INPUT MONO
Setting all AUX3 or AUX 4 controls to their center position, the main mix is also present on the monitor bus, giving you the opportunity to control the volume settings of each channel individually from the stage. The overall volume of the monitor mix is set using the AUX3/AUX4 faders in the master section. If you are using this option you should keep in mind that all volume changes made with the channel faders also apply to the monitor mix, leaving you with a higher risk of acoustic feedback.
The Post-Fader Monitoring method provides the possibility of canceling channels of some instruments – like kick or snare drum, which are in fact already very loud on-stage – from the monitor mix by turning the corresponding controls all the way to the left.
10. PAN
This control determines the position of the connected sound source within the stereo image. When this control is set at its center position, the audio signal is fed with equal levels to the L and R master busses. The PAN control section is designed to maintain the essential sound pressure level, no matter at what position within the stereo image the PAN control is set to.
11. MUTE
The MUTE button mutes the input signal post fader, including all AUX sends. PFL and Signal/ Peak stay functional.
12. PFL
Engaging the PFL button routes the audio signal to the headphones bus, so that it is present at the phones output connector. The meter instrument in the master section is simultaneously switched, so that the left LED-chain indicates the level of the actually chosen channel (in dBu), which allows optimally matching the level of the signal source. The phones output volume does not dependent on the setting of the corresponding channel fader (PRE FADER LISTEN), which provides the possibility to listen to or shape the sound of the selected audio signal, without need to include it in the main mix.
13. SIGNAL / PEAK Indicator
The signal-peak indicator plays a key role when setting input levels. Unlike the mixers of many other manufacturers that either only provide a peak indicator or no channel indicator at all, the PK (peak) LED of the PowerMate provides optical indication of the risk of occurring overdrive before you would actually hear the distortion over the connected speaker systems. As outlined in the setting instructions, the Signal-LED should blink in the rhythm of the incoming signal. If this is not the case, you have to increase the gain. If the PEAK LED, on the other hand, blinks frequently or lights continuously, the corresponding channel is likely to enter clipping and you have to turn the gain control a bit to the left. The Signal-LED lights at levels –30dB below clipping while the peak LED lights at a level of –6dB below the occurrence of overdrive. Keeping an eye on the indicator during a performance is also a good idea, because some very dynamically performing members of a band or changing keyboard setups can easily lead to channel clipping, resulting in the degradation of the overall sound.
14. VOLUME
The channel faders set the volume of the corresponding channels, establishing an accurately proportioned mix. The channel faders should be positioned within the range of –5dB to 0dB, leaving you with a degree of control that allows the precise matching of relative big differences in the channels’ level settings. The overall volume is set through the use of the master faders. Even though the channel faders offer an additional amplification of +10dB, we would like to advise you to exceed the +5dB mark only in very few exceptional cases. If the PowerMate’s summing bus gets “overloaded” with too many “high level” input channels, despite its special gain structure, the summing amplifier could be driven into clipping. Once you register, that some channel faders are set above the 0dB marking, lowering the setting of each channel fader by about –5dB and increasing the overall output level by elevating the master faders is the wiser solution. The proportion of the mix and the overall volume stay the same while the risk of clipping is banished.
