Tips for Mackie FreePlay (Mackie Reach) Owners:

[martingitdave]

Thanks for the help! I'll reconsider that choice.

[lkingston]

You know, I just noticed that Behringer must have redesigned the ADI 21 and the new ones no longer have the 20db pad.

[lkingston]

I honestly think your best choice with the Reach is to just put a 20db pad between your Play Acoustic and the Mackie preamp.

I really like my variable pad for figuring out how many decibels of padding are needed. I like fixed pads for actual use though because the switch can break or be in the wrong position. It's just one more thing that can go wrong.

[Marty C]

Originally Posted by lkingston

Yes, a 20db pad seems to be the magic number, at least for the Reach with it's 30db gain XLR preamps. With the FreePlay it might likely be better with a 10db pad since it has 20db rather than 30db preamps, but I wouldn't recommend it without testing it first.

It really is no big deal for me. I always use either a Boss AD-2 or a Boss VE-8 to get a little resonance modeling. Using the balanced outs and adding the pad is pretty easy.

It is a hack though. It never should have made it through R & D and out to market like this. The fact that this considerable flaw is on so many of their products is stunning.

Oh well, for the bargained down refurb price I don't mind. The sound with the levels corrected is great. The spread out tweeters will let me use just one rather than two speakers. The side monitors are brilliant. I'll buy a small 20db pad and leave it permanently attached to the wires in my setup.

I have a dumb question. What's a 20db pad?

Never mind. As I read further into page three, I got my answer.

[lkingston]

Ok, here's a completely different solution. I have just tested both the Boss GE-7 and the cheap Danelectro Fish-n-Chips knockoff. These are 1/4" in and out 7 band graphic EQ pedals with an extra boost slider. If I push the boost all the way up on either one, it is just enough gain to correct what the Mackie Wide-Z preamp is missing.

On top of that, the seven bands of EQ is really nice. For my solo fingerstyle playing I'm finding that a little 100 Hz boost along with a little cut at 200 Hz brings out the low end without the mud, something beyond what you can do with the simple three band channel EQ.

As far as comparing the Boss GE-7 to the Danelectro Fish-n-Chips goes: the GE-7 is in a metal case, the Fish-n-Chips is well made but plastic. To me they sound the same but my 16 year old son (who can still hear above 12k and is monstrously musically talented) swears that the cheaper Danelecro has far better high frequencies. In this case I would go the cheaper route.

This is probably the simplest, cheapest, most practical solution:

https://www.ebay.com/i/262583495333?...D1246167660438

[martingitdave]

Excellent suggestions. It looks like I'm going to some in line pads. :-). I've cancelled the order twice in the last 24 hours. They're going ban me from buying stuff.

I bought the Audio Technical At8202 variable line attenuator. Is does -10, -20, and -30. That should be sufficient for any situation.

[dannyg1]

If I were to use that Fish n chips, Id definitely make a metal case for it. Wow is that ugly<s>

[lkingston]

I tried pushing the Reach to see how loud it can get. It is not anywhere near as loud as I'd hoped. It will work fine on small or listening volume medium gigs, but no way it would be enough beyond that.

The bluetooth range on my Android is about 30 feet. On the iPad it is far better and is rock solid as far away as I can get a way from it in the house.

I have mixed emotions about the Reach. On any small gig it will be perfect. Wide dispersion and good monitors with just the one piece. I will certainly use it a lot. The upper volume limit is surprising. Supposedly 350 watts RMS. Feels like maybe 60. Useable, and even great for small gigs. Passable in a medium room if people are quiet and just listening to you. No way it could compete in a loud bar or a big room though.

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Excellent suggestions. It looks like I'm going to some in line pads. :-). I've cancelled the order twice in the last 24 hours. They're going ban me from buying stuff.

I bought the Audio Technical At8202 variable line attenuator. Is does -10, -20, and -30. That should be sufficient for any situation.

I use this one:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=Y&sku=1023557

I actually use the 40db setting pad the most, and have a couple of straight 40db pads. That's is the correct amount of padding to run a line level mixer out into a mic level input of a house PA, or to pad down a mixer feed to a cameraman who is recording the event. It will let you do things like run the output of a Behringer XR mixer into the acoustic mic channel of an acoustic guitar amp (which is wonderful when you are testing equipment or rehearsals).

