Mackie ONYX16: Studio-Grade Multitrack Recording Meets Live-Sound Muscle

The Mackie ONYX16 is a premium 16-channel analog mixer with built-in 18x4 multitrack USB recording, pairing 12 low-noise Onyx mic preamps with a Perkins "British Style" EQ and a full-color Studio Command interface for professional tracking, production, and live sound. It captures every input to a Mac or PC at up to 24-bit/96 kHz while running a full-size front-of-house mix, so a single console covers the whole workflow. For the engineer who wants classic analog sound and modern computer recording on one board, the ONYX16 is where a home rig starts to feel like a real studio.

Twelve Onyx Preamps at the Front of Every Channel

The heart of the ONYX16 is a bank of 12 award-winning Onyx mic preamps, each delivering up to 60 dB of clean, low-noise gain with switchable 48V phantom power for condenser microphones. These are the same boutique preamps Mackie built its reputation on, engineered for ultra-clean, transparent capture with the accuracy a serious session demands. With 12 mic channels and 13 line inputs - five of them stereo - the board hosts a full band, a multi-mic drum kit, or a busy broadcast set without running out of room.

Perkins "British Style" EQ for Musical Tone-Shaping

Every channel runs through a 3-band Perkins EQ modeled on the Wien Bridge circuit of the hallowed British consoles of the 1960s and '70s. Designed by Cal Perkins, it delivers a wide, highly musical Q with a generous 15 dB of boost and cut per band and minimal phase shift, so you can pinpoint problem frequencies or add air and warmth without the tone turning brittle. An On/Off hard-bypass switch lets you A/B the processed and unprocessed signal instantly to confirm every move.

Multitrack to Your Computer, Stereo to an SD Card

The ONYX16's 18x4 USB interface streams up to 18 discrete channels into any DAW at up to 24-bit/96 kHz, so you can record a full session track-by-track and mix it back in the box later. When a computer is not in the picture, the onboard Studio Command interface records or plays a stereo mix straight to an SD card - ideal for capturing a rehearsal, archiving a live set, or running background music between acts. It ships with a Waveform OEM DAW and the 16-plug-in DAW Essentials Collection, so the recording chain is complete out of the box.

Dynamic FX and a Full-Color Command Center

Built-in Dynamic FX put a deep library of reverb, chorus, delay, and more at your fingertips, with multi-parameter adjustment and up to six customizable presets you can save and recall on the fly. The full-color Studio Command LCD and dedicated physical transport controls keep effects, file browsing, and SD recording one knob-turn away instead of buried in menus. Vibrant buttons and a bright display - with backlit Mute and Solo indicators - keep the whole board readable even on a dim stage.

Bluetooth Streaming, Hi-Z Inputs, and a Tank-Tough Build

Bluetooth streaming is a genuine game-changer on an analog board: pair a phone or tablet to feed reference tracks or walk-in music through the aux sends or main mix without patching a cable. Switchable hi-Z inputs let guitars and basses plug in directly, no DI box required, and the Built-Like-A-Tank rugged steel chassis shrugs off the knocks of load-in and tear-down night after night. It is a console engineered to survive the road while still sounding like the studio.

Who the ONYX16 Is For

Project studios tracking full bands, worship teams mixing a large stage, podcasters and streamers juggling multiple mics, and gigging engineers who record every show all lean on the ONYX16 as a do-it-all hub. With 12 Onyx preamps, 18x4 multitrack USB, SD recording, Dynamic FX, and Bluetooth in one tank-tough package, it bridges the gap between a live mixer and a recording interface. When one console has to handle the room and the record at the same time, the ONYX16 delivers.