Fender Series 3000 Owners Manual - Page 22

• The "Signal" LED, "Trim" Control and "Peak" LED Block Diagram Closeup The Signal LED lights when a low-level signal is present at the Lo-Z In or Hi-Z In connector. The Trim control optimizes the gain of the Input Channel for almost any input (source) level. The Peak LED lights when a high-level peak signal is present at the Lo-Z In or Hi-Z In connector. Differences The Signal LED, Trim control and Peak LED are the same on all Fender 3000 Series Mixers. What the Trim Control Does The Trim control allows you to optimize preamplifier gain for different sources. By doing this, you minimize preamplifier "hiss" noise and maximize preamplifier headroom. Because the Trim control is a continuous adjustment (unlike the preamplifier gain switches on other mixers), you can optimize the gain for almost any type of input from a very low level microphone to a high line-level synthesizer. What the Peak LED Does The Peak LED guides you through the process of adjusting the Trim control. After you have adjusted the Trim control, the Peak LED gives you important information on the incoming signal strength. What the Signal LED Does The Signal LED indicates the presence of a signal in the Input Channel. The Signal LED lights when a low-level signal is present at the Lo-Z In or the Hi-Z In connector. The Signal LED will stay on when signal levels are higher, that is, the Signal LED is supposed to be on during normal operation of the mixer as long as there is some signal coming into your microphone (or whatever device you have connected to the Input Channel). PEAK SIGNAL +48v PHANTOM Lo-Z In - 50 Hi-Z In 6N, -36 •.::" c? INSERTION - 10 t A TRIM 40dB EO ,i1J7seiINPUT I 0- CHANNEL HI MID LO FADER 000 750 1.5K 3K PEAK LED -So An Exercise If necessary, see "The Exercises" for instructions on setup and connections. (Keep the Program and Monitor master faders all the way down for now.) Choose any tape from your collection and start your tape machine. Now, while watching the Peak LED, turn up the Trim control (clockwise) until the Peak LED begins to blink on and off regularly. Now turn the Trim control back down, just a bit, so that the Peak LED blinks only occasionally. That's all there is to it! You have just optimized preamplifier gain for maximum headroom and minimum noise! Now repeat the process for all the other inputs you're using. For microphones, talk or sing into the mic while you are adjusting the Trim control (or have a friend do the talking/singing). Talk or sing at approximately the same level you would expect in a performance (for a musical performance, this may be much higher than normal speaking voice). Once you have set the Trim controls on all channels, you should not have to reset them unless you plug something different into the input or there's a drastic change in input level (like a strong-voiced singer replacing a very weak-voiced singer). Using the Trim Control Before an actual performance, you should perform a Trim control adjustment on each Input Channel. As you become familiar with your equipment, you should be able to judge the proper settings for the Trim controls from experience. If the same singer always uses the same microphone, for example, you'll be able to set the Trim control in the same place each time (and probably just leave it there if you always use the same Input Channel). Watch the Signal and Peak LEDs. The Signal LED can help you determine whether or not a microphone is working (if someone is talking/singing into the microphone and the microphone is working, the Signal LED will be on). The Peak LED can help you determine the relative level of two different inputs (whichever input is loudest will light the Peak LED more often). However, if the Peak LED stays on for more than an instant, or if it lights frequently, you may be experiencing some "clipping distortion" and you should probably readjust the Trim control downward slightly. For more information on the LEDs see the section on VU Meters. 20