Mackie Mix 50 Owners Manual - Page 12

MAIN SECTION 18. POWER LED This LED turns on when the mixer's power cord is plugged into an AC outlet. Since there is no power switch on the MIX Series mixers, the mixer is always on when it is connected to AC power. 19. PHANTOM 48V Switch and LED Push in this switch to provide phantom power to the MIC (1) input XLR jacks. Phantom power is required to operate most condenser microphones (some condenser microphones are battery-powered). With the switch pushed in, the mixer provides +48 VDC phantom powering on XLR pins 2 and 3. If you have ribbon mics, tube mics, or dynamic mics that do not require phantom power, leave the PHANTOM POWER switch out. If you are using both condenser and dynamic mics, don't worry. Phantom power will not hurt most dynamic mics. Check the microphone's user manual if you're not sure. Caution: Turn all output levels down before operating this switch to avoid the possibility of a "pop" in your speakers. Do not use phantom power with tube or ribbon microphones, as this may cause damage. 20. METERS These left and right meters have four LEDs each, with thresholds ranging from -20 dBu up to +18 dBu (OL = overload). The 0 dB LED corresponds to an output level of 0 dBu (0.775 V RMS). The OL LEDs turn on when the output reaches +18 dBu. There is a fair margin of safety before actual clipping distortion occurs, but you should turn things down if the OL LEDs come on. Normally, the meters display the level of the main mix, after the MAIN MIX (23) control. If the TAPE TO CTRL RM/PHONES (16) switch is pushed in, the meters display the level of the CD/ TAPE signal, and not the main mix. You can get a good mix with the meter's peaks flashing anywhere between -20 and +6 dB. Most amplifiers clip at about +10 dB, and some recorders aren't so forgiving either. For best real-world results, try to keep your peaks between "0" and "+6." If your meters are too high, you will get distortion. If they are too low, then your signal-to-noise will suffer. Use the meters to help you adjust the mixer for optimum performance without distortion or noise. Then you can adjust your amplifier's level controls for good overall volume. This will give you the best overall signal-to-noise ratio for your system. TAPE MAIN L 15 TAPE TO MIX 14 27 16 17 19 PHANTOM 48V 21 18 POWER U 22 R TAPE TO IN OUT CTRL RM / CD/TAPE PHONES INPUT/OUTPUT FX TO CTRL ROOM 5/6 7/8 MAX CTRL ROOM/ PHONES 9/10 +15 AUX SEND 11/12 OL +6 20 0 -20 L R MAIN MIX dB 10 +4 -10 AUX +4 -10 AUX +4 -10 AUX +4 -10 AUX U SEND U SEND U SEND U SEND 5 23 U +15 +15 +15 +15 5 BAL BAL BAL BAL 10 20 PEAK PEAK PEAK PEAK L R L R L R L R 30 U LEVEL U LEVEL U LEVEL U LEVEL 40 50 60 OO 12 +15 +15 +15 +15