CHANNEL STRIP DESCRIPTION

The sixteen channel strips look alike and function identically. The only difference is that the eight on the left have DIRECT OUT jacks and the eight on the right don’t. We’ll start at the bottom and work our way up.

“U” LIKE UNITY GAINMackie mixers have a “U”symbol on almost every levelcontrol. This “U” stands for

“unity gain,” meaning no change in signal level. Once you have performed the Level-Setting Procedure , you can set every control at “U” and your signals will travel through the mixer at optimal lev- els. What’s more, all the labels on our controls are measured in decibels (dB), so you’ll know what you’re doing level-wise if you choose to change a control’s settings.

You won’t have to check it here and check it there, as you would with some other mixers. In fact, some don’t even have any reference to actual dB levels at all! Ever seen those “0–10” fader markings? We call these AUMs (Arbitrary Units of Measurement), and they mean nothing in the real world. You were smart — you bought a Mackie.

FADER

The fader is almost the last control in a channel’s signal path. It’s placed after the EQ and MUTE controls (post-EQ /post-MUTEand before the PAN control (pre-PAN). The “U” mark, about three-quarters of the way up, indicates unity gain, meaning no increase or decrease of signal level. All the way up provides an additional 10dB, should you need to boost a section of a song. If you find that the overall level is too quiet or too loud with a fader near unity, you’ll want to confirm the TRIM setting by performing the Level-Setting Procedure .

A Clean Fade

Faders are not rocketscience — they operate bydragging a metal pin (the wiper) across a carbon-based

strip (the track). It is possible for airborne crud to land on the track. Should that happen, you may hear scratchy noises or signal dropouts as the wiper stumbles over the crud. Do all you can to keep airborne crud out of your profession. Use air conditioned rooms whenever possible, avoid smoking near the mixer, keep food and drink away from the mixer, and for pity’s sake, never put the mixer in your kitchen! We also recommend “exercising” the faders — give them a few full-travel excursions once a week or so, and that will help scare the crud away. We do not recommend spray cleaners.

ASSIGN (1–2, 3–4, L–R)

Alongside each channel fader are four but- tons, labeled SOLO, 1–2, 3–4and L–R. The latter three are collectively referred to as channel assignment switches. 1, 3 and L are the left sides of these stereo pairs, and 2, 4 and R are the right sides. Used in conjunction with the channel’s PAN knob , these switches determine the destination of a channel’s signal: With the PAN knob set at the center detent, the left and right sides receive equal signal levels. To feed only one side or the other, just turn the PAN knob accordingly.

If you’re doing a mixdown to a 2-track, simply engage the L–Rswitch on each channel that you want to hear, and they’ll be sent to the MAIN MIX. If you want to create a subgroup of certain channels, engage either the 1–2or 3–4switches instead of the L–R, and they’ll be sent to the appropriate subgroup faders . From there, the subgroups can be sent back to the MAIN MIX , allowing you to use the subgroup faders as a master control for those channels.

TRIM

1

-10dBV

IC GAI

U M

N

060

+15dB -45dB

AUX U

1

OO

+15

 

U

2

OO

+15

PRE

U

35

OO

+15

U

 

4

6

OO

+15

5/6

 

SHIFT

 

EQ U

HI

 

12k

-15 +15

UMID

-15 +15

800

2002k

100 8k

ULOW

80Hz

-15 +15

LOW CUT

75Hz

18dB/OCT

PAN

LR

1

MUTE

OL

-20

SOLO

1–2

3–4

L - R

OO

17