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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.21

                    SECOND AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

                                       OF

                               WILLIAM A. GARRARD

This Amendment is made this 28 day of September, 1999, by and between Mackie
Designs, Inc. ("Mackie"), a Washington corporation, and William A. Garrard
("Employee").

                                    RECITALS

A. Mackie and Employee executed an Employment Agreement of May 19, 1997
("Agreement"), which Agreement was amended in September, 1999.

B. The parties wish to amend the Agreement to provide for an update of the base
salary due to Employee during the term of the Agreement, to clarify the bases
for termination and the effects thereof, and to provide certain additional
protections for Mackie.

Based upon the above recitals, the parties promise and agree as follows:

1. DUTIES. Section 2.1 of the Agreement is amended to read in its entirety as
follows:

         2.1 DUTIES. Employee shall serve as Vice President and Chief Financial
         Officer ("CFO"), with principal responsibility for overseeing Mackie's
         accounting, finances and treasury. Employee shall have such other and
         further responsibilities, duties and goals as are established for him
         from time to time by Mackie's Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive
         Officer or Board of Directors ("Board"). Employee shall report directly
         to Mackie's Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and, upon
         request, to the Board.

2. BASE SALARY. Section 3.1.1 of the Agreement is amended to read in its
entirety as follows:

         3.1.1 A base salary of $165,000 per year, payable at such times and in
         such increments as are consistent with Mackie's usual policies. Any
         proposed annual salary increase and any salary decrease will be
         determined by the Board; provided that Employee's salary shall never be
         less than that set forth above; and,

3. TERMINATION. Section 5.1.1 of the Agreement shall be amended to read in its
entirety as follows:

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         5.1 TERMINATION. This Agreement, and Employee's employment with Mackie,
         shall be terminated upon the occurrence of any one of the following
         events:

                  5.1.1 The conviction of Employee for any crime which is a
                  felony under applicable law;

                  5.1.2 The dishonesty of Employee in the performance of his
                  duties or in his reporting to the management of Mackie;

                  5.1.3 At the option of Mackie if any one of the following
                  conditions occurs and persists after Mackie has given Employee
                  prior written notice of intent to terminate his employment
                  with specific reasons therefor, and Employee fails to correct
                  the specified problems within a period of 30 days of the
                  effective date of the notice:

                           (A) Chronic alcoholism, drug abuse, or addiction;

                           (B) Failure of Employee to apply his full-time
                           attention and best efforts to the business of Mackie;

                           (C) Failure of Employee to perform consistently the
                           duties assigned to him by Mackie;

                           (D) Failure of Employee to handle his work or
                           assignments in accordance with the policies of
                           Mackie, reasonably stated; or,

                           (E) Breach by Employee of any of the terms and
                           conditions of this Agreement.

                  5.1.4 The death of Employee;

                  5.1.5 At the option of Employee in the event of the
                  insolvency of Mackie;

                  5.1.6 At the option of Employee upon giving 90 days prior
                  written notice;

                  5.1.7 At the option of Mackie upon giving written notice of
                  termination.

4. EFFECTS OF CERTAIN TYPES OF TERMINATION. Section 5.2.2 is amended to read in
its entirety as follows:

                  5.2.2 If the termination is for any other reason than that set
                  forth in Sections 5.1.4 or 5.1.7, Employee shall (i) have no
                  rights to compensation or reimbursement for salary or bonus
                  for any period subsequent to the date of such termination,
                  (ii) have no right to participate in any employee benefit

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                  programs under Section 4 for any period subsequent to the date
                  of such termination; PROVIDED that Mackie will remain
                  obligated to meet any obligations that it may have under
                  COBRA, and (iii) have no right to any bonus that would have
                  been payable on a date subsequent to Employee's termination
                  date.

5. NONSOLICITATION OF EMPLOYEES FOLLOWING TERMINATION. A new Section 8 is added
to the Agreement to read as follows, with all subsequent sections renumbered to
accommodate the new section:

         8. NONSOLICITATION OF EMPLOYEES. During the first year following the
         termination of Employee's employment, Employee shall not, for any
         reason whatsoever, solicit any employee of Mackie to leave his or her
         employment with Mackie. Violation of this Section shall cause damage to
         Mackie, which damage shall be difficult of proof and ascertainment.
         Consequently, and in addition to Mackie's right to seek specific
         performance of this Section, Employee shall pay to Mackie the sum of
         $10,000 for each employee of Mackie that Employee solicits for
         employment and who elects to leave Mackie, which sum shall represent
         liquidated damages for such solicitation and not a penalty. The
         obligations contained in this Section shall survive the termination of
         this Agreement.

6. SURVIVAL OF CERTAIN RIGHTS. A new Section 11.9 is added to the Agreement to
read in its entirety as follows:

          11.9 The provisions of Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, shall survive the
          termination of this Agreement.

7. RATIFICATION. Except as amended herein, the Agreement is hereby ratified and
confirmed as written.

8. WASHINGTON LAW. This Amendment shall be construed in accordance with the laws
of the State of Washington.

9. BINDING EFFECT. This Amendment shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding
upon, the parties hereto and their respective heirs, personal representatives,
successors and/or assigns.

