Mackie CR1604 - VLZ owner manual AUX Sends Solo, AUX Returns Level, Effects to Monitors, Aux Ret

AUX SENDS SOLO

Once again, in a live sound situations AUX SEND 1 and 2 are likely to feed your stage monitors. You’ll want to check the mix you’re sending them, and that’s what these two but- tons are for. (AUX 3 through AUX 6 have no such switch.) Below each switch is a green LED that, just like the channel’s –20LED , helps you find the rogue SOLO switch.

The only thing different about AUX SENDS SOLO is that it’s not really PFL (pre-fader lis- ten), and it’s not really SIP (solo-in-place), it’s actually AFL (after-fader listen, and yes, we know there’s no fader in this case.) During NORMAL (AFL) mode , you’ll get AUX SEND 1’s solo signal, post-AUX SENDS master level, in the left side of the C-R OUTS, PHONES output and meter display, and AUX SEND 2 on the right side. (If you ever you use AUX 1 and 2 to create a stereo monitor mix, you’ll understand why.) In LEVEL SET (PFL) mode, you’ll get the signal dead-center, but still post-AUX SENDS master level.

AUX RETURNS (LEVEL)

These four controls set the overall level of effects received from the stereo AUX RETURN input jacks . These controls are designed to handle a wide range of signal levels — each knob goes from off, to unity gain at the detent, to 20dB gain fully clockwise, to compensate for

	low-level effects. Signals passing
TM	through the STEREO AUX

EFFECTS TO MONITORS

If you want to add reverb or delay to the stage monitor mixes, these are the knobs for you. Operating independently of their respec- tively numbered AUX RETURNS level controls, these knobs are exactly the same as the AUX 1 and AUX 2 knobs found in the channel strip .

These two knobs feed AUX RETURN signals to their respective AUX SEND outputs : TO AUX SEND 1 feeds AUX RETURN 1 to AUX SEND 1 master, and TO AUX SEND 2 feeds AUX RETURN 2 to AUX SEND 2 master. They are off when turned fully down, deliver unity gain at the center detent, and can provide up to 15dB of gain turned fully up. AUX RETURN 3 and AUX RETURN 4 have no such knobs.

MAIN MIX TO SUBS (AUX RET 3)

With this switch up, AUX RETURN 3 behaves like all the others — it delivers a stereo signal, regulated by its level knob, to the MAIN L-R MIX . When you engage this switch, the signals are removed from the MAIN L-R MIX buses and sent to the 1-2/3-4switch, which diverts the signal once more. We’re not finished. Please read on.

1–2/3–4 (AUX RET 3)

As you’ve just read, if the MAIN MIX TO SUBS switch is disengaged, the 1–2/3–4switch does absolutely nothing. Let’s now assume it’s engaged. AUX RETURN 3’s stereo signal will not be sent to the MAIN MIX, but to subgroup fad-

12V

CR1604-VLZ0.5A

16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER

LAMP

RETURN level controls will pro- ceed directly to the MAIN L-R

ers 1 and 2 (1–2/3–4switch up) or subgroup faders 3 and 4 (switch down).

	U		U
1		1
OO	+10	OO	+20
	U		U
2		2
OO	+10	O	+20
AUX
SENDS			U
1		3
SOLO		OO	+20
2			U
SOLO		4
PHAN	PWR	OO	+20

	U
1		TO AUX
		SEND 1
OO	+15	EFFECTS TO
	U	MONITORS

2	TO AUX
	SEND 2
OO	+15

ASSIGN OPTIONS

	MAIN MIX		1–2
	TO SUBS		3–4
C-R / PHNS		RETURNS
	ONLY		SOLO

MIX fader , with exceptions that we’ll discuss in a moment.

Typically, these knobs can just live at the center detent, and the effects device’s output control should be set at what- ever they call unity gain (check their manual). If that turns out to be too loud or too quiet, ad- just the effects device’s outputs,

Let’s say you’ve made a stereo drum submix on subgroup faders 1 and 2, so you can ride those two faders instead of the seven channels that the drums came from. Subgroup fader 1 has its ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX, LEFT button engaged and subgroup fader 2 has its ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX, RIGHT button engaged, blending the drum submix back into the MAIN L-R MIX. The drum channels are also sending signals to your reverb via the AUX sends and the reverb outputs are

STEREO AUX RETURNS

not the mixer. That way, the

patched into AUX RETURN 3. So far so good.

OO MAX

C-R / PHONES

TAPE

SUBS 1–2

SUBS 3–4

MAIN MIX

	U
OO	+20

TAPE IN

TAPE TO

MAIN MIX

OO MAX

SOLO

MODE

LEFT RIGHT

0 dB=0 dBu

CLIP

28

10

7

4

2

0

2

4

LEVEL 7

SET

10

20

30

mixer’s knobs are easy to relocate at the center detent.

Even though you could send AUX RETURN 3 directly to the MAIN L-R MIX (MAIN MIX TO SUBS switch up), you don’t want to. Instead, en- gage the MAIN MIX TO SUBS switch and make sure the 1–2/3–4switch is up. Now the reverb return will be blended into the drum submix, and as you ride those two faders, the reverb level will follow.

Why do we want that? Because if you had

SOURCE	NORMAL (AFL)	RUDE
	LEVEL SET (PFL)	SOLO
		LIGHT

just sent the reverb directly to the MAIN L-R

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