cr1604-vlz mic/line mixer owner’s manualelc.williams.edu/files/2010/09/cr1604vlz.pdf ·...

51
CR1604-VLZ MIC / LINE MIXER OWNER’S MANUAL AUX SENDS STEREO AUX RETURNS EFFECTS TO MONITORS TO AUX SEND 2 TO AUX SEND 1 1 2 PWR PHAN SOLO SOLO 1 2 1 2 3 4 1 2 C-R / PHNS ONLY RETURNS SOLO MAIN MIX TO SUBS ASSIGN OPTIONS 1–2 3–4 U O O+20 U O O+20 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+20 U O O+20 U O O+10 U O O+10 PAN AUX 3 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE TRIM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 SOLO L - R 3–4 1–2 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 OL -20 PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT PAN AUX LEFT RIGHT PHONES 3 EQ 5 4 6 5/6 SHIFT TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM LAMP 12V 0.5A TAPE IN SOLO RUDE SOLO LIGHT C-R / PHONES SUBS 3–4 SUBS 1–2 MAIN MIX SOURCE TAPE TAPE TO MAIN MIX MAIN L-R MIX RIGHT 1 2 3 4 LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT LEFT 28 CLIP 10 7 4 2 2 0 4 7 10 20 30 ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX LEVEL SET TRACK 8 TRACK 7 TRACK 6 TRACK 5 TRACK 4 TRACK 3 TRACK 2 TRACK 1 TM MODE (AFL) LEVEL SET NORMAL (PFL) 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 CR1604-VLZ 16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER CR1604-VLZ 16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER U +15 -15 U +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 +15 -15 800 2k 200 8k 100 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 U O O+15 1 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 2 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 3 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 4 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 5 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 6 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 7 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 8 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 9 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 10 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 11 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 12 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI MID MID MID MID 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 13 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 14 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 15 MUTE U O O+15 U +15 -15 U U +15 -15 12k HI 80Hz LOW CUT 75 Hz 18dB/OCT LOW U O O+15 U O O+20 O O O OMAX 16 MUTE 0 dB=0 dBu M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V M IC G A I N 10 U 60 +10dB -40dB -10 d B V L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R MAX dB 30 20 10 O O 40 50 5 5 U 60 10 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O dB 30 20 10 O O 40 50 5 5 U 60 10 PATENT PENDING 4 3 2 1 INSERT INSERT INSERT LINE INSERT MIC 4 MIC 3 MIC 2 MIC 1 BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL LINE LINE LINE O O +6 PHANTOM POWER 120 VAC 50/60 Hz 20W 315mA/250V SLO-BLO 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 MIC 16 INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT MIC 15 MIC 14 MIC 13 MIC 12 MIC 11 MIC 10 MIC 9 MIC 8 MIC 7 MIC 6 MIC 5 SUB OUTS C-R OUTS MAIN INSERT TAPE TAPE MAIN OUT AUX SEND DIRECT OUT AUX RETURN 3 R L MONO R R R R L R L R L R L L L L 1 4 2 5 1 2 3 4 3 1 6 4 2 7 5 3 8 6 4 1 2 BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL INPUT OUTPUT (MONO) R L (MONO) (MONO) (MONO) BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL BAL UN- BAL LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE REPLACE WITH SAME TYPE FUSE AND RATING CAUTION:

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Page 1: CR1604-VLZ MIC/LINE MIXER OWNER’S MANUALelc.williams.edu/files/2010/09/cr1604vlz.pdf · CR1604-VLZ MIC/LINE MIXER OWNER’S MANUAL AUX SENDS STEREO AUX ... instructions should be

CR1604-VLZMIC/LINE MIXEROWNER’S MANUAL

AUXSENDS

STEREO AUX RETURNS

EFFECTS TOMONITORS

TO AUXSEND 2

TO AUXSEND 11

2

PWRPHAN

SOLO

SOLO

1

2

1

2

3

4

1

2

C-R / PHNSONLY

RETURNSSOLO

MAIN MIXTO SUBS

ASSIGN OPTIONS

1–23–4

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +10

U

OO +10

PAN

AUX

3

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE

TRIM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3 5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

LEFT RIGHT

PHONES

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM

LAMP

12V0.5A

TAPE IN

SOLO

RUDESOLOLIGHT

C-R / PHONES

SUBS 3–4

SUBS 1–2

MAIN MIX

SOURCE

TAPE TAPE TOMAIN MIX

MAINL-R MIX

RIGHT

1 2 3 4

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

28CLIP

10

7

4

2

2

0

4

7

10

20

30

ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX

LEVELSET

TRACK

8TRACK

7TRACK

6TRACK

5TRACK

4TRACK

3TRACK

2TRACK

1

TM

MODE

(AFL)LEVEL SETNORMAL

(PFL)

16151413121110987654321

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

CR1604-VLZ16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER

CR1604-VLZ 16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER

U

+15-15

U

+15-15

800

2k200

8k

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

1MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

2MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

3MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

4MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

5MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

6MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

7MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

8MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

9MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

10MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

11MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

12MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID MID MID MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

13MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

14MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

15MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

U

OO +20

OO

OOMAX

16MUTE

0 dB=0 dBu

MIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBV

L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R

MAX

dB

30

20

10

OO

4050

5

5

U

60

10

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

dB

30

20

10

OO

4050

5

5

U

60

10

PATENT PENDING

4 3 2 1

INSERT INSERT INSERT

LINE

INSERT

MIC 4 MIC 3 MIC 2 MIC 1

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINE

OO +6

PHANTOMPOWER 120 VAC 50/60 Hz 20W315mA/250V SLO-BLO

16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5

MIC 16

INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT

MIC 15 MIC 14 MIC 13 MIC 12 MIC 11 MIC 10 MIC 9 MIC 8 MIC 7 MIC 6 MIC 5

SUB OUTSC-R OUTSMAIN INSERT TAPE TAPEMAIN OUT AUX SEND DIRECT OUTAUX RETURN

3

R

L

MONO

R R RR

L

R

L

R

L

R

L

L L L

1

4 2

51234 3 1

6 4 2

7 5 3

8 6 4

1

2

BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBALINPUT OUTPUT

(MONO)

