INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Mackie USB Driver for PC • May 2012 • V3.0.0

Mackie USB Driver Installation Instructions for PC

Version 3.0.0 Supported Devices

The Mackie USB Driver is designed to allow your Mackie Onyx Blackjack
Mackie USB audio interface to operate with Windows 7,
Vista or XP. Now that you have downloaded the
Mackie USB Driver .zip to a convenient location
(e.g. your desktop), make sure to unzip and extract the Supported Software
.zip contents to that same location for easy installation.
• Any Windows 7 32 / 64, Vista 32 / 64 or
XP 32 SP 2 or greater ASIO/WDM host (Pro Tools,
Users with Previous Driver Installations: Sonar, Cubase, Nuendo, Cakewalk, etc.)

Whether you are running Windows 7, Vista or XP, if you

have previously installed a Mackie driver for your Mackie
audio interface on your PC, refer to the “Updating Your Important Notes:
Mackie Audio Driver” section on the following page.
Device Aggregation: The V3.0.0 driver does not
support device aggregation on PC (i.e. using multiple
Mackie audio interfaces simultaneously).
Notes for Users Updating from V1.9.0
or V2.0.0 to V3.0.0:

This driver version adds ASIO and WDM performance

improvements for the Onyx Blackjack only. It is not First Time Installation for Windows 7,
recommended to update Mackie interface products that
are not on the Supported Devices list. Vista and XP
1. Make sure the Mackie audio interface is
connected to the computer and turned on.
System Requirements
Windows 7 32 / 64 RTM or greater
(Home, Premium, and Ultimate) 2. Unzip and extract the .zip contents of the
Windows Vista 32 / 64 RTM or greater Mackie driver download to the desktop for
(Home, Business, and Ultimate) easy installation.
Windows XP 32 SP 2 or greater
(Home and Pro)

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 3. Inside the unzipped and extracted Mackie USB
folder, double-click MackieSetup (on the same
Updating Your Mackie Audio Driver /
level as the “DriverFiles” folder). Users With Previous Installations
Important note: Do not navigate into the 1. With the Mackie audio interface connected
DriverFiles folder. There is no need to move, to the computer and turned on, hold down
change or access any of these files. The “CTRL+ALT+DELETE” and select the Task Manager.
MackieSetup will handle all parts of the On the “Processes” tab, select MackieTaskBar.exe
driver installation. (MackieTaskBar64.exe on 64 bit systems) and press
the “End Process” button.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions until the

installation is complete. 2. Via the Start button, navigate to
a) On Windows 7/Vista: If asked during the Control Panel > Programs and Features
installation, check the box that reads “Always (on Windows 7/Vista) or Add/Remove Programs
trust software from Loud Technologies Inc” (on XP) and locate the previous V1.9 or V2.0 driver
and click “Install”. installation. Depending on which version you have
been running, it may be located alphabetically
b) On Windows XP: If asked during the
under LOUD, Mackie or Windows.
installation, click “Continue Anyway” at the
Windows Logo testing prompt to complete
the installation.
3. After locating the previous driver installation, click
the Uninstall button in the Programs and Features or
Add/Remove Programs application.
5. After a successful installation message, close the
installer dialogue box and start recording!
Note: At this phase, you may also delete the
.zip and extract files you downloaded from the 4. Navigate to and delete
Mackie website. “C:\Program Files\LoudAudio” or
“C:\Program Files (x86)\LoudAudio” on 64 bit systems.

The audio interface is now ready to use with any

5. Disconnect then reconnect the Mackie audio
standard ASIO Digital Audio Workstation software of your
interface, or simply turn it off then back on and
choice as well as with consumer audio applications such
make sure it is properly connected.
as iTunes or Windows Media Player. A Mackie Running
Note: It is generally a good idea to wait a few
Man has also been installed into the system tray for easy
seconds to facilitate a complete power cycle.
access to the driver Control Panel.

