How to multitrack record a Mackie DL32S or DL16S

Last checked 2026-11-07

Short answer. Plug the DL32S's USB-B port into a computer and record in any DAW (a recording app such as Reaper, Logic or Pro Tools). It sends 32 channels and takes 32 back, at 48 kHz only. The DL16S sends 16. Out of the box, every input already goes to its own track: Mic Pre 1-32 to USB 1-32. To change that, use I/O Patch > USB in Mackie's Master Fader app. The DL32S can't record by itself. Mackie doesn't name the iPhone or iPad for it: not tested yet.

Quick start

1. Connect the DL32S's USB-B port to the computer. On a Mac, no driver is needed. On Windows, install Mackie's driver first. (Ways to record)
2. Pick the DL32S as the input and output device in the computer's sound settings and in your DAW. (Recording settings)
3. Leave the USB patch at its default (Mic Pre N to USB N) for raw tracks, or change it in Master Fader's I/O Patch > USB tab. (USB routing)
4. Set the analog gain before the show, then ride levels with the faders. The gain is in the recording; the trim and faders are not. (Tap points: where the recording is taken from in each channel.)
5. Record a 30 s test and play it back before the show.
6. Too few channels, or none? (Check the device and the USB tab)

This guide covers the DL32S and the DL16S. They share one manual and one app; where they differ, the guide says which. The DL32SE and DL16SE have the same USB counts and format, but their patch menu is not covered here (see the SE models). The rack-mount DL32R records differently.

Every other mixer is in the mixer recording guides, and the words used here are in its glossary. Facts come from Mackie's manuals, spec sheet and Master Fader guide unless a line says otherwise. The sources are at the end.

Ways to record a DL32S

To a computer over USB

Plug the mixer's USB-B port into the computer. Record in any DAW.

• Channels to the computer: the DL32S sends 32 channels and takes 32 back. The DL16S sends 16 channels and takes 16 back.
• Sample rate: 48 kHz only.
• Bit depth: 16 or 24-bit.
• Connector: USB-B, USB 2.0 High Speed. The mixer is the USB device; the computer is the host.
• Mac: no driver. Mackie: "presenting the DL mixer as an audio class 2.0 compliant device ... connecting it to a Mac should work automatically with no additional drivers".
• Windows: "Driver installation required" (Windows 10). Install the latest driver from Mackie's website.

With no computer

You need a computer. The DL32S has no onboard recorder, so it can't record by itself. Mackie documents only the USB-B port: "recording and playback is possible when a computer is connected ... via the USB type B connector" (DL32S manual). The Mackie DL mixer that records to a drive with no computer is the DL32R.

To an iPhone, iPad or Mac with an app

A Mac works like any computer above, with no driver. Mackie names no iPhone or iPad for the DL32S or DL16S, so they are not tested yet. See Mac, iPad and iPhone below.

DL32S recording settings

There is almost nothing to set on the mixer.

• Sample rate: 48 kHz only. Mackie's spec sheet: "Sample Rate: 48 kHz".
• Bit depth: 16 or 24-bit over USB. Mackie doesn't say which one is used; the recording app picks it (our reading).
• Channel count: 32 x 32 on the DL32S, 16 x 16 on the DL16S. Mackie documents no USB mode switch and no other channel count.
• Clock: Mackie's documents mention no word clock or external sync.
• File format: decided by the recording app. The mixer sends audio; it writes no files.
• Computer setup: Mackie's manual has you connect USB, then pick the DL16S or DL32S as the input and output device in the computer's sound settings and in the DAW.

Only some channels, or none? Check the device and the USB tab

If your app gets fewer channels than you expect, or silence:

• Pick the DL32S as the input device, both in the computer's sound settings and in the DAW. On Windows, install Mackie's driver first.
• Check the USB tab in Master Fader's I/O Patch. Each USB channel only carries what is patched to it. Clear empties the tab; Reset to Default puts Mic Pre 1-32 back on USB 1-32 (Master Fader guide).
• Check the snapshot. Patching is stored in snapshots (Master Fader guide), so recalling a snapshot can change what USB carries (our reading).