R

L(MONO)(MONO)(MONO)

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

TO REDUCE THE RISK OFFIRE REPLACE WITH SAME

TYPE FUSE AND RATING

CAUTION:

Page 2: CR1604-VLZ MIC/LINE MIXER OWNER’S MANUALelc.williams.edu/files/2010/09/cr1604vlz.pdf · CR1604-VLZ MIC/LINE MIXER OWNER’S MANUAL AUX SENDS STEREO AUX ... instructions should be

CAUTION AVISRISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPENRISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE

NE PAS OUVRIR

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCKDO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK)

NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDEREFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

ATTENTION: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE CHOCELECTRIQUE, NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE. AUCUN

ENTRETIEN DE PIECES INTERIEURES PAR L'USAGER. CONFIERL'ENTRETIEN AU PERSONNEL QUALIFIE.

AVIS: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES D'INCENDIE OUD'ELECTROCUTION, N'EXPOSEZ PAS CET ARTICLE

A LA PLUIE OU A L'HUMIDITE

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated"dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure, that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons. Le symbole éclair avec point de flèche à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est utilisé pour alerter l'utilisateur de la présence à l'intérieur du coffret de "voltage dangereux" non isolé d'ampleur suffisante pour constituer un risque d'éléctrocution.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance. Le point d'exclamation à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est employé pour alerter les utilisateurs de la présence d'instructions importantes pour le fonctionnement et l'entretien (service) dans le livret d'instruction accompagnant l'appareil.

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS1. Read Instructions — All the safety and operationinstructions should be read before this Mackie product isoperated.

2. Retain Instructions — The safety and operating instruc-tions should be kept for future reference.

3. Heed Warnings — All warnings on this Mackie product andin these operating instructions should be followed.

4. Follow Instructions — All operating and other instructionsshould be followed.

5. Water and Moisture — This Mackie product should not beused near water – for example, near a bathtub, washbowl,kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, near aswimming pool, swamp or salivating St. Bernard dog, etc.

6. Heat — This Mackie product should be situated awayfrom heat sources such as radiators, or other devices whichproduce heat.

7. Power Sources — This Mackie product should beconnected to a power supply only of the type described inthese operation instructions or as marked on this Mackieproduct.

8. Power Cord Protection — Power supply cords should berouted so that they are not likely to be walked upon orpinched by items placed upon or against them, payingparticular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles,and the point where they exit this Mackie product.

9. Object and Liquid Entry — Care should be taken so thatobjects do not fall into and liquids are not spilled into theinside of this Mackie product.

10. Damage Requiring Service — This Mackie product shouldbe serviced only by qualified service personnel when:

A. The power-supply cord or the plug has beendamaged; or

B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has spilled intothis Mackie product; or

C. This Mackie product has been exposed to rain;or

D. This Mackie product does not appear to operatenormally or exhibits a marked change inperformance; or

E. This Mackie product has been dropped, or itschassis damaged.

11. Servicing — The user should not attempt to service thisMackie product beyond those means described in thisoperating manual. All other servicing should be referred to theMackie Service Department.

12. To prevent electric shock, do not use this polarized plugwith an extension cord, receptacle or other outlet unless theblades can be fully inserted to prevent blade exposure.

Pour préevenir les chocs électriques ne pas utiliser cette fichepolariseé avec un prolongateur, un prise de courant ou uneautre sortie de courant, sauf si les lames peuvent être inséréesà fond sans laisser aucune pariie à découvert.

13. Grounding or Polarization — Precautions should be takenso that the grounding or polarization means of this Mackieproduct is not defeated.

14. This apparatus does not exceed the Class A/Class B(whichever is applicable) limits for radio noise emissions fromdigital apparatus as set out in the radio interferenceregulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

ATTENTION —Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas debruits radioélectriques dépassant las limites applicables auxappareils numériques de class A/de class B (selon le cas)prescrites dans le règlement sur le brouillage radioélectriqueédicté par les ministere des communications du Canada.

15. To prevent hazard or damage, ensure that onlymicrophone cables and microphones designed to IEC 268-15Aare connected.

WARNING — To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, donot expose this appliance to rain or moisture.

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3

We realize that you must have a powerfulhankerin’ to try out your new CR1604-VLZ.Or you might be one of those people whonever reads manuals. Either way, all we askis that you read this page NOW, and the restcan wait until you’re good and ready. But doread it — you’ll be glad you did.

Other Nuggets of WisdomFor optimum sonic performance, the channel

faders and the MAIN L-R MIX fader should beset near the “U” (unity gain) markings.

Always turn the MAIN L-R MIX fader and C–R/PHONES knob down before making connectionsto and from your CR1604-VLZ.

If you shut down your equipment, turn offyour amplifiers first. When powering up, turnon your amplifiers last.

Save the shipping box! You may need itsomeday, and you don’t want to have to pay foranother one.

INSTANT MIXINGHere’s how to get going

right away, assuming you owna microphone and a keyboard:

1. Plug your microphone into Channel 1’sMIC input.

2. Turn on the CR1604-VLZ.3. Perform the Level-Setting Procedure .4. Connect cords from the MAIN OUT jacks

to your amplifier.5. Hook up speakers to the amp and turn it on.6. Set channel 1’s fader to the “U” mark.7. Engage (push in) Channel 1’s L-R switch.8. Set the MAIN L-R MIX fader one-quarter

of the way up.9. Sing like a canary!

