNow you can have your pro mixer, and take it with you, too. The 402-VLZ3 features a tight, low-profile design that fits the most modest—or congested—areas perfectly, including your backpack or laptop case. Like all VLZ3 mixers, the 402-VLZ3 is built like a tank, too. Our legendary solid-steel chassis can take the kind of abuse that would turn our competitors’ flimsy boxes into twisted chunks of debris. Instead of cheap, unsealed potentiometers, we use co-molded pots, which offer substantial strain and impact relief. By design, our control knobs ‘ride’ just above the surface of the chassis, so if something falls onto the mixer, the impact is transferred from the knobs to the chassis—not to the potentiometers or circuit board. Finally, we use thick, horizontally mounted fiberglass PC boards to eliminate the potential for damage and brace them with a shock-absorbing support structure. And not only is the 402-VLZ3 tough, but it can be flexibly positioned, thanks to a bottom panel that lets you easily mount an optional mic stand adapter with just a few screws. Attach your 402-VLZ3 to a mic stand, and you can adjust its height and angle to suit your unique—or weird—work style.
Applications A-Plenty
With its professional features and ultra-compact footprint, the 402-VLZ3 is ideal for a variety of applications, including home studio and on-the-go recording, multimedia projects, field mixing, broadcast use, and post-production work. (Check out our hookup guide to see how you can put it all together.) And the included Tracktion 3 Basic Bundle music production software makes it that much easier to get right to work, and get inspired. Boot up T3, connect the 402-VLZ3 to your computer’s sound card, and start recording your masterpiece.
Less Really Is More
The best-sounding, most professional ultra-compact in its class, the 402-VLZ3 gives new meaning to the old adage, less is more. While there are other ultra-compact mixers out in the world these days, none provide the performance or sound quality of the 402-VLZ3. Thanks to its ultra-flexible, super-versatile, professional design, you get the low input count you want, the extra space you need, and the quality you deserve—all at an unbelievably low price. Put simply, the 402-VLZ3 is the go-anywhere, fit-anywhere professional mixer, delivering superior sound quality—and unbeatable value.
Features