6. Unzip and extract the .zip contents of the Mackie

Additional note for Windows 7 users:
driver download to the desktop for easy installation.
You may need to make sure the Running Man / Mackie
Task Bar application stays in view in order to easily
access the Control Panel where latency mode and
buffer size are changed. Do this by navigating to Control 7. Inside the unzipped and extracted Mackie USB
Panel > Notification Area Icons and selecting “Show icon folder, double-click MackieSetup (on the same level
and notifications” in the dropdown next to Mackie Task as the “DriverFiles” folder).
Bar. This will ensure that the Running Man logo remains Important note: Do not navigate into the DriverFiles
in the system tray. Here it may be easily double-clicked folder. There is no need to move, change or access any
to launch the driver control panel. of these files. The MackieSetup will handle all parts of
the driver installation.

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 8. Follow the on-screen instructions until the
installation is complete.
Changing the Latency using the Mackie
USB Driver Control Panel
a) On Windows 7/Vista: If asked during the To change the buffer size of the device, simply
installation, check the box that reads “Always double-click on the Running Man logo in the system tray
trust software from Loud Technologies Inc” and or click the “Show Control Panel” feature within your
click “Install”. DAW of choice.
b) On Windows XP: If asked during the Once there, you will note both USB Streaming Mode
installation, click “Continue Anyway” at the and ASIO Buffer Size drop-downs. USB Streaming Mode
Windows Logo testing prompt to complete is used to select how the driver interacts with Windows-
the installation. based audio applications, such as iTunes or Windows
Media Player, where the ASIO Buffer Size is primarily
used for DAW applications. Finding the right settings
for your machine is often an effort of experimentation,
9. After a successful installation message, close the
trying each setting and seeing if your computer continues
installer dialogue box and start recording!
to handle audio without drop-outs or distortion. If you
Note: At this phase, you may also delete the .zip and are experiencing drop-outs or distortion with either
extract files you downloaded from the Mackie website. Windows or DAW applications, trying raising the
appropriate dropdown (USB Streaming Mode or ASIO
Buffer Size) to the next available setting to see if it
clears up your issues. Every computer is different, so
The audio interface is now ready to use with any while there is not a single recommended setting for all
standard ASIO Digital Audio Workstation software of your machines, it is perfectly okay to adjust these settings up
choice as well as with consumer audio applications such or down while troubleshooting issues.
as iTunes or Windows Media Player. A Mackie Running
Man has also been installed into the system tray for easy
access to the driver Control Panel. Note: You may need to quit certain applications in
order to adjust these settings, then reopen them after
adjusting in order to try again. If you try to adjust these
Additional note for Windows 7 users: settings while actively streaming audio you will get an
error message indicating that the driver is in use. Simply
You may need to make sure the Running Man / Mackie close any audio applications, make the adjustment,
Task Bar application stays in view in order to easily reopen and “play” again to see if the issues are resolved.
access the Control Panel where latency mode and
buffer size are changed. Do this by navigating to Control
Panel > Notification Area Icons and selecting “Show icon
and notifications” in the dropdown next to Mackie Task
Bar. This will ensure that the Running Man logo remains A Note on Available Buffer Sizes
in the system tray. Here it may be easily double-clicked
to launch the driver control panel. Version 3.0.0 of the Mackie USB Driver allows for
latency buffer sizes as low as 64 samples. However, using
a buffer size this low requires a very fast computer with a
large amount of RAM, and fast hard disc and system bus
speeds.
Once You’ve Installed the Driver
In general, you should always experiment with the
The computer's audio I/O settings for the device (like
available buffer sizes to find the lowest buffer size that
buffer size and sample rate) may now be accessed via the
the machine and recording project can comfortably work
Running Man / Mackie Task Bar in the system tray.
with.
First, though, navigate to Control Panel > Sounds for
your operating system settings. Select your device as the
default playback and recording device for your operating
system if you wish to use it for all audio I/O.

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That's about it!
Have fun, and feel free to contact Tech Support if you
run into any snags:

Technical Support
Please contact our splendid Technical Support heroes
if you have any questions.
E-mail:
Option 1:
http://www.mackie.com/scripts/contact_support.asp
Option 2:
[email protected]
Phone (United States):
(800) 898-3211
During normal business hours,
Monday- Friday, Pacific Time.

Part No. SW0912 Rev C 05/2012

© 2012 LOUD Technologies Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
www.mackie.com
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