10. Plug your keyboard into channels 3 and 4.11. Turn channel 3’s PAN knob fully left and

channel 4’s PAN knob fully right.12. Set those faders to the “U” mark.13. Perform the Level-Setting Procedure .14. Engage the L-R switch on these channels.15. Play like a madman and sing like a canary!

It’s your first mix!

READ THIS PAGE!!!

Please write your serial number here forfuture reference (i.e. insurance claims, techsupport, return authorization, etc.):

Part No. 820-034-00 Rev. C 4/97©1997 Mackie Designs, All Rights Reserved.

Printed in the U.S.A.

LEVEL-SETTING PROCEDUREMessage to seasoned pros: do NOT set lev-

els using the old “Turn the trim up until theclip light comes on, then back off a hair” trick.When a Mackie Designs mixer clip lightcomes on, you really are about to clip.

This procedure really works — it assureslow noise and high headroom. Please read on.

It’s not even necessary to hear what you’redoing to set optimal levels. But if you’d like to:Plug headphones into the PHONES outputjack, then set the C-R PHONES knob aboutone-quarter of the way up.

The following steps must be performedone channel at a time:

1. Turn the TRIM, AUX send and fadercontrols fully down.

2. Be sure the 1–2, 3–4 and L–R channelassignment switches are all disengaged.

3. Set the EQ knobs at the center detents.4. Connect the signal source to the MIC

or LINE channel input.5. Engage (push in) the channel’s SOLO

switch.6. Push in the MODE switch in the output

section (LEVEL SET (PFL) mode) —the LEVEL SET LED will light.

7. Play something into the selected input,at real-world levels.

8. Adjust the TRIM control so that thedisplay on the meter stays around “0.”(Only the left meter is active in theLevel-Setting Procedure.)

9. If you’d like to apply some EQ, do sonow and return to the previous step.

10. Disengage that channel’s SOLO switch.11. Repeat for each of channels 1–16. Purchased at:

Date of purchase:

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AUXSENDS

STEREO AUX RETURNS

EFFECTS TOMONITORS

TO AUXSEND 2

TO AUXSEND 11

2

PWRPHAN

SOLO

SOLO

1

2

1

2

3

4

1

2

C-R / PHNSONLY

RETURNSSOLO

MAIN MIXTO SUBS

ASSIGN OPTIONS

1–23–4

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +10

U

OO +10

PAN

AUX

3

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE

TRIM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3 5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

LEFT RIGHT

PHONES

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM

LAMP

12V0.5A

TAPE IN

SOLO

RUDESOLOLIGHT

C-R / PHONES

SUBS 3–4

SUBS 1–2

MAIN MIX

SOURCE

TAPE TAPE TOMAIN MIX

MAINL-R MIX

RIGHT

1 2 3 4

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

28CLIP

10

7

4

2

2

0

4

7

10

20

30

ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX

LEVELSET

TRACK

8TRACK

7TRACK

6TRACK

5TRACK

4TRACK

3TRACK

2TRACK

1

TM

MODE

(AFL)LEVEL SETNORMAL

(PFL)

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

CR1604-VLZ16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER

U

+15-15

U

+15-15

800

2k200

8k

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

1MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

2MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

3MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

4MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

5MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

6MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

7MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

8MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

9MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

10MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

11MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

12MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID MID MID MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

13MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

14MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

15MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

U

OO +20

OO

OOMAX

16MUTE

0 dB=0 dBu

MIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBV

L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R

MAX

dB

30

20

10

OO

4050

5

5

U

60

10

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

dB

30

20

10

OO

4050

5

5

U

60

10

PATENT PENDING

4 3 2 1

INSERT INSERT INSERT

LINE

INSERT

MIC 4 MIC 3 MIC 2 MIC 1

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINE

OO +6

PHANTOMPOWER 120 VAC 50/60 Hz 20W315mA/250V SLO-BLO

16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5

MIC 16

INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT

MIC 15 MIC 14 MIC 13 MIC 12 MIC 11 MIC 10 MIC 9 MIC 8 MIC 7 MIC 6 MIC 5

SUB OUTSC-R OUTSMAIN INSERT TAPE TAPEMAIN OUT AUX SEND DIRECT OUTAUX RETURN

3

R

L

MONO

R R RR

L

R

L

R

L

R

L

L L L

1

4 2

51234 3 1

6 4 2

7 5 3

8 6 4

1

2

BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBALINPUT OUTPUT

(MONO)

R

L(MONO)(MONO)(MONO)

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

TO REDUCE THE RISK OFFIRE REPLACE WITH SAME

TYPE FUSE AND RATING

CAUTION:

Thank you! There are a lot of makes andmodels of compact mixers out there, all com-peting for your bucks… but you have voted withyour wallet for the folks in Woodinville whospecialize in American-made mixers.

Now that you have your CR1604-VLZ, find outhow to get the most from it. That’s where thismanual comes in.

HOW TO USE THIS MANUALSince many of you folks will want to hook up

your CR1604-VLZ immediately, the first pagesyou will encounter after the table of contents arethe ever popular hookup diagrams. These showtypical mixer setups for Record/Mixdown, Video,Disc Jockey and Stereo PA. After this section is adetailed tour of the entire mixer.

Every feature of the CR1604-VLZ will bedescribed “geographically;” in other words, inorder of where it is physically placed on themixer’s top or rear panel. These descriptions aredivided into the first three manual chapters, justas your mixer is organized into three distinctzones:1. PATCHBAY: The zillion jacks on the back

of the “pod.”2. CHANNEL STRIP: The sixteen channel

strips on the left.3. OUTPUT SECTION: The output section on

the right.Whenever a specific CR1604-VLZ compo-

nent is mentioned, it’ll be in all capital letterssans-serif type. That can help you find refer-ences to specific controls much faster, withoutslowing you down as you read normally. For ex-ample: The quick brown fader jumped over theRUDE SOLO LIGHT.

