[2] With the flexibility to be used as either a desktop or rackmount mixer (a new concept at the time) combined with solid performance and competitive price, the CR-1604 was purchased for use in a wide variety of markets and applications.

The CR-1604 became a tremendous success, selling hundreds of thousands of units by 1996 and accounting for over 48% of Mackie's overall revenues at that time,[3][4] and in 2004, it was inducted into the TECnology Hall of Fame, an honor given to "products and innovations that have had an enduring impact on the development of audio technology.

The company completed an initial public stock offering, and introduced the Ultra-mix Universal Automation System for 8-bus consoles at the AES Convention later that year.

In 2020, a post by user "LincolnG" on Gearspace.com (formerly Gearslutz.com) initiated an online conversation that revealed a design flaw in the Mackie's Onyx chip used in the VLZ Series mixers.

Others contributing to the conversation shared their experiences anecdotally and it was subsequently tested, verified, and documented, by "LincolnG" that the VLZ Series mixers do in fact have a design flaw that affects the stereo imagining.