Mackie 1604-VLZ Pro Owner's Manual - Page 19

come on as a result of clipping. That's pretty boring. So, to liven things up, this LED will glow steadily when that channel's MUTE switch is engaged. If you need a quick reference to these LEDs, write this on the back of your hand: name color flickering glowing -20 (SOLO) green signal is present channel is soloed OL (MUTE) red channel is clipping channel is muted MUTE Engaging a channel's MUTE switch provides the same results as turning the fader all the way down: Any channel assignment to L-R, 1-2 or 3-4 will be interrupted. All the post AUX sends will be silenced, as will the DIRECT OUT signals on channels 1 through 8. And of course, that fun-loving OL (MUTE) LED will commence to glow. The PRE AUX sends , channel INSERT send and SOLO (in LEVEL SET (PFL) mode) will continue to function during MUTE. Depending on the audio content in a channel, engaging its MUTE switch may cause a slight popping sound. This is not a problem within the mixer, and it can be avoided: Simply engage the LOW CUT switch on each channel (unless its low frequency content is vitally important, such as a kick drum or bass guitar). LOW CUT eliminates subsonic debris, which causes the pop, and its effect is usually transparent. PAN PAN adjusts the amount of channel signal sent to the left versus the right outputs. Pan determines the fate of the L-R assignment, subgroups 1-2 and 3-4, and the SOLO (in LEVEL SET (PFL) mode). With the PAN knob hard left, the signal will feed the left MAIN MIX, subgroup 1, subgroup 3 and left NORMAL (AFL) solo mode (assuming their assignment switches are engaged). With the knob hard right, signal feeds the right MAIN MIX, subgroup 2, subgroup 4 and right NORMAL (AFL) solo mode. With the PAN knob set somewhere in-between left and right, the signal will be divided between the left and right busses. Stereo Sources Your life will be easier if you follow this standard convention: When patching stereo sound sources to a mixer, always plug the left signal into an "odd" channel (1, 3, 5, etc.) and the right signal into the adjacent "even" channel (2, 4, 6, etc.). Then pan the odd channel hard left and the even channel hard right. CONSTANT LOUDNESS ! ! ! The 1604-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, like those Brand X mixers, would make the sound appear much louder when panned center. 3-BAND MID-SWEEP EQ The 1604-VLZ PRO has a 3-band, mid-sweep equalization: LOW shelving at 80Hz, MID sweep peaking from 100Hz to 8kHz, and HI shelving at 12kHz. It's probably all the EQ you'll ever need! (Shelving means that the circuitry boosts or cuts all frequencies past the specified frequency. For example, the 1604-VLZ PRO's LOW EQ boosts bass frequencies 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.) The LOW EQ provides 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 punch in bass drums, bass guitar, fat synth patches, and some really serious male singers. +15 +10 +5 0 -5 -10 -15 20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz Used in conjunction with the LOW CUT switch , you can boost the LOW EQ without injecting a ton of subsonic debris into the mix. We recommend using the LOW CUT feature on all channels, except low frequency signals, like kick drums and bass guitars. The MID EQ , or "midrange," has a fixed bandwidth of 1.5 octaves. The MID knob sets the amount of boost or cut, up to 15dB, and is effectively bypassed at then center detent. The frequency knob sets the center frequency, sweepable from 100Hz to 8kHz. 19 OO OO OO OO OO TRIM 1 U M-1IC0dGBAVIN 0 60 +15dB -45dB AUX U 1 +15 U 2 +15 PRE U 3 5 +15 U 4 6 +15 5/6 SHIFT EQ U HI 12k -15 +15 U MID -15 +15 800 200 2k 100 8k U LOW 80Hz -15 +15 LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT PAN LR 1 MUTE OL -20 SOLO 1-2 3-4 L - R