Throughout these chapters you’ll find illus-trations, with each feature numbered. If you’recurious about a feature, simply locate it on theappropriate illustration, note the number at-tached to it, and find that number in the nearbyparagraphs or refer to the table of contents.

You’ll also find cross-references to these num-bered features within a paragraph. For instance, ifyou see “To wire your own cables: ,” simply findthat number in the manual and you’ve found youranswer. (These are not page numbers.)

You’ll also notice feature numbers just float-ing in space, like this . These numbersdirect you to relevant information.

This icon marks infor-mation that is criticallyimportant or unique to theCR1604-VLZ. For your owngood, read them and re-

member them. They will be on the final test.This icon will lead you to

in-depth explanations of fea-tures and practical tips. Whilenot mandatory, they’ll havesome valuable information.

THE GLOSSARY: A HAVEN OFNON-TECHINESS FOR THE NEOPHYTE

Since the CR1604-VLZ is often purchased byfolks who are new to the jargon of professionalaudio, we’ve included a fairly comprehensivedictionary of pro-audio terms. If terms like “clip-ping,” “noise floor,” or “unbalanced” leave youblank, flip to the glossary at the back of thismanual for a quick explanation.

A PLUG FOR THE CONNECTORS SECTIONAlso at the back of this manual is a section

on connectors: XLR connectors, balanced con-nectors, unbalanced connectors, special hybridconnectors. Although we provide diagramsthroughout the manual, the Connectionsappendix gives more of the whys and whereforesfor beginners.

ARCANE MYSTERIES ILLUMINATEDFinally, we’ve included an appendix titled

“Balanced Lines, Phantom Powering, Ground-ing and Other Arcane Mysteries.” This sectiondiscusses some of the down ’n’ dirty practicalrealities of microphones, fixed installations,grounding, and balanced versus unbalancedlines. It’s a gold mine for the neophyte and eventhe seasoned pro might learn a thing or two.

INTRODUCTION

PATCHBAY

CHANNEL STRIPS OUTPUTSECTION

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5

CONTENTS

AUX ............................................................... 20

PRE ............................................................... 21

5/6 SHIFT ..................................................... 21

OUTPUT SECTION DESCRIPTION ............................ 22

MAIN L-R MIX FADER .................................... 22

VLZ MIX ARCHITECTURE ................................ 22

SUB FADERS* ................................................. 22

ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX* ................................. 22

TAPE IN (LEVEL)* ............................................ 23

TAPE TO MAIN MIX* ...................................... 23

SOURCE* ....................................................... 23

C-R/PHONES* ............................................... 23

MODE (NORMAL (AFL)/LEVEL SET (PFL))* ....... 24

LEVEL SET LED* .............................................. 24

SOLO (LEVEL)* ............................................... 24

RUDE SOLO LIGHT .......................................... 24

METERS ......................................................... 25

AUX TALK ...................................................... 25

AUX SEND (MASTER)* ................................... 25

AUX SEND SOLO* .......................................... 26

AUX RETURNS (LEVEL) ................................... 26

EFFECTS TO MONITOR* ................................. 26

MAIN MIX TO SUBS (AUX RET 3)* ................. 26

1-2/3-4 (AUX RET 3)* .................................. 26

C-R/PHNS ONLY (AUX RET 4)* ...................... 27

RETURNS SOLO .............................................. 27

CR1604-VLZ MODIFICATIONS ............................. 28

CR1604-VLZ BLOCK DIAGRAM ............................ 30

GAIN STRUCTURE DIAGRAM ................................. 31

SPECIFICATIONS .................................................... 32

SERVICE INFO ....................................................... 33

APPENDIX: Glossary ............................................. 34

APPENDIX: Connections ......................................... 42

APPENDIX: Balanced Lines, Phantom Powering,Grounding and Other Arcane Mysteries .................. 46

NEW! IMPROVED!LOADED WITHPROFESSIONAL FEATURES!

For those of you accustomed to the original,classic CR-1604, do not be daunted by all thenew features — we added them just for you!Asterisked items indicate features that we’veadded to the New Improved CR1604-VLZ.

*

LEVEL-SETTING PROCEDURE .................................... 3

INSTANT MIXING .................................................... 3

HOOKUP DIAGRAMS .............................................. 6

CONVERTING TO RACKMOUNT MODE .................... 9

SWITCHING POSITIONS ................................... 9

PATCHBAY DESCRIPTION ......................................... 10

E-Z INTERFACE ............................................... 10

MIC/LINE INPUTS ON EVERY CHANNEL* ......... 10

MIC INPUTS ................................................... 10

PHANTOM POWER ........................................ 10

LINE INPUTS .................................................. 11

TRIM ............................................................. 11

INSERT* ......................................................... 11

DIRECT OUT* ................................................. 11

SPLIT MONITORING ....................................... 12

AUX SEND OUTPUTS ...................................... 12

EFFECTS: SERIAL OR PARALLEL? ..................... 13

AUX RETURN INPUTS ..................................... 13

SUB OUTS* .................................................... 13

C-R OUTS (CONTROL ROOM OUTPUTS)* .... 14

PHONES OUTPUT ........................................... 14

TAPE OUTPUT* .............................................. 14

TAPE INPUT* ................................................. 14

MAIN INSERT ................................................. 15

MAIN OUTS ................................................... 15

MONO OUTPUT ............................................. 15

MONO LEVEL* ............................................... 15

POWER CONNECTION .................................... 15

FUSE .............................................................. 15

POWER SWITCH ............................................ 16

POWER LED ................................................... 16

PHANTOM SWITCH ........................................ 16

PHANTOM LED* ............................................. 16

BNC LAMP SOCKET ........................................ 16

CHANNEL STRIP DESCRIPTION .............................. 17

“U” LIKE UNITY GAIN .................................. 17

FADER ........................................................... 17

ASSIGN (1-2, 3-4, L-R)* ................................ 17

SOLO ............................................................. 18

–20 (SOLO) LED* ........................................... 18

OL (MUTE) LED*............................................. 18

MUTE ............................................................. 19

PAN ............................................................... 19

3-BAND MID-SWEEP EQ* ............................... 19

LOW CUT* ..................................................... 20

Page 6: CR1604-VLZ MIC/LINE MIXER OWNER’S MANUALelc.williams.edu/files/2010/09/cr1604vlz.pdf · CR1604-VLZ MIC/LINE MIXER OWNER’S MANUAL AUX SENDS STEREO AUX ... instructions should be

