Takin’ it to the Streets with Mackie Showbox

Designed for buskers and gigging musicians, Mackie’s new ShowBox is a battery-powered all-in-one performance rig that gives users total control over their live sound, combining a portable PA, acoustic guitar amp, 6-channel mixer, effects rack and USB-C interface into a single device they can carry in one trip from the car.

Mackie ShowBox delivers up to 12 hours of powerful live sound made possible by a 400W amp, custom drivers and the included battery. With six input channels for mics and instruments, ShowBox empowers singer/songwriters and small bands to set up and sound fantastic with minimal effort. Just hook everything up to ShowBox and show them what you’ve got.

Of course, ShowBox is more than a “set it and forget it” speaker — it’s a truly interactive live performance rig, thanks to the innovative breakaway mix controller. Connecting to ShowBox through the included (lengthy) fabric-covered Ethernet cable, the mix controller mounts directly to a mic stand and gives musicians total control over levels for mics and instruments as well as ShowBox’s built-in effects, tone shaping, user snapshots, looper, tuner and recording controls. Let’s see a speaker do all that!

ShowBox replaces amps and PA systems in equal measure thanks to switchable “amp” and “PA” voicing modes, plus settings for indoor and outdoor performance. It’s also a sound-shaping powerhouse, featuring two layers of dynamic effects for vocals and instruments, including essential guitar effects like fuzz, overdrive, tube amp, acoustic amp and tremolo, plus a variety of other modulation and reverb effects. And with the separate FX loop for pedals, guitarists don’t have to part with their carefully curated pedalboard. There’s even 3-band parametric EQ and single-knob compression on each channel, all in the box.

Mackie designed ShowBox to meet all the needs of today’s live performers, and that means expanding the connectivity to go beyond in-person performance. ShowBox connects the musician with their audience wherever they are via a built-in USB-C audio interface for streaming online or recording. ShowBox can also record straight to an SD card, and Bluetooth allows for streaming backing tracks and fill-in music between sets.

ShowBox combines all the tools for great performances and livestreams into one system that’s easy to manage and carry in one trip — it even fits inside a custom backpack (sold separately), so performers can literally put the show on their back. It’s gigging, solved.

Mackie ShowBox will be sold on Mackie.com and at participating retailers with availability beginning January 2024. For more information about Mackie ShowBox visit Mackie.com/ShowBox.