Mackie 1402-VLZ Pro Owner's Manual - Page 19

and PHONES outputs. If you want the ALT 3-4 signals to go back into the MAIN MIX, engage the ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX switch , and the CTL ROOM/SUBMIX fader becomes the one fader to control the levels of all channels assigned to ALT 3-4. Another way to do the same thing is to assign the channels to the ALT 3-4 mix, then patch out of the ALT OUT LEFT and RIGHT back into an unused stereo channel (7-8, 9-10 or 11-12 or 13-14). If that's your choice, don't ever engage the MUTE/ALT 3-4 switch on that stereo channel, or you'll have every dog in the neighborhood howling at your feedback loop. Another benefit of the ALT 3-4 feature is that it can act as a "AFL" (After Fader Listen): just engage a channel's MUTE/ALT 3-4 switch and the ALT 3-4 switch in the SOURCE matrix and you'll get that channel, all by itself, in the CONTROL ROOM and PHONES. MUTE/ALT 3-4 is one of those controls that can bewilder newcomers, so take your time and play around with it. Once you've got it down, you'll probably think of a hundred uses for it! PAN PAN adjusts the amount of channel signal sent to the left versus the right outputs. On mono channels (ch. 1-6 or 7-14 with connections to the LEFT input only) these controls act as pan pots. On stereo channels (7-14) with stereo connections to LEFT and RIGHT inputs, the pan knob works like the balance control on your home stereo. PAN determines the fate of the MAIN MIX (1-2) and ALT 3-4 mix. With the PAN knob hard left, the signal will feed either MAIN LEFT (bus 1) or ALT LEFT (bus 3), depending on the position of the ALT 3-4 switch. With the knob hard right, the signal feeds MAIN RIGHT (bus 2) or ALT RIGHT (bus 4). You'll soon discover that maybe we should've called this an 1404-VLZ2, since it really is a 4-bus mixer. CONSTANT LOUDNESS ! ! ! The 1402-VLZ PRO's PAN controls employ a design called "Constant Loudness." It has nothing to do with living next to a freeway. As you turn the PAN knob from left to right (thereby causing the sound to move from the left to the center to the right), the sound will appear to remain at the same volume (or loudness). If you have a channel panned hard left (or right) and reading 0dB, it must dip down about 4dB on the left (or right) when panned center. To do otherwise (the way Brand X compact mixers do) would make the sound appear much louder when panned center. 3-BAND EQ The 1402-VLZ PRO has 3-band equalization at carefully selected points - LOW shelving at 80Hz, MID peaking at 2.5kHz, and HI shelving at 12kHz. "Shelving" means that the circuitry boosts or cuts all frequencies past the specified frequency. For example, rotating the 1402-VLZ PRO's LOW EQ knob 15dB to the right boosts bass starting at 80Hz and continuing down to the lowest note you never heard. "Peaking" means that certain frequencies form a "hill" around the center frequency - 2.5kHz in the case of the MID EQ. LOW EQ This control gives you up to 15dB boost or cut at 80Hz. The circuit is flat (no boost or cut) at the center detent position. This frequency represents the +15 punch in bass drums, bass guitar, +10 fat synth patches, and some really +5 0 serious male singers. -5 Used in conjunction with the -10 LOW CUT switch , you can -15 boost the LOW EQ without inject- 20Hz 100Hz Low EQ 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz ing a ton of subsonic debris into +15 the mix. +10 MID EQ +5 0 Short for "midrange," this knob -5 provides 12dB of boost or cut, cen- -10 tered at 2.5kHz, also flat at the center detent. Midrange EQ is -15 20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz Low EQ with Low Cut often thought of as the most dy- namic, because the frequencies +15 that define any particular sound +10 +5 are almost always found in this 0 range. You can create many inter-5 esting and useful EQ changes by -10 turning this knob down as well as -15 up. 20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz Mid EQ HI EQ +15 +10 This control gives you up to +5 15dB boost or cut at 12kHz, and it 0 is also flat at the detent. Use it to -5 add sizzle to cymbals, and an over- -10 all sense of transparency or edge -15 20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz to keyboards, vocals, guitar and Hi EQ bacon frying. Turn it down a little to reduce sibilance, or to hide tape hiss. 19