
OUTPUT SECTION DESCRIPTION
12V | |
0.5A |
WITH PREMIUM XDRTM MIC PREAMPLIFIERS
LAMP
You’ve just learned about the input channels and how the signals get in and out. The signals come in via MIC and LINE input
At Mackie, audio quality is much more important than the price of wall warts. All of our mixers now employ VLZ and
UU
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OO | +10 | OO | +20 |
UU
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OO | +10 | OO | +20 |
AUX
SENDU
1 3
SOLO
OO | +20 |
U
1TO AUX SEND 1
OO | +15 EFFECTS TO |
UMONITORS
2TO AUX SEND 2
OO | +15 |
ASSIGN OPTIONS | |
MAIN MIX | |
TO SUBS |
jacks, are manipulated by the channels, and then sent to the output section. In the output section, things get a bit more complicated, so put on your thinking caps.
MAIN MIX FADER
SUBGROUP FADERS
As you might expect, these faders control the levels of signals sent to the SUB OUTS. All channels that are assigned to subgroups, not muted
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U
SOLO 4
PHAN PWR | OO | +20 |
RETURNS | |
ONLY | SOLO |
This fader controls the levels of signals sent to the MAIN
SUB OUTS. Unlike the MAIN OUT, the subgroup signals do not pass through an insert jack
STEREO AUX RETURN
OO | MAX |
CTL ROOM / PHONES
TAPE
SUBS
SUBS
MAIN MIX
CTL ROOM
SOURCE
U
OO | +20 |
TAPE IN
TAPE TO
MAIN MIX
OO | MAX |
SOLO
MODE
NORMAL (AFL) LEVEL SET (PFL)
LEFT RIGHT
| 0 dB=0 dBu |
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LEVEL | 7 |
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RUDE
SOLO
LIGHT
OUT 1/4" TRS jacks and TAPE OUTPUT RCA jacks
. All channels and AUX RETURNs that are assigned to the MAIN MIX, not muted and not turned fully down will appear at the MAIN OUT. Before the main mix gets to this fader, the signals pass through the

on their way to the subgroup faders. That’s no problem — should you want to send these signals through a serial effects processor, simply patch from the SUB OUTS to the effect’s input, and from the effect’s output to whatever the final destination is, usually a multitrack recorder.
The subgroup signals is off when its fader is fully down, the “U” marking is unity gain, and fully up provides 10dB additional gain. Remember that if you’re treating two subgroups as a stereo pair, subgroup 1 and 2 for example,
ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX
LEFT LEFT LEFT LEFT
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OO | OO |
off with the fader fully down, the “U” marking is unity gain, and fully up provides 10dB additional gain. This additional gain will typically never be needed, but once again, it’s nice to know it’s there. The fader itself is a stereo version of the channel and subgroup faders — same supersmooth custom taper, same dead silence when turned fully down. This is the fader to pull down at the end of the song when you want “The Great
make sure that both subgroup faders “ride” together, to maintain the left/right balance.
ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX
One popular use of the subgroups is to use them as master faders for a group of channels on their way to the MAIN MIX. Let’s say you’ve got a drum kit hogging up seven channels and you’re going to want to fade them out at a different rate than the other channels. You don’t want to try that with seven hands or seven fingers, so just
VLZ MIX
ARCHITECTURE
When designing a mixingcircuit, the lowest noise and best crosstalk specs are
achieved by using Very Low Impedance (VLZ). To implement VLZ in a mixer, the power supply must be able to deliver plenty of current to the circuitry. That’s why those “wall wart” mixers are often noisy — they can’t power a VLZ circuit.
If you engage just one ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX switch per subgroup (LEFT or RIGHT), the signal sent to the MAIN MIX will be the same level as the SUB OUTS. If you want the subgroup to appear in the center of the main mix, engage both the ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX, LEFT and ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX, RIGHT switches. The signal will be sent to both sides, and will be attenuated just enough to preserve constant loudness , just like the channel PAN knobs when set center.
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