Big Knob Studio Command System

The Mackie Big Knob Studio Command System is a simple yet powerful desktop audio control center. It lets musicians and engineers get right to the business of making music in 4 major ways: level control, studio monitor selection, input source selection, and talkback and headphone control.

Precise Level Control

Using a big, convenient volume knob, Big Knob lets you adjust volume levels the way our ancient audio ancestors did, with a simple, intuitive knob, not with a mouse and screen. The end result is greater precision and faster level adjustments.

Monitor Selection

When it comes to mixing, pros know it's best to get a second, and third, opinion. So Big Knob lets you quickly switch among 3 pairs of studio monitors, 2 studio monitors and a subwoofer, or studio monitors and a home stereo, or any other combination of powered speakers.

Source Selection

On the input side, Big Knob lets you connect up to 4 stereo input sources at once. This means you can simultaneously connect to your computer/DAW outputs, CD player, cassette deck, and even a turntable using the premium onboard RIAA preamp. You can even connect keyboards, guitars, drum machines, samplers - anything you'd like to hear - through your monitors. This makes Big Knob great for comparing your mixes-in-progress to your favorite CDs, for archiving your old LPs, jamming along to your favorite tune, and lots more.

Talkback Section and Headphone Control

With its built-in talkback mic and spring-loaded activation switches, Big Knob lets you quickly communicate with musicians in both the studio and tracking room - no more hand signals through the glass! Big Knob also sports 2 high-powered headphone outputs with a discrete headphone mix bus, solving the communications needs of most computer-based studios.

All the Right Connections

Although its shiny silver knob is a head-turning feature, Big Knob's rear panel is equally impressive. There you'll find 3 distinct Monitor outputs with individual level control, 2-Track A and 2-Track B stereo outputs with level selection switches, a DAW stereo output for your computer, a Studio output with level control, a Phones Mix input with level selection switch, 2-Track A and 2-Track B Stereo Source inputs with level control, a DAW Mix input from your computer with level control, and even a Phono input with level control for direct connection to your turntable.

Sound Quality

Because Big Knob plays a crucial link between recording output(s) and studio monitors, Mackie has placed the utmost importance on pristine, no-compromise sound quality. For this reason, Big Knob features ultra low-noise op amps, extremely low-tolerance components and state-of-the-art surface mount technology. All of this ensures superb sound in critical listening environments and long-term reliability - even under daily, and nightly, studio use.

Applications

Big Knob is perfectly suited to a range of applications beyond desktop music making, including home stereo systems, keyboard/guitar rigs, high-end multimedia systems, archiving LPs to CD, classrooms and boardrooms, and more.