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CR1604-VLZ 8-Track Tracking

87

65

4

34

56

78

910

1112

1314

1516

21

12

34

RL

RR

LR

LR

LR

LR

12

34

56

DIRE

CT O

UTBA

L/UN

BAL

CHAN

NEL

INSE

RTS

AUX

RETU

RNS

MAI

NIN

SERT

C/R

OUT

BAL/

UNBA

LM

AIN

OUT

BAL/

UNBA

L

MON

OST

EREO

PHON

ESOU

T

AUX

SEN

DSBA

L/UN

BAL

12

34

SUB

OUTS

BAL/

UNBA

LCH

ANNE

L IN

PUTS

LL

L R

L R

TAPE

OUT

TAPE IN

1615

1413

1211

109

87

65

43

21

32

1

Gui

tar E

ffect

sDr

um

Mac

hine

Keyb

oard

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FULL SYMMETRY DUAL DIFFERENTIAL HIGH CURRENT DESIGN

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HOOKUP DIAGRAMS

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7

CR1604-VLZ Stereo P.A.

87

65

4

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56

78

910

1112

1314

1516

21

12

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RL

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LR

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Page 8: CR1604-VLZ MIC/LINE MIXER OWNER’S MANUALelc.williams.edu/files/2010/09/cr1604vlz.pdf · CR1604-VLZ MIC/LINE MIXER OWNER’S MANUAL AUX SENDS STEREO AUX ... instructions should be

8

CR1604-VLZ Video Setup

87

65

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56

78

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1112

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1516

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9

CONVERTING TO RACKMOUNT MODENot only is the new CR1604-VLZ a compact,

professional-quality tabletop mixer, it’s rack-mountable! Its unique rotating input podmakes this possible.

One of the things that revolutionized the com-pact mixer industry was the “convertible pod”found on the original, classic CR-1604. Usingan ordinary Phillips screwdriver, the mixercould be converted from desktop mode (as itcomes from the factory) to rackmount mode.

Fear not. We wouldn’t dare take that featureout of the New Improved CR1604-VLZ. It’sstill there and still takes just a few minuteswith your screwdriver. Here’s how it’s done:1. Remove ALL the cords from the mixer —

audio, power, lamps, everything.2.Place the mixer, face down, on a clean soft

surface, like a blanket or very large dog.3.Remove the four screws securing the cable

cover and set the plate aside.4.Replace two of the screws; the ones at the

pod end of the mixer .5.Remove two pod-mounting screws on each

side of the mixer .6.Gently pull the pod away from the slots, rotate

it, and place it, tabs first, into the rackmounttabs , located on the underside of themain chassis. Be careful not to constrict orpinch any of the ribbon or power cables.

7.Carefully install the pod-mounting screws in their newlocations .

8. Install the rack ears that camewith the mixer. They can be in-stalled in either of two depths:

mixer’s surface flush withthe rack rails, like ordinaryrackmount equipment, or mixer’s surface sunken intothe rack, to protect theknobs from being bumped.

An optional accessory called the ROTOPOD-VLZ is available and can be used in desktop orrackmount installations. It will put the patchbayjacks on the same plane as all the knobs, buttonsand faders. This is a lifesaver in applications thatdemand frequent repatching, and costs a heck of alot less than an external patchbay, not to mentionall the interface and patch cords: . Pleasevisit your dealer for more exciting details. Besure to order the “VLZ” version so you don’tend up with the one for the classic CR-1604!

SWITCHING POSITIONSYou may have noticed the white stripes printed

just above most of the pushbutton switches onyour CR1604-VLZ. We’ve put them there tomake it easier for you to see if the switch isengaged (down). Here’s how they work:

With the mixer in desktop mode, you’ll besitting just in front of it, viewing the controlpanel at an oblique angle. When a switch isdisengaged (up), the button will hide thewhite stripe from your field of vision. Whenyou engage the switch, the stripe will suddenlyappear. Although it may not seem obvious atfirst, you’ll soon find that the indicator stripereally helps you determine switch positions ata glance. Clever, ain’t it?

removescrews

rackmounttab slots

removeplate

replacescrews

removescrews

flush mount

rotatepod replace

screws

sunken

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10

At the risk of stating the obvious, this iswhere you plug everything in: microphones,line-level instruments and effects, and the ulti-mate destination for your sound: a taperecorder, PA system, etc. A few of the featuresdescribed in this section are on top of themixer, but most are out back on the “pod.”

E-Z INTERFACEConcerned about levels,

balancing, impedances, po-larity, or other interfacegoblins? Don’t be. On your

CR1604-VLZ, you can patch anything almostanywhere, with nary a care. Here’s why:

• Every input and output is balanced(except insert, phones and RCA jacks).

• Every input and output will also acceptunbalanced lines (except XLR jacks).

• Every input is designed to accept virtuallyany output impedance.

• The main left and right mix outputs candeliver 28dBu into as low as a 600 ohm load.

• All the other outputs can deliver 22dBuinto as low as a 600 ohm load.

• All the outputs are in phase with the inputs.All we ask is that you perform the Level-Setting

Procedure every time you patch in a newsound source. So stop worrying and start mixing!

