His father Clair served as a ham radio operator in World War II and remained active in ham radio clubs the rest of his life,[1] exposing his son Greg to scores of electronic catalogs and parts at an early age.
While playing in a band as a drummer, Mackie inspected an amp they had rented, comparing its parts to those in an electronics catalog.
[4] He and associates Martin Schneider and Rodger Rosenbaum devised the company's seminal Model 6000 audio mixer, the first designed specifically for the louder volumes required by rock bands.
However, in 2003, Mackie purchased the rights to the TAPCO name from Electrovoice and applied it to a line of budget mixers, speakers, amplifiers, and other audio equipment, under the LOUD Technologies umbrella of brands.
[5] Working initially from his three-bedroom condominium in Edmonds, Washington, and using parts left over from his previous ventures, Mackie created the LM-1602, which became popular with musicians, churches, small recording studios and schools.
[6] That was followed by the CR-1604 mixer in 1991, which was even more successful and continued to hew to Mackie's philosophy of simple, rugged design and affordable pricing.
Greg Mackie announced his plans to sell his controlling stake in Mackie Designs in January 2003,[7] also stepping down as chairman that year in the wake of slowing sales and increased debt due in part to the technology bubble-induced economic recession in the first years of the decade.