Gear Hunter

Like their ever‑popular 1604 model, Mackie's 1642 VLZpro is a general‑purpose mixer capable of handling both live sound and recording applications. The new model, however, offers only 12 channel strips, although the last four of these are stereo, routing to four subgroups and a main stereo buss. The 1642 omits the 1604's rotatable chassis feature, which allows the socket layout to be adapted to the different demands of table‑top or rackmount installation. In terms of facilities, however, the eight mono channels are identical to the earlier model: I/O consists of balanced mic and line inputs with globally switchable phantom power, unbalanced insert points, and balanced post‑fader direct outputs, and channel processing is also duplicated, including the three‑band EQ with swept mid‑band and the four aux sends, two of which are switchable between pre‑ and post‑fader operation.

Channels: 16 total (8 mono mic/line, 2 mono/stereo mic/line, 2 stereo line).
Preamps: 10 studio-grade XDR (Extended Dynamic Range) mic preamps.
EQ: 3-band active EQ with sweepable mids on mono channels; 4-band fixed EQ on stereo channels.
Routing: 4-bus architecture for subgrouping.
Auxiliaries: 4 aux sends and 4 stereo aux returns.
Physical: 60mm long-wearing log-taper faders, rack-mountable (requires optional ears).
Connectors: Balanced inputs and outputs (except inserts).