DL32S USB routing

Recording every input raw? There is nothing to set. The default is Mic Pre 1-32 to USB 1-32 on the DL32S (1-16 on the DL16S), per Mackie's Master Fader guide.

Any source to any USB channel. Mackie: "Any combination of channels or outputs may be selected as the record source and playback destination." This is per-slot routing, not blocks.

1. In Master Fader, tap the I/O Patch button, at the upper right of the navigation bar.
2. Open the USB tab. The DL32S and DL16S have seven tabs: Mic Pre, Oscillator, Input A, Input B, USB, Output and Talkback.
3. Rows are sources and columns are destinations (USB 1-32 on the DL32S, USB 1-16 on the DL16S). Tap a crosshair to patch a source to a USB channel.
4. To start over, tap the tools button at the upper left of I/O Patch and pick Reset to Default or Clear for the open tab.

What you can send to USB, per Mackie's I/O Patch table:

• Oscillator, Mic Pre and USB.
• Channel Post-DSP, Return Post-DSP and FX L/R Post-DSP.
• Main L/R Pre-Fader (before the main fader, so the fader doesn't change it) and Main L/R.
• Subgroups, auxes, FX sends, matrix outputs and Monitor L/R.

Mackie's table is shared with the DL32R. Check the exact number of auxes, subgroups and matrix outputs in the app.

Recording a mix with the inputs. Mackie's example patches Mic Pre 1-12 to USB 1-12, Main L/R to USB 13-14 and Aux 1-2 to USB 15-16. On the DL32S, a stereo mix takes two of the 32 USB channels.

Which source to use (our advice):

• A raw multitrack you'll mix later: Mic Pre, the default.
• Processed stems: Channel Post-DSP.
• A reference mix: Main L/R or an aux, on spare USB channels.

DL32SE and DL16SE

The DL32SE sends 32 channels and the DL16SE 16, at 48 kHz, 16 or 24-bit, over USB-B, like the DL32S (SE manual). Mackie says any channel or output can be the record source on them too. But the SE models' patch menu is not in the Master Fader guide we used. We didn't find it in the SE manual either. So don't assume the steps above match.

DL32S playback for virtual soundcheck

Virtual soundcheck means playing the recording back through the mixer's channels, so you can set the mix with no band on stage.

Every channel has two inputs, and Master Fader's I/O Patch has a tab for each:

• Input A: the mic inputs, by default.
• Input B: the USB returns, by default: the audio coming back in from the computer.

What to do:

1. Play the recorded tracks from the computer back to the mixer over USB.
2. Switch the channels to Input B, and mix as if the band were playing.
3. Switch back to Input A for the show.

Send each track to the USB return with the same number as its channel (our advice). If a track lands on the wrong channel, check the Input B tab. Mackie: "The most common use for this is for virtual sound check, switching between the mic pres and USB returns."

DL32S tap points

A tap point is where in the channel the recording is taken from. Which to pick, and why, is in Pre or post fader. On the DL32S, each USB channel picks its own tap through its source.

Per Mackie's block diagram, a DL32S channel runs in this order:

1. Analog gain, then input A/B select and the meter.
2. Digital Trim, polarity and an insert.
3. High pass filter, gate, compressor, 4-band EQ and an insert.
4. The direct out, then mute and fader.

