ONYX 4•Bus

Introduction

Thank you for choosing a Mackie Onyx 4•Bus professional live mixing console. The Onyx 4•Bus mixers feature all-new analog circuitry and the latest technologies for live sound reinforcement in a durable, road-worthy package.

The Onyx 4•Bus mixing consoles replace the legendary SR24•4 and SR32•4 VLZ PRO mixers. The new Onyx versions of these mixers maintain the same physical size, channel count and features of the originals, while adding a variety of new and improved features.

The Onyx 4•Bus consoles are equipped with 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 expensive stand-alone boutique mic preamplifiers.

Each mono channel strip features an individual phantom power switch, low-cut filter, mic input pad, pre-EQ channel insert, and an all new four-band EQ design with sweepable mids and EQ bypass switch.

All mono channels have six Aux sends, Pan, Mute, PFL Solo, 100 mm Fader, Group and Main Mix assign, and four signal-level indicators. In addition, balanced direct outputs are provided on DB-25 connectors (eight channels per connector) for multitrack recording.

The master section features two Stereo Returns, six Master Aux sends, four Group Masters, a 6x2 Matrix, a Phones/Monitor section, and a Talkback section with routing switches that allow you to communicate through the Aux Sends and the L/R mix.

A new feature with the Onyx 4•Bus mixers is an analog stereo compressor/limiter that can be inserted at the output of the L/R main mix, or the Group 1/2 or 3/4 outputs.

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HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL

We know that many of you can’t wait to get your new mixing console hooked up, and you’re probably not going to read the manual first (sigh!). So the next section is a Quick-Start Guide to help you get the mixer set up fast so you can start using it right away. Right after that are the ever popular hook-up diagrams that show typical mixer setups for live sound, recording and mixdown.

Then, when you have time, read the Features Description section. This describes every knob, button, and connection point on the Onyx 4•Bus, roughly following the signal flow through the mixer.

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 4•Bus. For your own good, read

them and remember them. They will

be on the final test.

This icon leads you to in-depth explanations 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 special hybrid connectors.

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

Click on Support to find answers to many of your ques- tions. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section is filled with answers to many of the questions our Technical Support staff has fielded over the years.

Check out the glossary for explanations of many of the pro-audio terms used in our manuals.

ONYX 4•Bus