Alesis 12 FireWire, 16 FireWire, 12, 16 Master Section, Main Mix Fader, Alt 3/4 Fader, 2TK To Mix

A Tour of the MultiMix FireWire 2

Master Section

The Master Section is the heart of the mixer, where the channel inputs and aux returns all are mixed together and routed in various ways.

Main Mix Fader

The signals from all channels and aux sends—excluding those that are muted—are sent to the main mix. The MAIN MIX fader is the one you’ll use to control the overall level of those combined signals. This fader affects the levels of the signals sent to the MAIN MIX OUT, the DIGITAL OUT (12FXD and16FXD models only) and the 2-TRACK OUT. In its lowest position the signal is cut off completely, and in the uppermost position you get an additional 10dB of gain. In the 0 position the fader is at unity gain.

Alt 3/4 Fader

This fader controls the output of the Alt 3/4 bus.

2TK To Mix

When you press this switch, the signal coming in through the 2- TRACK IN gets routed to the MAIN MIX, joining whichever other signals are already part of the main mix. Used this way, the 2-TRACK IN effectively becomes another stereo channel (but without all the extras like pan, EQ, etc.).

The 2-TRACK IN signal combines both whatever is plugged into the 2-TRACK RCA jacks and also any audio coming back to the computer over Firewire.

Alt 3/4 To Mix

This switch adds the signal from the Alt 3/4 bus to the main mix bus.

Solo Mode

The SOLO MODE switch affects the signals of channels whose PFL / SOLO switches are engaged. When the SOLO MODE switch is in the up position, you’re in PFL, or pre-fader listen mode. This means that you’ll hear the signals of all soloed channels as they sound before they pass through their respective faders. You’ll need to be in PFL mode when you’re setting levels (see “Setting Channel Levels,” page 12. This mode is post-EQ.

When the SOLO MODE switch is engaged (in the down position), you are in SOLO mode. This means that you will hear the output of every soloed channel (after it passes through its fader, pan and EQ).

The purpose of seeing a soloed channel’s level on the LED meters is so that you can see the true level of that channel’s signal. For that reason, the HDPH / CTRL RM knob does not change the LED meters’ reading—it changes only the level at which you’re listening to the soloed channel.

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