MACKIE SPIKE
Oct 1, 2004 12:00 PM, BY JOHN McJUNKIN
These days, a significant number of choices are available if you want a desktop interface/DAW combination. Digidesign has the MBox with Pro Tools LE, and Lexicon has the Omega with Pro Tracks or BIAS Deck, just to give two examples. The idea is to provide a simple yet powerful marriage of hardware and software that enables the user to easily record, edit and mix audio.
Mackie has entered this realm with Spike, which consists of the XD-2 interface and a powerful DAW called Tracktion, which was originally developed by Julian Storer of Raw Material Software. Mackie announced a distribution agreement with Raw Material at the NAMM convention in January 2004. The company bundled the XD-2 with Tracktion (see the June 2004 Remix for the review), and Spike was born. Both the interface and the software are powerful, providing some weighty advantages over competing products.
THE XD-2 INTERFACE
The ostensible reason that this system is called Spike is, when you look straight at the interface from the front, it looks like an upward-pointing spike. Basically, this is a 2-channel, 24-bit, 96kHz USB interface that's compatible with ASIO 2.0, WDM and Mac OS X Core Audio. The dynamic range is better than 100 dB, with total harmonic distortion of less than 0.009 percent at 1 kHz. It's frequency response is 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Crosstalk between the two channels is better than 100 dB. The XLR mic inputs can handle +16 dBu of level and exhibit 3-kilohm impedance, and the line inputs can handle +22 dBu of level and exhibit 7-kilohm impedance with a balanced signal, 3.5-kilohm unbalanced. The line-level inputs can also be switched to instrument level for synthesizer or guitar input.
There's plenty of headroom, with the gain range of the XLR inputs rated at +6 to +60 dB and the ¼-inch input rated at -14 to +40 dB. The physical inputs are the clever Neutrik kind that accept XLR or ¼-inch balanced or unbalanced. Amplitude resolution of 16 or 24 bits is supported, as are 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96kHz sample rates. The XD-2 also features a 1-by-1 MIDI interface.
The unit has two ¼-inch monitor outputs for control-room-monitoring purposes, and S/PDIF I/O is represented on the back panel, as is a USB connector to hook up with your computer. On the front panel are controls for each input, including a gain knob, a line/instrument level button and a button to activate a highpass filter. The cutoff frequency of the filter is determined by the included XD-2 software and is adjustable from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Also present are three-segment LED meters for each channel and a single (48V) phantom power button to serve both channels. The unit offers a headphone jack with a level knob and a control-room level knob. The Mix knob determines the balance between the interface's inputs and Tracktion's output. It ranges from DIR to USB. At full DIR, you'll only hear the input signal, after internal processing through XD-2's highpass and lowpass filters and DSP modules. This signal is fed to the control-room monitors, the headphone jack and the S/PDIF output. At full USB, you'll only hear the output of Tracktion. This Mix knob is clever, allowing you to easily balance the monitoring between the inputs and the audio from Tracktion.
The XD-2's internal DSP is efficient, contributing little latency to the input monitoring. As stated, it's controlled by software on your computer. Each channel has its own 4-band fully parametric EQ. Bands 1 and 4 can be switched to shelving-type EQ. There are also highpass and lowpass filters inserted separately prior to the DSP stage; this enables some pretty surgical EQ. Each channel also has a compressor module with controls for attack, release, threshold, ratio and gain. Soft-knee compression and limiting modes are also available. In soft-knee mode, a knee slider appears, allowing you to control just how “soft” the knee actually is. A gate/expander module is also available for each channel, with controls for attack, release, hold, threshold and range. Choosing the expansion mode eliminates the range and hold controls and replaces them with a ratio control. The EQ, compressor module and gate/expander can be placed in any order, as well.
The XD-2 is intended to allow you to sculpt and tweak the signal prior to recording. The SHARC DSP architecture is fast and does not require any assistance from your computer's CPU. The recommended process is to record your audio through the XD-2, taking full advantage of the fast DSP. Once the audio has been recorded into Tracktion, then you can do any necessary overdubbing the same way, with the XD-2 handling EQ and dynamics processing. Although plenty of DSP is available to you in Tracktion, you won't really need it during the tracking and overdubbing phases of your project. You can also use the XD-2's internal DSP during mixing, likely for premastering with EQ and dynamics.
THE SOFTWARE SIDE
Spike ships with quite an array of software, not just Tracktion. Also included is a special version of Ableton Live; the Nomad Factory Warmer Phaser VST plug-in; and, for Windows users, Mackie Final Mix VST mastering software. Also included is the XD-2 application, which gives you control of the hardware interface.
In the early days prior to the Mackie distribution agreement, Tracktion was touted by many as an inexpensive alternative to Emagic Logic. Although it may not be quite as deep or sophisticated as Logic, it is still a powerhouse with a lot of capabilities. An online manual for Tracktion exists, but Julian Storer clearly intended to make the graphical user interface so simple and straightforward that you rarely need it. Without going too deep into things, it should be noted that this application is definitively intuitive. Like other DAWs, Tracktion features tracks that progress in time from left to right across the screen. The layout of the interface makes perfect sense with inputs, both audio and MIDI, on the left side of the screen. To connect an input (audio or MIDI) with a track, simply grab the icon for that input and “stretch” it over to the track. Another really nice feature is that Tracktion is literally only one screen. Everything you need is contained therein; thus, the issue of windows cluttering your desktop becomes moot.
I LIKE SPIKE
There are two kinds of people in the world, the RTFM (read the freakin' manual) kind and the DIHF (dive in head first) kind. I have generally always been an RTFM type. At first, it appeared that Tracktion was going to force me to become a DIHFer. As I said, there is an online manual, but it's unwieldy, not terribly informative and requires an open browser. As I started working with Spike, however, I discovered that I was not referring to the manual, as the intuitive GUI kind of self-answered my questions. This was a new and refreshing experience for me. Truthfully, if I had never worked with other DAWs, this could have been a much more difficult experience, but even then, solutions to roadblocks seem to present themselves when using this well-planned application. And if you just can't seem to figure it out, the online manual may solve the mystery for you.
Spike is intended for use both in a home studio and on the road, with the XD-2 plugged into your laptop. It proves a powerful solution for remote recording, as long as you don't need more than two inputs simultaneously. I couldn't help but compare it to my Digidesign/Focusrite MBox, next to which it sat in my studio, and it fares well in that comparison. It gives you 96kHz time resolution compared with the MBox's 48kHz. Also, the addition of a MIDI interface is very welcome. If you're traveling and you need to use a MIDI keyboard, for instance, the MBox requires you to have a separate interface. With Spike, it's self-contained. The preamplifiers in the XD-2 sound great, as do the converters. Although the XD-2 lacks the TRS inserts that the MBox makes available, it gives you powerful DSP, presumably of the same variety that you would insert with the MBox. Another nicety: Tracktion can be used with other interfaces. You don't have to have the XD-2 plugged in. The software itself has some weaknesses but overall is a potent music-production environment. If you engage in this type of work, I strongly recommend considering Spike.
Product Summary
MACKIE
SPIKE > $495
Pros: Great value. MIDI interface. Tracktion is intuitive, with powerful internal DSP.
Cons: Weak software documentation.
Contact: tel. (800) 258-6883; info sales@mackie.com; Web www.mackie.com
System Requirements
MAC: G3; 256 MB RAM: Mac OS 10.2 or higher; available USB port
PC: Pentium III or AMD/750 or better; 256 MB RAM; Windows XP; available USB port
Acceptable Use Policy blog comments powered by Disqus
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
