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Mackie SDR24/96 Hard Disk Recorder
Press Release
2002-03-01

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Mackie Designs Inc. (NASDAQ: MKIE), announced today a new 24-bit/24-channel non-linear hard disk recorder with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $2499 (U.S.). Available in Q1, 2002, the SDR24/96 takes its place as the newest member of Mackie's family of hard disk recorders that currently includes both the MDR24/96 and the award winning HDR24/96.

"The SDR24/96 is the ideal complement to our family of hard disk recorders," stated Keith Olsen, Corporate Director, Global Recording Market and Product Development at Mackie Designs Inc. "When we introduced the MDR24/96 with an aggressive introductory price, we proved that the market was truly ready for an affordable digital alternative for analog tape machines. The SDR24/96 is designed to fill this niche and bring a feature-rich, stand-alone hard disk recorder to the home and project studio."

The SDR24/96 has processing power for 24 simultaneous channels at 24-bit/48kHz or 12 channels at 24-bit/96kHz. An internal IDE hard drive provides storage for up to 90 minutes of 24-track recording while an on-board drive bay will accommodate the same Mackie Media M-90 pullout disks and Mackie Media Project drives used by the MDR24/96 and HDR24/96.

Front panel controls are fashioned after familiar tape-based systems. But, unlike tape-based recorders, the new SDR24/96 benefits from true, non-linear recording and editing capabilities. Non-linear recording allows the SDR24/96 to record multiple versions of a track or track segment without destroying the original-nothing is lost. During playback, the recorder recombines the non-linear segments into a seamless stream of audio. In addition, the SDR24/96 is able to significantly increase recording time per gigabyte by efficiently using only the space needed for actual audio.

Ready to use right out of the box, the SDR24/96 comes with fixed rear panel inputs and outputs that include 24 channels of analog via six DB-25 ports, ADAT optical, MIDI I/O for MMC and MTC, SMPTE, and clock inputs and outputs. Also included is a USB port for export of standard .wav files to PC or Macintosh(r) computers. The SDR24/96 is also fully compatible with the new Mackie MicroRemote Controller ($99.00 MSRP, U.S.) and the existing Remote24.

SDR24/96 Features Include: * 24 Tracks - 192 Virtual Tracks - for up to 90 minutes of continuous recording * 12-channel 24-bit recording at 96kHz * Built-in 20Gb internal disk plus pullout bay for extra Mackie Media(tm) removable drives * 24 channel of Analog I/O built in * ADAT(tm) optical I/O built-in * Full Meter Bridge * Non-destructive cut, copy and paste editing * 999 Un-Dos * Sync to SMPTE, MIDI, and Word Clock * Optional remotes available

Available from authorized Mackie dealers in Q1, 2002, the SDR24/96 is currently on display at the 2002 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California, January 17-20. The Mackie booth is located in the Anaheim Convention Center, booth #6766.