[martingitdave]

[QUOTE=lkingston;5392391]I use this one:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=Y&sku=1023557

/QUOTE]

I was looking at that one too. I couldn't find any reviews, so I went with the AT. But, I actually like the design of this product the best.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by lkingston

I tried pushing the Reach to see how loud it can get. It is not anywhere near as loud as I'd hoped. It will work fine on small or listening volume medium gigs, but no way it would be enough beyond that.

The bluetooth range on my Android is about 30 feet. On the iPad it is far better and is rock solid as far away as I can get a way from it in the house.

I have mixed emotions about the Reach. On any small gig it will be perfect. Wide dispersion and good monitors with just the one piece. I will certainly use it a lot. The upper volume limit is surprising. Supposedly 350 watts RMS. Feels like maybe 60. Useable, and even great for small gigs. Passable in a medium room if people are quiet and just listening to you. No way it could compete in a loud bar or a big room though.

That seems to be the opinion of many people. It is not going to be a great system for loud bars. According to the diagram each 6.5" diver is amped individually from a 100 watt RMS amp with 50 watts RMS assigned to each. The rest of the power is distributed to the high frequency drivers and the monitors. So, your assessment is very likely correct. It probably sounds as loud as two 50 watt Loudbox Minis with extra highs and side fills.

I don't play loud bars. I tend to play small to medium quieter rooms. So, this might be perfect for me because I don't need (or want) super high SPL. I want an all-in-one solution with "studio monitor" quality and very good dispersion. Often times I play to participatory groups who sit in a circle.

If I ever get into loud playing situations again, I'd use another one of my speakers, or add some QSC K.2s to go with the Touchmix Mixer.

[lkingston]

We seem to have a lot in common. I played loud music in bars for about a decade, then did live sound for shows for a couple of decades more. As a result (though my doctor says he can't be sure), my hearing is mostly gone in my left ear, partially gone in my right, and I have a combination of tinnitus (ringing) and hyperacusis (loud sounds are painful).

As a result my tastes in music and what I play has totally changed. I have gone from keyboards to fingerstyle guitar and vocals and low volume listening music is all I have any interest in playing. The Reach with a little input augmentation should be perfect for that, but nobody reading this should have any illusions about using it in louder contexts.

I have other PA for the odd time I need something more. I'm just happy to be able to leave the bigger gear home most of the time.

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

I don't play loud bars. I tend to play small to medium quieter rooms. So, this might be perfect for me because I don't need (or want) super high SPL. I want an all-in-one solution with "studio monitor" quality and very good dispersion. Often times I play to participatory groups who sit in a circle.

As I'm sure you know, the earshot monitors can be looked at as either monitors or just a wider dispersion pattern. I can't think of a better system for a group sitting in a circle. It is also probably the best "living room concert" system I have ever seen.

I can also picture myself using it in a small band context just for vocals with small but good sounding amps for the instruments. I have a Henriksen Bud which I adore and a tiny Phil Jones bass amp which defies physics in terms of wonderful bass sound in a tiny package. I can picture a low volume band with a cajon based drum set and these small amps. The Reach would do the vocals and vocal monitors and be perfect in that context.

[dannyg1]

http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/

For the fish n chips....

[JakeStone]

Thanks in advance to MartinGitDave, IKingston , DannyG and others for the thread..

So I'm thinking of picking up a Mackie Reach.

I found one on CL for a decent price... After reading threads seems like with some tweaks it could be a winner.

I assume it will work well for Pub and Wine bar type gigs. I like the wide dispersion and self-monitoring capability. Also, I'm usually setting up with my back against a wall. So it would be nice to have the Reach near/next to me for monitoring.

OK... I've read the threads - about the volume issues with guitar etc.... But just needed some extra clarity on what accessories or cables I may need to purchase. If any?

Or can I just plug the XLR outs of my Play acoustic into the Reach and I am off to the races?
What would be best for my fairly simple setup - see below..


Here's my setup:
J-45 with Highlander Under saddle Pickup (see specs below)
TCH Play Acoustic
SM-58 or AKG D5 Dynamic Mic


Highlander iP-1 pickup/preamp.

iP Pickup Specifications
Frequency Response: 2Hz - >400KHz
Nominal Output Level: -25dB
Nominal Impedance: High > 5 Megohms

iP-1 Preamplifier Specifications:
Frequency Response: Flat from 10Hz to >500KHz
Dynamic Range: >100dB (ref. 10Hz to 40KHz)
Input Impedance: Matched to Pickup
Output Impedance: <80ohms
nominal output level: -10db
headroom: 18db (ref. -10db)
power consumption: 440uA
power: one 9v battery