Mackie 1202-VLZ Pro Owner's Manual - Page 18

CHANNEL STRIP DESCRIPTION OO OO OO The eight channel strips look alike, and function identically. The only difference is that the four on the left are for individual mics or mono instruments and have more gain available, while the next four are for either stereo or mono line-level sources. (Each of the stereo channel strips is actually two complete circuits. The controls are linked together to preserve stereo.) We'll start at the bottom and work our way up... "U" LIKE UNITY GAIN Mackie mixers have a "U" symbol on almost every level control. This "U" stands for "unity gain," meaning no change in signal level. Once you have adjusted the input signal to line-level , you can set every control at U AUX "U" and your signals will 1 travel through the mixer at MON/ EFX optimal levels. What's +15 more, all the labels on our U level controls are measured 2 EFX +15 U EQ in decibels (dB), so you'll know what you're doing level-wise if you choose to change a control's settings. -15 +15 U HI 12kHz MID 2.5kHz You won't have to check it here and check it there, as you would with some other mixers. In fact, some don't even have any refer- -12 +12 ence to actual dB levels at U all! Ever seen those "0-10" -15 +15 LOW 80Hz PAN fader markings? We call these AUMs (Arbitrary Units of Measurement), and they mean nothing in the real world. You were smart - you bought a LR Mackie. 1 MUTE ALT 3-4 PRE FADER SOLO U +20dB GAIN GAIN The rotary GAIN knob controls the channel's level... from off to unity gain at the detent, on up to 20dB of additional gain. The GAIN knob is the equivalent of a channel fader. Channels 1 through 4 use mono controls, and channels 5 through 12 use stereo controls, and may feel slightly different. Not a problem. PRE-FADER SOLO This lovable switch allows you to hear signals through your headphones or control room without having to route them to the MAIN MIX or ALT 3-4 mix. You don't even have to have the channel's GAIN knob turned up. Folks use solo in live work to preview channels before they are let into the mix, or to just check out what a particular channel is up to anytime during a session. You can solo as many channels at a time as you like. Solo is also the key player in the LevelSetting Procedure . Soloed channels are sent to the SOURCE mix , which ultimately feeds your CONTROL ROOM, PHONES and meter display. Whenever SOLO is engaged, all SOURCE selections (MAIN MIX, ALT 3-4 and TAPE) are defeated, to allow the soloed signal to do just that - solo! WARNING: PRE-FADER SOLO taps the channel signal before the GAIN knob. If you have a channel's GAIN knob set below "U" (unity gain), SOLO won't know that and will send a unity gain signal to the CONTROL ROOM, PHONES and meter display. That may result in a startling level boost at these outputs. MUTE/ALT 3-4 The dual-purpose MUTE/ALT 3-4 bus is a Mackie signature. When Greg was designing our first product, he had to include a MUTE switch for each channel. MUTE switches do just what they sound like they do. They turn off the signal by "routing" it into oblivion. "Gee, what a waste," Greg reasoned. "Why not have the mute button route the signal somewhere else useful... like a separate stereo bus?" So MUTE/ALT 3-4 really serves two functions - muting (often used during a mixdown or live show), and signal routing (for multitrack and 18