Mackie 1604-VLZ Pro Owner's Manual - Page 26

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 buttons are for. (AUX 3 through AUX 6 have no such switch.) Beside each switch is a green LED that, just like the channel's -20 LED , helps you find the rogue SOLO switch. The only thing different about AUX SENDS SOLO is that it's not really PFL (pre-fader listen), 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 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 postAUX 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 1604-VLZ PRO 12V 16-CHANNEL MIC/ LINE MIXER 0.5A WITH PREMIUM XDRTM MIC PREAMPLIFIERS LAMP through the STEREO AUX RETURN level controls will proceed directly to the MAIN MIX U 1 +10 U U 1 +20 U U 1 TO AUX SEND 1 +15 EFFECTS TO U MONITORS fader , with exceptions that we'll discuss in a moment. Typically, these knobs can OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO 2 2 2 TO AUX SEND 2 just live at the center detent, +10 AUX SEND +20 U +15 ASSIGN OPTIONS and the effects device's output control should be set at what- 1 3 SOLO 2 +20 U MAIN MIX 1-2 TO SUBS 3-4 SOLO 4 PHAN PWR C-R / PHNS RETURNS +20 ONLY SOLO STEREO AUX RETURN U OO MAX CTL ROOM / PHONES OO +20 TAPE IN LEFT RIGHT 0 dB=0 dBu 28 10 7 ever they call unity gain (check their manual). If that turns out to be too loud or too quiet, adjust the effects device's outputs, not the mixer. That way, the mixer's knobs are easy to relocate at the center detent. 4 TAPE TAPE TO 2 MAIN MIX 0 SUBS 1-2 2 4 SUBS 3-4 OO MAX SOLO LEVEL SET 7 10 MAIN MIX CTL ROOM SOURCE MODE NORMAL (AFL) LEVEL SET (PFL) 20 30 RUDE SOLO LIGHT 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 respectively 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 MIX . When you engage this switch, the signals are removed from the MAIN MIX buses and sent to the 1-2/3-4 switch, 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 1-2/3-4 switch 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 faders 1 and 2 (1-2/3-4 switch up) or subgroup faders 3 and 4 (switch down). 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 MIX. The drum channels are also sending signals to your reverb via the AUX sends and the reverb outputs are patched into AUX RETURN 3. So far so good. Even though you could send AUX RETURN 3 directly to the MAIN MIX (MAIN MIX TO SUBS switch up), you don't want to. Instead, engage the MAIN MIX TO SUBS switch and make sure the 1-2/3-4 switch 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 just sent the reverb directly to the MAIN MIX 26