Introduction

Thank you for choosing a Mackie Onyx 400F ten- channel professional audio interface for studio digital audio recording. The Onyx Series microphone preamps are designed for the digital era and offer the newest features and latest technologies for digital studio recording in a durable, road-worthy package.

The Onyx 400F is equipped with four of our new premium precision-engineered studio-grade Onyx mic preamps. Mackie is renowned for the high-quality mic preamps used in our mixers, and the Onyx mic pre’s are better than ever, with specifications rivaling other stand-alone mic preamplifiers at twice the price.

The Onyx 400F is designed to be a transparent audio interface for direct tracking and mixdown. It works with virtually any ASIO/Core Audio compliant DAW software application on a PC or Mac as a 10x10 audio interface and 1x1 MIDI interface.

Channels 1 and 2 feature an instrument select switch, which lets you connect an acoustic, electric, or bass guitar directly to the preamp, eliminating the need for an external direct box.

Channels 1-4 have a Neutrik™ Combo input connector, which allows you to use either a 1/4" TRS connector or an XLR connector. A global 48V switch applies phantom power to all four XLR input connectors. Insert jacks are provided for channels 1-4 to send and return the signal to an external processor. These are pre-A/D so they work great for compressors and other dynamic processors.

Channels 5-8 each have a 1/4" TRS input connector and accept line-level signals. Eight channels of analog balanced line outputs are provided on 1/4" TRS connectors. Two channels of digital inputs and outputs are provided on two S/PDIF RCA-type connectors. A FireWire connector provides a simple connection to a laptop or desktop computer and allows all 10 channels (eight analog and two S/PDIF) to be streamed to and from your software of choice. There are two FireWire connectors so the Onyx 400F can be placed in a daisy-chain FireWire connection.

The Onyx 400F uses the Texas Instruments TMS320C6713 DSP, which is capable of 1800 million instructions per second (MIPS) and can operate with

32-bit or 64-bit word instructions. This reflects the same 64-bit quality found in the latest generation of DAWs, including Tracktion 2, and is why the Onyx 400F is capable of zero-latency recording (and why it sounds so good!).

The Onyx 400F Console software is a control panel that allows you to choose the sample rate (44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, or 192 kHz) for the internal A/D and D/A convert- ers, and the clock source (from an external clock connected to the external word clock input connector on the rear panel, from the S/PDIF input, or from the internal clock). You can turn the DSP Mixer on and off, which

is a matrix mixer that allows you to provide a separate mix for each pair of outputs. You can choose whether

the headphone and control room outputs mirror the

 

Owner’s

 

 

ASIO/Core Audio Outputs 1 and 2 or the ASIO/Core Audio

 

 

Outputs 7 and 8. You can also select whether the S/PDIF

 

 

I/O is formatted for consumer or professional status.

 

Manual

HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL

 

 

 

We know that many of you can’t wait to get your

 

 

new preamp/FireWire interface hooked up, and you’re

 

 

probably not going to read the manual first (sigh!). So

 

 

the first section after this introduction is a Quick-Start

 

 

Guide called “Getting Started” to help you get the Onyx

 

 

400F set up fast so you can start using it right away.

 

 

Right after that are the ever popular hook-up diagrams

 

 

that show typical setups for recording.

 

 

Then, when you have time, read the Features Descrip-

 

 

tion section. This describes every knob, button, and con-

 

 

nection point on the Onyx 400F, as well as the software

 

 

settings and controls.

 

 

Throughout this section you’ll find illustrations with

 

 

each feature numbered. If you want to know more about

 

 

a feature, simply locate it on the appropriate illustra-

 

 

tion, notice the number attached to it, and find that

 

 

number in the nearby paragraphs.

 

 

 

This icon marks information that is

 

 

 

 

 

 

critically important or unique to the

 

 

 

Onyx 400F. For your own good, read

 

 

 

them and remember them. They will

 

 

 

be on the final test.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This icon leads you to in-depth expla-

 

 

 

nations of features and practical tips.

 

 

 

While not mandatory, they usually have

 

 

 

some valuable nugget of information.

 

 

A PLUG FOR THE CONNECTOR SECTION

 

 

Appendix B is a section on connectors: XLR connec-

 

 

tors, balanced connectors, unbalanced connectors, and

 

 

the insert connectors used on the Onyx 400F.

 

 

More resources on our website at www.mackie.com.

 

 

THE GLOSSARY: A Haven of Non-Techiness for

 

 

the Neophyte

 

 

The “Glossary of Terms” is a fairly comprehensive

 

 

dictionary of pro-audio terms. If terms like “clipping,”

 

 

“noise floor,” or “unbalanced” leave you blank, refer to

 

 

this glossary for a quick explanation.

 

 

ARCANE MYSTERIES ILLUMINATED

 

 

“Arcane Mysteries” discusses some of the down ‘n’ dirty

 

 

practical realities of microphones, fixed installations,

 

 

grounding, and balanced versus unbalanced lines. It’s a

 

 

goldmine for the neophyte, and even the seasoned pro

 

 

might learn a thing or two.

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

Owner’s Manual