If you’re doing a mixdown to a 2-track, for example, simply engage the MAIN MIX switch on each channel that you want to hear, and they’ll be sent to the MAIN MIX bus. If you want to create a subgroup of certain channels, engage either the 1-2 or 3-4 switches instead of the MAIN MIX, and they’ll be sent to the appropriate subgroup faders. From there, the subgroups can be sent back to the MAIN MIX (using the SUB ASSIGN switches

[43]above the subgroup faders), allowing you to use the subgroup faders as a master control for those channels.

If you’re creating new tracks or bouncing existing ones, you’ll also use the 1-2 and 3-4 switches, but not the MAIN MIX switch. Here, you don’t want the subgroups sent back into the MAIN MIX bus, but sent out, via the SUB OUT jacks [60], to your multitrack inputs. How- ever, if you’re printing tracks via the RECORDING OUTS

[63](or via the optional FireWire card), the channel assignment switches don’t matter because the RECORD- ING OUTS come before the ASSIGN switches.

The Onyx 1640 is what we call a “true 4-bus mixer.” Each channel can be assigned or unassigned to any of

Control Room Matrix,

s’Owner

Metering, and Phones

 

Typically, the engineer sends the MAIN MIX to an audi-

 

ence (if live) or to a mixdown deck (if recording). But

 

what if the engineer needs to hear something other than

Manual

the MAIN MIX in the control room or headphones? With

 

the Onyx 1640, the engineer has several choices of what

 

to listen to. This is one of those tricky parts, so buckle up.

 

18. CONTROL ROOM/PHONES SOURCE

 

Using the SOURCE switches, you can choose to listen

 

to any combination of MAIN MIX, TAPE, SUB 1-2, SUB

 

3-4, and FIREWIRE (optional). By now, you probably

 

know what the MAIN MIX is. TAPE is the stereo signal

 

coming in from the TAPE IN RCA jacks. The four SUB-

 

GROUPs can be used for additional mono or stereo mix

 

outputs. FIREWIRE is a 2-track feed coming in through

 

the optional FireWire card from your computer.

 

the subgroups without affecting the other subgroups or settings within the channel, and each subgroup has its own master fader and dedicated output. In fact, since there are four subgroups and the MAIN MIX, it’s actually a true 6-bus mixer. We should have named it the Onyx 1660!

17. SOLO Switch

This handy switch allows you to hear signals through your headphones or control room outputs without having to route them to the MAIN or SUB mixes. Folks use solo in live work to preview channels before they are let into the mix, or just to check out what a particular channel is up to anytime during a session. You can solo as many channels at a time as you like.

Your Onyx 1640 has “Dual-Mode Solo.” A switch in the master section, SOLO MODE [34] determines which mode you’ll be hearing. With the switch up, you’ll get “PFL” (Pre-Fader Listen), which is after the GAIN and EQ controls, but before the channel fader. With the switch down, you’re in “AFL” (After-Fader Listen), which is post-fader and post-PAN, making it ideal for mixdown soloing.

Soloed channels are sent to the SOURCE mix [18], which ultimately feeds your CONTROL ROOM, PHONES, and Meters. Whenever SOLO is engaged, all SOURCE selections (MAIN MIX, TAPE, SUB 1-2, SUB 3-4, and FIREWIRE) are defeated, to allow the soloed signal to do just that—solo!

Selections made in the SOURCE matrix deliver stereo signals to the C-R OUT, PHONES, and Meters. These signals are tapped after their respective level controls —post-MAIN MIX fader, post-SUB 1-4 faders, and post-TAPE IN knob. With no switches engaged, there will be no signal at these outputs and no meter indication.

The exception to that is the SOLO func- tion. Regardless of the SOURCE matrix selection, engaging a channel’s SOLO switch will replace that selection with the SOLO signal, also sent to the CONTROL ROOM, PHONES, and Meters.

There is an alternate way
to get the TAPE, SUB 1-4
and FIREWIRE signals
into the Control Room

outputs. Each of these signals can be routed

directly to the main mix bus, and then assigned to the C-R OUT and PHONES by selecting MAIN MIX in the SOURCE matrix, the difference being that the signals pass through the MAIN MIX INSERT and MAIN MIX fader first.

Just under the TAPE IN knob, there is a button called TAPE TO MAIN MIX [23]. This routes the stereo tape mix to the main mix bus.

The SUB ASSIGN switches [43] are used to route the subgroups to the left and right main mix bus.

CONTROL

ROOM/

PHONES

SOURCE

MAIN MIX

TAPE

SUB 1-2

SUB 3-4

FIREWIRE

(OPTION)

ASSIGN TO

MAIN MIX

OO

MAX

CONTROL
ROOM

OO

MAX

PHONES

Owner’s Manual

13