MIXER ANATOMY: CHAPTER 2

AUX Send Shift

Some Mackie consoles have six AUX SEND busses but only four AUX knobs. The SHIFT button selects whether their associated knobs send the channel signal to AUX outputs 3 and 4 or outputs 5 and 6 on a channel-by-channel basis.

Using AUXes with Effects

Here’s the signal flow from the AUX send, through the AUX output, to a reverb unit, and back to the mix through the AUX Return jack.

FADER

 

• AUX

•

• AUX

 

BUS

 

•

•

•

 

AUX

AUX

SEND

RETURN

•

•

 

MAIN

 

BUS

 

REVERB

IN

OUT

This is sometimes called a “parallel” effect con- nection, since the path of the processed signal is in parallel with the dry signal path.

Built-in Effects

The CFX, DFX. and PPM series mixers have a built in digital effects processor (EMAC). The input of the EMAC is normally connected to the EFX bus (EFX

2 in the CFX), and the output is normally returned to the MAIN bus. The EFX send and return jacks on these mixers have normalling switch contacts – inserting a plug disconnects the normal send/return loop through the EMAC so that you can use them with an outboard processor.

With some clever cable juggling you can even use the EMAC processor as an outboard effect for another mixer.

EFX Foot Switch and Bypass

We’ve included some features on the effects- equipped mixers that will be welcomed by the musician or band working without a sound engineer. The Grand Canyon reverb might have sounded great on that ballad you just finished, but it really sounds dumb on your speaking voice, when you’re introducing the next song. It’s handy to be able to quickly kill the effects processor and then turn it back on when it’s time for the next song.

The EFX BYPASS switch on the front panel mutes the signal to the effects processor when you’re in

 

 

 

 

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Compact Mixer Reference Guide

 

 

 

easy reach of the mixer. By plugging a normally open, latching (push-on-push-off) foot switch into the EFX FOOT SWITCH jack, you can mute the effect return without leaving your performing position. If the mixer is in sight, the lighted EFX BYPASS LED will remind you of why you’re no longer in the Grand Canyon.

If you’re using an outboard effects pro-

cessor on the PPM instead of the EMAC, that will also be bypassed when either the

front panel or foot switch is activated. On the CFX and DFX, however, the bypass switch comes ahead of the EFX RETURN 2 jacks, so an external processor coming in to the mix at that point will not be affected by the bypass foot switch.

Plugging in a foot switch disables the front panel EFX BYPASS switch.

Control Room Output

When recording, it’s convenient to have an output with its own volume control that’s dedicated to control room listening. Control Room outputs are on 1/4" balanced TRS jacks (unbalanced on the 8-Bus) and are fed from the Control Room Level control. This allows you to crank the playback level so the drummer can hear it, or turn it down to answer the telephone, all without disturbing the MASTER level, which you’ve set to send the proper level to the mixdown recorder.

The source for the Control Room output is selected by switches in the Master section of the console. The Main left/right outputs are always available to the control room monitor. Other choices, depending on the mixer, are the subgroups, ALT 3-4 bus, playback from a stereo recorder, Mix B, or another external source such as a CD player.

Headphone Output

The Headphone output is another copy of the Control Room output (the 8-Bus offers several other choices) followed by an amplifier capable of driving a set of headphones to a comfortable, no, a pretty darn loud level.

WARNING: When we say the headphone

amp is loud, we’re not kidding. It can cause permanent hearing damage (and

headphone damage, too). Even intermediate levels may be painfully loud with some earphones. BE CAREFUL!