VLZ3-

27. SOLO

This lovable switch allows you to check signals in your

 

 

phones or control room without having to assign them to

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the L-R, 1-2 or 3-4 mixes. You can solo as many channels

as you like. SOLO does not interrupt any of the other

 

 

channels, buses or outputs — that’s called nondestruc-

 

tive solo.

 

Using the MODE [44]

 

switch, the 1604-VLZ3’s solo

 

system comes in two flavors:

 

NORMAL (AFL) (sometimes

 

called SIP, or solo-in-place)

 

and LEVEL SET (PFL) (sometimes called PFL, or pre-

 

fader-listen). The MODE switch is described in tender

 

loving detail on page 21.

 

LEVEL SET (PFL) taps the channel signal

 

before the fader. If you have a channel’s

 

fader set way below “U” (unity gain), SOLO

 

won’t know that and will send a unity gain signal to the

 

control room, headphones, and meter display. That may

 

result in a startling level boost at these outputs, depend-

 

ing on the position of the SOLO [46] level knob.

In a nutshell, soloed channels are sent to the SOURCE

[42]mix, that ultimately feeds your control room, head- phones and meter display. Whenever SOLO is engaged, all source selections (MAIN MIX, 1–2, 3–4, and TAPE) are defeated, to allow the soloed channel to do just that — SOLO!

 

28. –20 (SOLO) LED

 

An LED that does two completely differ-

 

ent things! Saves space, recycles the planet,

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but requires some explanation. First, the

“–20” part: Often referred to as “signal activ-

 

ity,” this LED will flicker in time with the

 

signal present in that channel. It’s handy

 

for confirming that a channel is indeed

 

active, and may also lend a clue as to what

 

the signal is. For instance, a kick drum will

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cause the LED to pulse in time with the

drum, and a synth pad will cause it glow a

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bit more steadily.

Now for the “SOLO” part. When a chan-

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nel’s SOLO switch is engaged, this LED will

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glow steadily, without flickering. It will also

 

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be brighter than it would be as a –20 indica-

tor. In conjunction with the RUDE SOLO

 

LIGHT [47], you can find a rogue SOLO

 

switch quickly.

29. OL (MUTE) LED

Another LED that does two completely different things! First, the “OL” part: “OL” means overload, or clip. You don’t want that to happen. Ever. Clipping can happen to any mixer — it’s the point where the signal’s voltage tries to exceed the supply voltages that power the circuitry. The 1604-VLZ3’s OL LED will come on just before clipping, so if you see it, take immediate action: Perform the Level-Setting Procedure on page 3. If that doesn’t help, check for excessive use of EQ boost or fader gain. Like the –20 LED, it will tend to flicker in time with that channel’s signal.

Now for the “MUTE” part. Assuming your levels are set correctly, the OL LED will never come on as a result of clipping. That’s pretty boring. So, to liven things up, this LED will glow steadily when that channel’s MUTE [30] switch is engaged.

Here is a quick reference to these LEDs:

Name

Color

Flickering

Glowing

 

 

 

 

–20 (SOLO)

green

signal present

channel soloed

 

 

 

 

OL (MUTE)

red

channel clipping

channel muted

 

 

 

 

30. MUTE

Engaging this switch provides the same results as turning the channel's fader all the way down: Any channel assignment to L-R, 1-2 or 3-4 will be interrupted. All the post AUX sends will be silenced, as will the direct out signals on channels 1 through 8, and the OL (MUTE) LED will glow. The PRE AUX sends, channel INSERT send, and SOLO (in LEVEL SET (PFL) mode) will continue to function during MUTE.

Depending on the audio content in a channel, engaging its MUTE switch may cause a slight popping sound. This is not a problem within the mixer, and it can be avoided: Simply engage the LOW CUT [33] switch on each channel (unless its low frequency content is vitally important, such as a kick drum or bass guitar). LOW CUT eliminates subsonic debris, which causes the pop, and its effect is usually transparent.

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1604-VLZ3