Phones source matrix lets you route any combination of tape, subs 1-2, 3-4, main mix or Aux 4 to headphones, control room outputs, and meters. This enables you to monitor 2-track tape output or route a click/cue track to phones, create special phones or broadcast mixes via the subs, or create an extra stereo mix (with its own gain control) for another zone, like a cry room, lobby, or other such place.
For that matter, the CR1604-VLZ’s mono main out has its own level control, so a mono mix can be sent to another zone and adjusted accordingly.
The CR1604-VLZ has six aux sends, in a four-knob per channel strip scheme.
Aux Sends 1 & 2 are switchable pre- or post-fader, and the next two knobs can be switched between Aux Sends 3 & 4 or 5 & 6 (all four are post-fader).
Playback of a tape or CD is easy with the 1604-VLZ’s Tape In volume control and two routing switches.
Solo has its own volume control and is switchable fromAFL (In-Place) to PFL. Level setting is easy in PFL, especially when used in conjunction with the mixer’s level set LED and marker (near the 12- segment stereo LED ladder). Check a channel’s stereo placement by switching to AFL; the CR1604- VLZ’s constant- power pan pots maintain a consistent loudness across the stereo horizon.
Each channel has a mute button, making it easy to mute a source when it’s not contributing to the mix.
Log-taper 60mm faders deliver a consistent fade throughout the fader’s throw, so choppy fade-ins and fade-outs are history. These faders have a copolymer membrane that provides a continuously sealed barrier against dust and liquids without interfering with fader travel. Similarly, the fader’s long- wearing contact material (first designed for use in exterior automotive sensors) means longer fader life and improved resistance to the elements.
VLZ, Headroom,and more.Very Low Impedance – VLZ – isn’t just a catchy acronym, it’s a fact. We designed the CR1604-VLZ so that noise is minimized and dynamics are maxi- mized.
The noise created by many channels running simultaneously can reallyadd up (it’s called “thermal noise,” and has something to do with temperatures, atoms and the like). Mackie decreases thermal noise by making internal impedances as low as practical, in as many places as possible inside the mixer. Our robust power supply delivers the high current levels necessary to implement VLZ, resulting in astonishingly low noise levels, and minimal crosstalk, too.
Likewise, Mackie’s internal UnityPlus circuit design allows for maximum headroom. The CR1604- VLZ can handle multiple, intense signals without distortion because of its negative gain mix amplifier architecture. Channels are mixed together at –6dB, then restored to unity. This gives the mixer the ability to sum 4 times the number of signals before clipping. That’s about double the amount of mix amp headroom available with many other compact mixers.