• Which to pick: Mic Pre, the default, for a recording you'll remix or play back for a virtual soundcheck (our advice).
• Mic Pre (the default): after the analog gain, before the Digital Trim, polarity, high pass filter, gate, compressor, EQ, mute and fader. The trim, HPF and EQ are not in the recording, so rumble the HPF would cut stays in the track (our reading).
• Channel Post-DSP (the "Ch Direct Out" on Mackie's diagram): after the high pass filter, gate, compressor and EQ, before the mute and fader. Use it for processed tracks (our advice).
• Main L/R: offered pre-fader and post-fader.
• Gain vs trim: the analog gain is in every tap. The Digital Trim comes after the Mic Pre tap. Mackie's preamp gain runs "0 ~ +60dB (6dB steps w/ 1dB digital interpolation)". So the analog gain moves in 6 dB steps, filled in by 1 dB digital steps. Set the gain for headroom before the show, then ride levels with the trim and faders (our advice).
• Meters: the channel meter sits right after the A/B select, before the Digital Trim, so it shows the level the Mic Pre tap records (our reading of the block diagram).
• More than one device: when several phones or tablets control the mixer, a gain change from any of them changes the Mic Pre recording (our reading of the signal flow). To stop that, use Access Limiting > Mic Preamps. It locks "48v, gain, trim and polarity" on a device (Master Fader guide).

DL32S on Mac, iPad and iPhone

• Mac: no driver. Mackie: "connecting it to a Mac should work automatically with no additional drivers".
• macOS versions: Mackie's spec lists macOS 10.13 and 10.14 for the DL32S, as an Audio Class 2.0 compliant device. Newer macOS is not listed by Mackie (the DL32SE lists macOS 10.15 or higher).
• Newer macOS: it is class compliant (it works with no driver), so it should work on newer macOS too (our reading). Mackie doesn't confirm it, so test yours before a show.
• Windows: install Mackie's driver ("Driver installation required").
• iPhone and iPad: not tested yet. Mackie doesn't name the iPhone or iPad for the DL32S, DL16S or the SE models. The DL32S is class compliant on a Mac, so an iPhone or iPad may work, but nobody has checked. Mackie's older DL32R manual connects an iPad through Apple's camera connection kit. For the DL32S, Mackie names no adapter or cable.
• Master Fader is not a recorder. Mackie's iOS app (iOS 11 or later) controls the mixer. Mackie's guide says recording on the DL16S and DL32S "occurs outside of Master Fader", so you need a recording app.
• Power: the DL32S runs from mains power and needs no power from the phone. Mackie doesn't say whether it charges the phone. For a long show, use a powered USB hub or a camera adapter that passes power through (our advice).

ShowRecorder (the app this site makes) records every USB Channel from any class-compliant mixer. We haven't tested it with a DL32S yet. There is no Mixer Link for the DL32S. Mixer Link reads channel names and colors, and works only on the XR18/MR18 and X32/M32.

Runs on a USB-C iPhone (iPhone 15 or later) on iOS 26, or a USB-C iPad on iPadOS 26. Mac: join the TestFlight beta.

Your mixer not listed, or not tested? Ask us

Sources

Mackie documents:

• DL16S / DL32S Owner's Manual: USB channels, 48 kHz and 16/24-bit, the Mac and Windows driver notes, recording needs a computer, any source to any USB channel.
• DL16S / DL32S spec sheet: sample rate, the block diagram (tap points, gain steps), virtual sound check.
• DL16SE / DL32SE Owner's Manual: the SE models' USB channels, format and macOS.
• DL32R Owner's Manual: the DL32R connecting an iPad through Apple's camera connection kit, and recording to a USB hard drive by itself.
• Master Fader Reference Guide V5.1 (Feb 2026), on Mackie's Master Fader Downloads page ("Click here" opens Mackie's file library, "Master Fader V5 1 RG"): I/O Patch and its USB tab (pp. 196-209), the default patch (p. 203), the source list (p. 207), Input A and B (p. 199), Access Limiting (p. 191), recording "outside of Master Fader" (p. 210), the DL16S / DL32S block diagram (pp. 288-289).
• Master Fader 5 Reference Guide V5.0 (2018), an older edition of the same Mackie guide, hosted by Ambertech, Mackie's Australian distributor.