Mackie DLZ | Creator Podcast & Broadcast Mixer

A desktop game-changer, the Mackie DLZ | Creator digital mixer has been fully kitted out to support the workflow of the modern content creator. The first welcome feature is the layout, which offers a clear and elegant overview of tactile buttons and a bank of nine full-sized faders, which wouldn't look out of place on a standard audio mixer and offer the same level of accuracy when it comes to fine-tuning. Then there's the extra-large 10.1 inch, full-contrast and full-colour touchscreen planted at the top, which is easily twice the size of the screens of most podcasting mixers, and to the right of the display, a set of Quick Control Knobs have been lined up to grant immediate access to digital parameters as well as a single record button so you can get up and running in a matter of seconds.

The Mackie DLZ | Creator: Connection Options
This professional mixer doubles as a USB-C computer interface, so it can be directly hooked up to a PC or Mac to record or live stream. Of course, if you're working on location, you can just as easily record to a USB stick or SD card. Around the back, four XLR microphone inputs have been fitted, each supported by an Onyx80 preamp that not only ensures excellent sound quality, but can feed more power-hungry condenser microphones. The four XLR ports also double as 6.3mm jack inputs, and that's next to a set of stereo L+R jack inputs, a 3.5mm stereo mini-jack input and a digital return input for linking external gear like effect units. Four headphone outputs have also been supplied, each with an independent volume control.

The Mackie DLZ | Creator Digital Assistant
It's not just the tight layout and range of connection options that make the Mackie DLZ | Creator so unique. At the heart of this mixer lies the Mix Agent: a setup wizard that can be used to help configure your functions and speed up the process. For example, the Setup Assistant can set and link every channel for you, and the Auto Mix function can automatically set the gain levels, ensuring that the speech of both you and your guests is recorded with crystal clarity - without you having to even touch a fader. The wizard also serves up three different workflows: Easy Mode, Standard Mode and Pro Mode so you can determine how much manual control you want and how much you want to leave in the capable hands of the onboard Mix Agent.