WARNING! Pushing the TAPE TOMAIN MIX button can create afeedback path between TAPE INand TAPE OUT. Make sure your tape deck is not in record, record pause,
or input monitor mode when you engage these switches, or make sure the TAPE IN level control is turned all the way down.
The TAPE OUT jacks produce an unbalanced signal that is tapped off the MAIN OUTs. Normally, you would connect these to the inputs of a recorder, but you can use them as an extra set of main outputs for feeding another zone, for example.
59. CONTROL RM Outputs
These 1/4" TRS jacks provide a balanced line-level signal that can be used to provide another main mix output (with MAIN MIX selected in the CONTROL ROOM/PHONES SOURCE), or to monitor the SUB 1-2 outputs, SUB 3-4 outputs, TAPE inputs, or a 2-track feed from your computer (with the optional FireWire card installed).
Connect these outputs to the inputs of an amplifier, powered speaker, headphone distribution amplifier, or recording device.
60. SUB Outputs
These 1/4" TRS jacks are usually patched to the inputs of a multitrack deck, or to secondary amplifiers in a complex installation.
61. AUX RETURN 1-4
These 1/4" TRS input connectors accept balanced or unbalanced line-level stereo signals from an external processor or other device. The stereo AUX RETURNS use a technique called jack normalling. If a signal is plugged into the LEFT (MONO) side and nothing is plugged into the RIGHT side, the signal is automatically connected to both LEFT and RIGHT sides. As soon as something is plugged into the RIGHT side, the normalled connection is broken and the LEFT and RIGHT inputs become stereo inputs (LEFT goes to the LEFT MAIN OUT and RIGHT goes to the RIGHT MAIN OUT).
62. AUX SEND 1-6
These 1/4" TRS output connectors provide balanced or unbalanced line-level signals for connecting to the inputs of effects devices or stage monitor amplifiers.
63. RECORDING OUTS
These two DB-25 connectors provide balanced direct outputs for channels 1-8 and 9-16, respectively. They are designed to be connected directly to a recorder’s analog inputs, and use the TASCAM standard pinout for analog signal connections (the same standard used on the analog cards for the Mackie D8B and Hard Disk Recorder).
The signal at the RECORDING OUTS comes just after the input GAIN control, and before the Low-Cut switch, INSERT jacks, and EQ. This way you can EQ a channel, connect a compressor or other dynamics processor to the INSERT jack, and adjust the channel fader to suit your live mix, but it has no effect on the signal going to the recorder. This provides maximum flexibility for the mixdown stage.
See Appendix B for a wiring diagram of these connectors.64. FIREWIRE I/O OPTION
Okay, we saved the best for last (well, almost last). FireWire (a.k.a. IEEE 1394) is a high-speed serial I/O interface for connecting digital devices, with more than 30 times the bandwidth of USB 1.1. You can install the optional Onyx FireWire card in this slot, which provides an interface for transferring digital audio to and from your laptop computer or digital audio workstation (DAW) with absolute zero latency.
The FireWire interface provides the direct outputs for all sixteen channels and the Left/Right Mix. The Left/Right Mix is pre-fader at the FireWire output, so its level is independent of the MAIN MIX fader (important for live gigs). Instead, it has a rotary level control that provides 10 dB of boost or cut for the Left/Right mix, to optimize the level for the recorder or DAW. Use the FireWire interface to record a live performance directly to your laptop, which you can mixdown to a stereo mix later. Or you can use it to turn your Onyx mixer into a high-quality computer audio interface for your DAW.
The card also provides a return for two channels from the DAW, which can be routed through the CONTROL ROOM/PHONES SOURCE matrix [18] via the FIREWIRE button, to monitor the computer audio through your control room speakers or headphones (or through the main speakers if ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX is selected).
The FireWire interface works with both PC and Mac. As an added bonus, we include a free copy of Tracktion with the FireWire card, our multitrack recording and sequencing software application for PC and Mac.
Visit our website at www.mackie.com for more information about the Onyx FireWire card.
