Mackie 1620i LINE/HI-Z, TAPE IN and TAPE OUT, SETTING THE LINE INPUT GAIN, LOW CUT, INSERTS, EQUALIZATION

Line-level Sources and Guitars

Connect your line-level sources to the 1/4" TRS line input connectors. Channels 1-8 have mono line inputs, and channels 9-16 are stereo. Each line input can accept TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) balanced or TS (tip- sleeve) unbalanced sources.

Line-level sources include keyboards, drum machines, electronic drum kits, CD players, iPod® docks, guitar preamp outputs and so on.

If you have a mono source and the mono channels are already in use, plug it into the left input (labeled left/ mono) of a stereo channel, and the signal will appear equally on the left and right of the main mix.

If you have a stereo source and want to use channels

1 and 2 for example, plug the left side into channel 1, and set the pan control fully-left. Plug the right side into channel 2 and set the pan control fully-right.

LINE/HI-Z

Engage this switch if you want to connect guitars directly to the 1/4" line inputs of channels 1 or 2. For line-level sources, disengage this switch.

To connect guitars to other channels, you will need a DI box, or they will not sound good, particularly the high frequency response. This applies to most mixers and channels in general, unless they have a hi-z switch.

LOW CUT

Channels 1-8 have a low-cut switch that cuts the bass frequencies below 75 Hz of the line and mic inputs. See the previous page for more details of low-cut.

EQUALIZATION

Mono channels 1-8 have a 4-band EQ, with shelving- low, shelving-high, and peaking-high-mid and low-mid. The frequency of the low-mid can be adjusted from 100 Hz to 2 kHz, and the high-mid from 400 Hz to 8 kHz.

Stereo channels 9-16 have a stereo 3-band EQ with shelving-low, peaking-mid, and shelving-high.

These EQ options allow a lot of adjustment to your line-level sources and guitars. Apply EQ wisely and carefully, like makeup. (Too much and things can turn ugly.)

TAPE IN and TAPE OUT

Use these RCA unbalanced stereo inputs to connect the line-level outputs from sources such as tape decks, CD/DVD players and iPod® docks. Engage the tape switch to listen in your control room or phones. Engage "assign to main mix" to add the sounds to the main mix. For example, you can play intermission music, or listen to rare reference material of your band getting it right.

The tape output is a copy of the main mix (post fader), suitable for analog recording, sending to the inputs of an external ampliﬁer, or sound card etc.

INSERTS

Channels 1-8 have insert jacks on the rear panel. These allow you to send the mic and line signals out to an external device, and back in again on the same connector. For example, you could connect a dynamics processor for your bass guitar.

SETTING THE LINE INPUT GAIN

The gain controls allow you to set your input signals to an optimum level: not so hot that the mixer is overloaded, and not so low that the signal is lost in noise. For a signal entering the TRS 1/4" line inputs, the adjustment range is -20 dB to +40 dB for channels 1-8, and -20 dB to +20 dB for channels 9-16. Use the following procedure for setting the gain just right:

1.Press the solo switch at the bottom of the channel your source is connected to. The rude solo light will ﬂash to remind you that the source playing in the control room, headphones, and the right main meter is the soloed channel. Set the solo mode switch to the PFL position (out).

2.Play your source at typical loudness levels.

3.Adjust the channel gain control until the right main meter level is hovering around the 0 dB mark (labeled "level set").

4.Now the gain is set correctly, disengage solo.

5.During a performance, if you notice that the OL (overload) LED next to the channel fader turns on, carefully decrease the gain until OL no longer comes on.

Stereo Line Inputs

Mono

Tape In/Out

Line

Inputs

Hi-z

Tape

Low Cut

48V

Gain

Level

Set

Solo

Mode

MUTE

OL Led

Solo

SOLO

Quick Start Guide 9