Mackie 1642-VLZ3 32. 3-BAND MID-SWEEPEQ

VLZ3-			CONSTANT LOUDNESS ! ! !
			The 1642-VLZ3’s PAN [31]
	34		controls employ a design
1642			called “Constant Loudness.”
		It has nothing to do with living next to
		a freeway. As you turn the PAN knob
		from left to right (thereby causing
		the sound to move from the left to the
		center to the right), the sound will ap-
		pear to remain at the same volume (or
		loudness).
		If you have a channel panned hard
		left (or right) and reading 0 dB, it
		must dip down about 4 dB on the left
		(or right) when panned center. To do
		otherwise, like those Brand X mixers,
	32	would make the sound appear much
		louder when panned center.
		32. 3-BAND MID-SWEEP EQ
		The eight mono channels have a
		3-band, mid-sweep equalization: LOW
		shelving at 80 Hz, MID sweep peaking
		from 100 Hz to 8 kHz, and HI shelving
		at 12 kHz. It’s probably all the EQ you’ll
		ever need! (Shelving means that the
		circuitry boosts or cuts all frequen-
		cies past the specified frequency. For
		example, the 1642-VLZ3’s LOW EQ
		boosts bass frequencies starting at 80
		Hz and continuing down to the lowest
		note you never heard. Peaking means
		that certain frequencies form a “hill”
		around the center frequency.)
		The LOW EQ provides up to 15 dB
		boost or cut below 80 Hz. The circuit
		is flat (no boost or cut) at the center
		detent position. This frequency repre-
		sents the punch in bass drums, bass
		guitar, fat synth patches, and some
		really serious male singers.
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		0
		–5
		–10
		–15
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Used in conjunction with the LOW CUT [34] switch, you can boost the LOW EQ without injecting a ton of subsonic debris into the mix. We recommend using the LOW CUT feature on all channels, except low frequency signals, like kick drums and bass guitars.

The MID EQ , or “midrange,” has a fixed bandwidth of

1 octave. The MID knob sets the amount of boost or cut, up to 15 dB, and is effectively bypassed at the center detent. The frequency knob sets the center frequency, sweepable from 100 Hz to 8 kHz.

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20Hz	100Hz	1kHz	10kHz 20kHz	20Hz	100Hz	1kHz	10kHz 20kHz

Most of the root and lower harmonics that define a sound are located in the 100 Hz–8 kHz frequency range, and you can create drastic changes with these two knobs. Many engineers use MID EQ to cut midrange frequencies, not boost them. One popular trick is to set the MID fully up, turn the frequency knob until you find a point where it sounds just terrible, then back the MID down into the cut range, causing those terrible frequencies to disappear. Sounds silly, but it works. Sometimes.

The HI EQ provides you up to 15 dB boost or cut above 12 kHz, and it is also flat at the detent. Use it to add sizzle to cymbals, an overall sense of transparency, or an edge to keyboards, vocals, guitar and bacon frying. Turn it down a little to reduce sibilance or to mask tape hiss.

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+10
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0
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–15
20Hz	100Hz	1kHz	10kHz 20kHz

With too much EQ, you can screw things up royally. We’ve designed a lot of boost and cut into each equalizer circuit because we know everyone will occasionally need that. But if you max the EQ on every channel, you’ll get mix mush. Equalize subtly and use the left sides of the knobs (cut), as well as the right (boost). If you find yourself repeatedly using full boost or cut, consider altering the sound source, such as placing a mic differently, trying a different kind of mic, changing the strings, or gargling.

16 1642-VLZ3