MIC/LINE INPUTS ON EVERY CHANNELThe original CR-1604 had six mic/line chan-

nels and ten line-only channels. That was finefor most applications, but live sound userswere forced to go out and buy the XLR-10 micinput add-on module. No more. Each and everychannel on the New Improved CR1604-VLZ hasthe legendary Mackie mic/line input circuit.It’s like getting a free XLR-10 with your mixer!

MIC INPUTSWe use phantom-powered, balanced micro-

phone inputs just like the big studio mega-consoles, for exactly the same reason: Thiskind of circuit is excellent at rejecting hum

PATCHBAY DESCRIPTIONand noise. You can plug in almost any kind ofmic that has a standard XLR-type male micconnector. Always be sure to perform theLevel-Setting Procedure . To learn how sig-nals are routed from these inputs: . If youwire your own, connect them like this:

2

2

3 1

1

SHIELD

COLD

HOT

SHIELD

COLD

HOT

3

SHIELD

COLDHOT

3

2

1

Pin 1 = ground or shieldPin 2 = positive (+ or hot)Pin 3 = negative (– or cold)

Professional ribbon, dynamic, and con-denser mics will all sound excellent throughthese inputs. The CR1604-VLZ’s mic inputswill handle almost any kind of mic level youcan toss at them, without overloading.

PHANTOM POWERMost condenser mics require phantom power,

where the mixer sends low-current DC voltage tothe mic’s electronics through the same wiresthat carry audio. The CR1604-VLZ’s phantompower is globally controlled by the PHANTOMswitch on the rear panel .

Semipro condenser mics often have batter-ies to accomplish the same thing. “Phantom”owes its name to an ability to be “unseen” bydynamic mics (Shure® SM57/SM58, for in-stance) that don’t need external power andaren’t affected by it anyway.

Unless you know for cer-tain it is safe to do so,never plug single-ended(unbalanced) micro-phones, instruments or

electronic devices into the MIC input jacks ifthe phantom power is on.

PATENT PENDING

4 3 2 1

INSERT INSERT INSERT

LINE

INSERT

MIC 4 MIC 3 MIC 2 MIC 1

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINE

OO +6

PHANTOMPOWER 120 VAC 50/60 Hz 20W315mA/250V SLO-BLO

16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5

MIC 16

INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT

MIC 15 MIC 14 MIC 13 MIC 12 MIC 11 MIC 10 MIC 9 MIC 8 MIC 7 MIC 6 MIC 5

SUB OUTSC-R OUTSMAIN INSERT TAPE TAPEMAIN OUT AUX SEND DIRECT OUTAUX RETURN

3

R

L

MONO

R R RR

L

R

L

R

L

R

L

L L L

1

4 2

51234 3 1

6 4 2

7 5 3

8 6 4

1

2

BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBALINPUT OUTPUT

(MONO)

R

L(MONO)(MONO)(MONO)

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

TO REDUCE THE RISK OFFIRE REPLACE WITH SAME

TYPE FUSE AND RATING

CAUTION:

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11

LINE INPUTSThese 1/4" jacks share circuitry (but not

phantom power) with the mic preamps. Youcan use these inputs for virtually any signalyou’ll come across, from instrument levels aslow as –40dB to operating levels of –10dBV to+4dBu, as there is 40dB of gain available viathe TRIM knob . Always be sure to performthe Level-Setting Procedure .

To learn how signals are routed from theseinputs: . To connect balanced lines to theseinputs, use a 1/4" tip-ring-sleeve (TRS) plug,the type found on some stereo headphones:

Tip = positive (+ or hot)Ring = negative (– or cold)Sleeve = shield or ground

To connect unbalanced lines to these in-puts, use a 1/4" mono (TS) phone plug orstandard instrument cable:

Tip = signal (+)Sleeve = ground

TRIMYes it’s true, these controls are not located

in the patchbay section at all. They’re foundalong the top row of knobs in the channel stripsection. But their purpose is so closely linkedwith the MIC and LINE input jacks that wecouldn’t bear to separate them. Here’s why:Every time you plug something into a MIC orLINE input jack, you should perform the Level-Setting Procedure , and that procedure isbasically “how to use the TRIM knob.”

TRIM adjusts the input sensitivity of theMIC and LINE inputs. This allows signals fromthe outside world to be adjusted to optimalinternal operating levels.

Through the XLR jack (MIC), there will be10dB of gain with the knob fully down, ramp-ing to 60dB of gain fully up.

Through the 1/4" input (LINE), there is 10dBof attenuation fully down and 40dB of gain fullyup, with a “U” (unity gain) mark at 9:00.

This 10dB of attenuation can be very handywhen you are inserting a signal that is very hot,or you want to add a lot of EQ gain, or both.Without this “virtual pad,” a scenario like thatmight lead to channel clipping.

INSERTThese 1/4" jacks are for connecting serial

effects processors such as compressors, equaliz-ers, de-essers, or filters . The INSERT point isafter the TRIM control, but before the channel’sEQ, LOW CUT, fader and MUTE controls. Insertcables must be wired thusly:

“tip”

This plug connects to one of the mixer’s Channel Insert jacks. “ring”

tipring

sleeve

SEND to processor

RETURN from processor

(TRS plug)

Tip = send (output to effects device)Ring = return (input from effects device)Sleeve = common ground

Even though channels 1–8 already haveDIRECT OUT jacks , INSERT jacks can alsobe used as channel direct outputs; post-TRIM,pre-LOW CUT, and pre-EQ. Here’s three waysyou can use the INSERT jacks:

Direct out with no signal interruption to master.Insert only to first “click.”

Channel Insert jack

Channel Insert jack

Channel Insert jack

Direct out with signal interruption to master.Insert all the way in to the second “click.”

For use as an effects loop.(TIP = SEND to effect, RING = RETURN from effect.)

MONO PLUG

MONO PLUG

STEREO PLUG

DIRECT OUTFound only on channels 1–8, these 1/4" jacks

deliver the signal from the very end of thechannel path; post-TRIM, post-EQ, post-LOWCUT, post-fader and post-MUTE. They are thekey player in “split monitoring,” making theCR1604-VLZ perfect for an 8-track studio. Towire your own cables: .

