RØDE has purchased iconic American pro audio company Mackie

RØDE’s purchase of Mackie rounds out the audio portfolio of its owners, the Freedman Group, to an impressive degree.

RØDE Microphones has announced the acquisition of iconic American pro audio leader Mackie. This helps establish The Freedman Group – the parent company of RØDE – as one of the most well-rounded pro audio companies going with a fairly huge catalog of products spanning a wide range of audio solutions for content creation, home and studio recording, broadcast, and live sound production.

Since 1989, Mackie has been a leading designer and manufacturer of pro audio products, including mixers and loudspeakers for home, studio and stage use. An integral player in the home recording revolution in the 1990s, Mackie quickly made a name for itself as a highly innovative brand with a focus on ‘built-like-a-tank’ quality and affordability. 

Groundbreaking products like the 1602 and D8B mixers and SRM450 loudspeaker were instant classics and, combined with a unique approach to marketing, established Mackie as a go-to brand in the recording and live sound industries – a status it still upholds today with leading products like the ProFX series of compact mixers, the Thump series of powered loudspeakers, and the popular CR series of desktop production monitors.

“Mackie is one of the great success stories in pro audio and I have admired them for a long time,” says Freedman Group Founder and Chairman, Peter Freedman AM. “My background is in live sound production. It’s something I have always been passionate about, ever since I saw Tom Jones at the Chevron Hotel in Sydney as a kid back in ’69 – my father Henry installed the sound system there, as well as many other venues across the city. Live sound is where I cut my teeth in audio, so this very much feels like that part of my career coming full circle.”

This is one of those happy acquisitions where all sides remain positive. Alex Nelson, CEO of Mackie, says: “The timing could not be better. We have an incredible product roadmap ahead of us, which we’ll be making some big announcements for leading up to NAMM ’24. This is an extremely exciting time for Mackie, and we couldn’t be happier doing all of this alongside the RØDE team.”