Just added to the Onyx series are two new "premium" recording interfaces -- the Mackie Onyx Blackjack and Mackie Onyx Blackbird. These new units are said to combine the sonic benefits of Mackie’s Onyx mic preamps with high-end Cirrus Logic AD / DA converters and features that are perfect for people starting or expanding their studio.

The Onyx Blackjack is a compact desktop 2 x 2 USB interface with two Onyx mic preamp channels, each featuring built-in DIs for connecting guitars and other instruments. The Blackjack also features separate level controls for studio monitors and headphones, along with true analog hardware monitoring, and zero-latency recording. This unit is bus-powered and has a rugged, ergonomic chassis ideal for both portable and home studio applications.

Unlike the Onyx Blackjack, the Onyx Blackbird is a rackmount unit, offering studio-grade recording via eight Onyx mic preamps. This 16 x 16 FireWire interface also features 8 x 8 ADAT and wordclock I/O for expandability, as well as two "Super Channels" on the front panel with dedicated low-cut switches, phantom power, and true hardware monitoring options for speedy, zero-latency tracking, according to the manufacturer. The other channels are just as flexible, utilizing the Blackbird Control DSP Matrix Mixer for quick setup of independent mixes and the ability to route any input to any output. Monitor, main, alt, and dual headphone outputs with dedicated source selection and level control provide additional mix routing options.

Both the Onyx Blackjack and Onyx Blackbird are compatible with Macs and PCs and work with most major digital audio workstations (DAWs). As a bonus, the new Onyx units come with Tracktion 3 music production software. Both interfaces will be available in August of 2010 with the following prices: the Onyx Blackjack will have list at $259.99 (MSRP), and the Onyx Blackbird will be $749.99 (MSRP).

To learn more about the Onyx Blackjack and Onyx Blackbird recording interfaces, please visit Mackie at mackie.com.