PAN

AUX

3

1

2

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PRE

TRIM 1

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

OL

-20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+15-15

800

2k200

8k

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW100

U

OO +15

1MUTE

MIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBV

L R

OO

SLEEVE

TIP

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

SLEEVE

SLEEVE

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

RING

RING

TIP

SLEEVERING

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SPLIT MONITORINGWith split monitoring, you use the first eight

channels for your sound sources: vocal mics,drum mics, keyboard/synth outputs, guitareffects outputs, that sort of thing. From there,the channels manipulate the sound, but arenot assigned to the output section. Instead,they’re patched from the channel’s DIRECTOUT jacks to the corresponding multitrackinput (DIRECT OUT 1 to multitrack input 1,2 to 2, 3 to 3, etc.). The signals will now be re-corded or pass directly through the multitrack,depending on each track’s record-ready status.

multitrackmachine

sound sources

directoutputs

groupoutputs

1–8 9–16

The outputs of the multitrack are thenpatched to the next eight LINE inputs on theCR1604-VLZ (multitrack out 1 to LINE input 9,2 to 10, 3 to 11, etc.). Aha! That’s why it says“TRACK 1” next to channel 9’s fader, “TRACK 2”next to channel 10, and so forth. These chan-nels (9–16) will be assigned to the mixer’soutput section, delivering the signals to theirultimate destination, which may be yourmixdown 2-track, your control room system,or your headphones.

But let’s not forget that the CR1604-VLZ is a4-bus mixer. These buses lead to the SUBOUTS , and are designed to accomplish thetask of getting channels to the multitrack with-out using the direct outputs.

For example, a channel is assigned toSUB OUT 1. SUB OUT 1’s output is patched tomultitrack input 1. From there, the multitrackoutput goes to the mixer’s channel 9 LINE input,as we just discussed. (Hot tip: To feed an 8-trackdeck with 4 sub outputs, simply use Y-cords:SUB OUT 1 feeds tracks 1 and 5, 2 feeds 2 and6, 3 feeds 3 and 7, and 4 feeds 4 and 8. Tracks inrecord mode will accept the signal, and tracks insafe mode will ignore the signal.)

The advantages: You can assign any channelto any track, without repatching. You can as-sign multiple channels to one track and controlthe overall level of that subgroup . You can’tbounce tracks without this feature.

Perhaps the best method is to do both: Usethe SUB OUTS to feed multichannel submixes(like a drum kit) to some of the tracks, andthe DIRECT OUT jacks to feed single-channelsignals (like bass guitar) to the other tracks.

The point is that you never listen directly tothe source channels (1–8). You listen to themonitor channels (9–16) and they’re listening tothe multitrack that is listening to the sourcechannels. The main advantage is that you won’tbe forced to constantly repatch your multitrack— just set it up and forget it. You’ll also know forcertain that the signals are indeed getting to themultitrack, since you’re constantly listening to it.

Another method of interfacing a multitrack iscalled inline monitoring, and requires a mixingconsole dedicated to that, like the Mackie8•Bus. Each of its channels is actually two chan-nels: one carrying the mic/line sound source andthe other carrying the multitrack output.

AUX SEND OUTPUTSThese 1/4" jacks usually patch to the inputs

of your parallel effects devices or to the in-puts of your stage monitor amps. To learn howsignals are routed to these outputs: . To wireyour own cables: .

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EFFECTS: SERIAL OR PARALLEL?You’ve heard us carelessly toss around the

terms “serial” and “parallel.” Here’s what wemean by them:

“Serial” means that the entire signal leavesthe mixer (INSERT send), is routed through theeffects device, and returns to the mixer(INSERT return). Examples: compressor, lim-iter, graphic equalizer. Line-level sources canalso be patched through a serial effects devicebefore or after the mixer.

“Parallel” means that a portion of the signalin the mixer is tapped off to the device (AUXSEND), processed, and returned to the mixer(AUX RETURN) to be mixed with the original“dry” signal. This way, multiple channels canall make use of the same effects device.Examples: reverb, digital delay.

AUX RETURN INPUTSThis is where you connect the outputs of your

parallel effects devices (or extra audio sources).They’ll accept just about any pro or semiproeffects device on the market. To learn how sig-nals are routed from these inputs: . To wireyour own cables: .

Mono: If you have an effects device with amono output (one cord), plug that into L in-put of an AUX RETURN and leave the rightinput unplugged. That way, the signal will besent to both sides, magically appearing in thecenter as a mono signal.

SUB OUTSThese 1/4" jacks are usually patched to the in-

puts of a multitrack deck, or to secondaryamplifiers in a complex installation. To learnhow signals are routed to these outputs: .To wire your own cables: .

Double BusingHow on earth do you get four jacks to

feed eight tracks? To feed an 8-track deckwith only four SUB OUTS, simply use fourY-cords:

• SUB OUT 1 feeds tracks 1 and 5• SUB OUT 2 feeds tracks 2 and 6• SUB OUT 3 feeds tracks 3 and 7• SUB OUT 4 feeds tracks 4 and 8Tracks in record mode will accept the signal,

and tracks in safe mode will ignore the signal.It’s that easy.

