21
Fig.1
HI MID Variable 3: Band Center
HI MID Variable 2: Bandwidth
HI MID Variable 1: Boost/Cut
3 HI MID VARIABLES
Everybody knows what EQ is, but just in case you’d like a refresher, we’ll put in a few para- graphs here.
Equalization (EQ) refers to purposely chang- ing the frequency response of a circuit, sometimes to correct for previous unequal re- sponse (hence the term, equalization), and more often to add or subtract level at certain frequen- cies for a pleasing effect.
Bass and treble controls on your stereo are EQ; so are the devices called parametrics and graphics and notch filters.
A lot of how we refer to equalization has to do with what a graph of the frequency response would look like. A flat response (no EQ) is a straight line; a peak looks like a hill, a dip is a valley, a notch is a really skinny valley, and a shelf looks like a plateau (or a
shelf). The slope is the grade of the hill on the graph. For in- stance, if you lived in Texas, you would set y’all’s EQs flat.
Graphic equalizers have enough frequency slider con- trols to form a graph of the EQ right on the front panel. Para- metric EQs let you vary several EQ parameters at once. A fil- ter is simply a form of equalizer that allows certain frequencies through unmo- lested and either reduces other frequencies or elimi- nates them entirely.
The equalizer on the 8•Bus Series combines several differ-
ent types of EQ into five different sections.
The HI MID EQ section is a fully parametric equalizer. This means all the significant parameters can be varied, as you can see in Figure 1. The
ample, or just the tom mics on the drums. The solo circuits are designed not to inter-
rupt the recording process. The solo bus signal is sent directly to the control-room monitors without affecting any of the inputs, outputs or recording buses.
When you are mixing or monitoring with re- verb, remember to not only solo the channel you’d like to hear, but also the AUX Return carry- ing your reverb. Otherwise, you will hear the channel soloed dry, without its echo.
EQ
many recorders, and no amplifiers, that can tolerate such high signal levels. Therefore, it’s best that the red LEDs never light up.
But, if your music is sounding good, don’t worry if you’re in the yellow a lot or if some parts of the track hardly read at all. You’ll quickly get a feel for what works for you, when you can get away with really smacking the tape or the electronics too much.
BUSESMore often than not, the goal in a mixing console is to mix two or more inputs into one output. Like a coach who has two or more players to get to the same ballgame, console designers use a bus. Even Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary agrees, defining the word bus in electronics as “a conductor serving as a common connector for three or more circuits.”
The Mackie 8•Bus Series has, in fact, many more than eight buses. The eight memorialized in the name are important, but there are also six AUXiliary buses, a pair of L/R Mix buses, the alternate pair of MIX-B buses, and a pair of Solo buses. We will try to be clear just what bus we are talking about when we do talk about buses.
SENDS AND RETURNSSends are outputs, and returns are inputs. So why don’t we call them outputs and inputs?
Well, actually, the terms send and return can mean many things, but the way they are generally used in mixing console parlance is to refer to sends, which tap off a little of a signal to send to some effects device (like a reverberation unit), and returns, which function to return that reverb back into the mix.
Sends are also used to tap some mix of signal from a collection of channels for a headphone cue mix. For that matter, sends can be used as additional mix buses, if needed.
In the same way, if you don’t need them for reverb or effects, returns can be used as additional inputs to your mix.
SOLO
Solo is a standard console function that allows you to listen to one or more sources all by themselves (soloed).
You can check EQ, possible distortion or buzz, or just listen to see if a particular mic is open or not. This function can also be handled by each channel’s -20/OL LEDs. See Section 2 “–20 and OL LEDs” for more details. When soloing more than one source, you can listen to the blend of just part of your mix: only the sopranos, for ex-