Dated the day and year first above written.

MACKIE DESIGNS INC.

By:  /s/ Roy D. Wemyss                               /s/ William A. Garrard
     ----------------------                              ----------------------
     Title:  CEO, President                          William A. Garrard

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                                 FIRST AMENDMENT

                                       TO

                          SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS AGREEMENT

                                January __, 2000

         First Amendment to that certain Shareholder Rights Agreement, (the
"Agreement"), made as of October 21, 1999, between CORE, INC., a Massachusetts
corporation (the "Company"), and State Street Bank and Trust Company, a
Massachusetts chartered trust company (the "Rights Agent").

         Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined will have the
meanings ascribed to them in the Agreement.

         WHEREAS, pursuant to the provisions of Section 27 of the Agreement,
prior to the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, the Company and the Rights
Agent shall, if the Board of Directors of the Company so directs, supplement or
amend any provision of this Agreement as the Board of Directors of the Company
may deem necessary or desirable without the approval of any holders of
certificates representing shares of Common Stock of the Company;

         WHEREAS, as of the date hereof there has not occurred a Section
11(a)(ii) Event;

         WHEREAS, on December 21, 1999, the Board of Directors of the Company
voted to amend the Agreement with respect to ownership of shares of the Common
Stock of the Company by Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co., LLC and Gagnon Securities;

         NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the provisions of Section 27 of the
Agreement, the Company and the Rights Agent hereby agree as follows:

         1. The Agreement is hereby amended so that Gagnon Securities shall be
deemed to be a "Grandfathered Person" under the Agreement. In furtherance
thereof, the Company and the Rights Agent hereby amend SECTION 1(q) of the
Agreement so that, as amended, it shall read in its entirety as follows:

         "(q) "GRANDFATHERED PERSON" shall mean any of (i) Gilder Gagnon Howe &
         Co., LLC, (ii) Warburg, Pincus Asset Management, Inc. or (iii) Gagnon
         Securities, or any of their respective Affiliates or Associates,
         PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that any Affiliate or Associate of Gagnon Securities
         shall be deemed to be a Grandfathered Person only during such time as
         such Person continues to be an Affiliate or Associate of Gagnon
         Securities."

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         2. The Agreement is hereby amended so that the "Grandfathered
Percentage" of Gagnon Securities under the Agreement shall be twenty (20%)
percent of the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company. In furtherance
thereof, the Company and the Rights Agent hereby amend SECTION 1(p) of the
Agreement so that, as amended, it shall read in its entirety as follows:

         "(p) "GRANDFATHERED PERCENTAGE" shall mean, (i) with respect to any
         Grandfathered Person other than Gagnon Securities or any of its
         Affiliates or Associates, the percentage of the outstanding shares of
         Common Stock that such Grandfathered Person, together with all
         Affiliates and Associates of such Grandfathered Person, beneficially
         owns as of the Grandfathered Time plus an additional two percent (2%)
         and (ii) with respect to Gagnon Securities or any of its Affiliates or
         Associates, twenty (20%) percent; provided, however, that, in the event
         any Grandfathered Person other than Gagnon Securities or any of its
         Affiliates or Associates shall sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of
         any outstanding shares of Common Stock after the Grandfathered Time,
         the Grandfathered Percentage shall, subsequent to such sale, transfer
         or disposition, mean, with respect to such Grandfathered Person, the
         lesser of (i) the Grandfathered Percentage as in effect immediately
         prior to such sale, transfer or disposition or (ii) the percentage of
         outstanding shares of Common Stock that such Grandfathered Person
         beneficially owns immediately following such sale, transfer or
         disposition plus an additional two percent (2%)."

         3. The Agreement is hereby amended so that the "Grandfathered
Percentage" of Gagnon Securities under the Agreement shall be twenty (20%)
percent of the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company. In furtherance
thereof, the Company and the Rights Agent hereby amend SECTION 1(a) of the
Agreement by striking the final sentence of the first paragraph of SECTION 1(a)
and replacing it with the following sentence:

         "Any Grandfathered Person who after the Grandfathered Time becomes the
         Beneficial Owner of less than 15% of the shares of Common Stock of the
         Company then outstanding shall cease to be a Grandfathered Person;
         PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the provisions of this sentence shall not apply
         to Gagnon Securities or any of its Affiliates or Associates."

         4. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all provisions of the
Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

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         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be
duly executed as an instrument under seal and attested, all as of the day and
year first above written.

Attest:                                      CORE, INC.

By:                                          By:
   -----------------------------                --------------------------------

                                             Name:
                                                  ------------------------------

                                             Title:
                                                   -----------------------------

Attest:                                      STATE STREET BANK AND
                                             TRUST COMPANY, as rights agent

By:                                          By:
   -----------------------------                --------------------------------

                                             Name:
                                                  ------------------------------

                                             Title:
                                                   -----------------------------

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