PATENT PENDING

4 3 2 1

INSERT INSERT INSERT

LINE

INSERT

MIC 4 MIC 3 MIC 2 MIC 1

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINE

OO +6

PHANTOMPOWER 120 VAC 50/60 Hz 20W315mA/250V SLO-BLO

16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5

MIC 16

INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT

MIC 15 MIC 14 MIC 13 MIC 12 MIC 11 MIC 10 MIC 9 MIC 8 MIC 7 MIC 6 MIC 5

SUB OUTSC-R OUTSMAIN INSERT TAPE TAPEMAIN OUT AUX SEND DIRECT OUTAUX RETURN

3

R

L

MONO

R R RR

L

R

L

R

L

R

L

L L L

1

4 2

51234 3 1

6 4 2

7 5 3

8 6 4

1

2

BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBALINPUT OUTPUT

(MONO)

R

L(MONO)(MONO)(MONO)

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

TO REDUCE THE RISK OFFIRE REPLACE WITH SAME

TYPE FUSE AND RATING

CAUTION:

Dry Signal ProcessedSignal

InsertSend

InsertReturn

Dry Signal(s) Dry Signal(s)

AuxSend

AuxReturn

Wet Signal

Channel PathMix

Stage

OutputSection

ProcessedSignal

Signal Processor

Signal Processor

Serial Device (e.g., Compressor)

Parallel Device (e.g., Reverb)

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14

This method is exactlythe same as the double-busing feature found inother mixers. Built-in doublebusing is nothing more than

Y-cords living inside the mixer instead ofhanging out the back. If we had room for theextra jacks, we would have thrown them in,but we don’t, so we didn’t. Sonically, there isno difference whatsoever.

Y-cord advice: Do not use the stereo “head-phone-to-left/right” splitter adapters. Use the typethat send the same signal to two places; the tip ofthe source plug feeds the tips of both destinationplugs (Radio Shack® #42-2150, for instance.)

C-R OUTS (CONTROL ROOM OUTPUTS)These 1/4" jacks are usually patched to the

inputs of your control room amplifier or aheadphone distribution amplifier. To learnhow signals are routed to these outputs: .To wire your own cables: .

PHONES OUTPUTThe CR1604-VLZ’s stereo 1/4" phones jack

will drive any standard headphone to very loudlevels. Walkperson-type phones can also beused with an appropriate adapter. To learnhow signals are routed to these outputs: . Ifyou’re wiring your own cable for the PHONESoutput, follow standard conventions:

Tip = left channelRing = right channelSleeve = common ground

WARNING: When we saythe headphone amp isloud, we’re not kidding. Itcan cause permanent eardamage. Even intermedi-

ate levels may be painfully loud with someearphones. BE CAREFUL!

Always turn the C-R/PHONES knob all theway down before connecting headphones. Keepit down until you’ve put the phones on. Thenturn it up slowly. Why? “Engineers who frytheir ears find themselves with short careers.”

TAPE OUTPUTThese unbalanced RCA jacks tap the MAIN

MIX outputs to make simultaneous recordingand PA work more convenient. Connect theseto your 2-track recorder’s inputs. To learn howsignals are routed to these outputs: .

Mono: If you want to feed a mono signal toyour tape deck or other device, simply use the1/4" MONO output jack . Alternatively, usean RCA Y-cord to combine the TAPE OUTPUTjacks (Radio Shack® #42-2435, for instance).Do not attempt this with any other outputs onthe CR1604-VLZ.

TAPE INPUTThese unbalanced RCA jacks are designed

to work with semipro as well as pro recorders.Connect your 2-track tape recorder’s outputshere, using standard hi-fi RCA cables. To learnhow signals are routed from these inputs: .

Use these jacks for convenient playback ofyour mixes. You’ll be able to review a mix, andthen rewind and try another pass withoutrepatching or disturbing the mixer levels. Youcan also use these jacks with a portable tapeor CD player to feed music to a PA systembetween sets .

WARNING: Pushing TAPETO MAIN MIX in the out-put section can create afeedback path betweenTAPE INPUT and TAPE

OUTPUT. Make sure your tape deck is notin record, record-pause or input monitormode when you engage this switch, ormake sure the TAPE IN level knob is fullycounterclockwise (off).

SLEEVE

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

RING

RING

TIP

SLEEVERING

PHONES

MAINL-R MIX

RIGHT

1 2 3 4

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX

dB

30

20

10

OO

4050

5

5

U

60

10

dB

30

20

10

OO

4050

5

5

U

60

10

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15

MAIN INSERTThese 1/4" jacks are for connecting serial

effects such as compressors, equalizers, de-essers, or filters . The INSERT point is afterthe mix amps, but before the MAIN L-R MIXfader. Insert cables must be wired thusly:

“tip”

This plug connects to one of the mixer’s Channel Insert jacks. “ring”

tipring

sleeve

SEND to processor

RETURN from processor

(TRS plug)

Tip = send (output to effects device)Ring = return (input from effects device)Sleeve = common ground (connect shield to

all three sleeves)

MAIN OUTSThese 1/4" jacks are usually patched to the

inputs of your 2-track mixdown deck (unlessyou’ve chosen to use the TAPE OUTPUT RCAjacks), or to the house amplifier during livesound sessions. To learn how signals arerouted to these outputs: . To use these out-puts to drive balanced inputs, connect 1/4" TRS(Tip-Ring-Sleeve) phone plugs like this:

Tip = + (hot)Ring = – (cold)Sleeve = ground

To use these outputs to drive unbalancedinputs, connect 1/4" TS (Tip-Sleeve) phoneplugs like this:

Tip = signalSleeve = ground

MONO OUTPUTIt happens to everybody sooner or later:

The forces that govern your world will demanda monaural output from your painstakingly-created stereo panorama. The last thing youwant to do is start twirling all your carefully-placed PAN settings to one side. What to do?Stick a cord in this 1/4" jack, hand the otherend to Mr. Mono, and you’re done. He’s got hismono mix and you’ve still got your stereo mix.The MONO output is nothing more than a mixof the left and right MAIN MIX.

MONO LEVELSo, Mr. Mono comes running back, scream-

ing about the mono mix being so loud that hiscamcorder is melting. Just reach for this knoband turn it down a bit. Just the thing for send-

ing mono signals to mic inputs like camcorders,telephone interface boxes, even answeringmachines. With the pot all the way up (fullyclockwise), you’ll have 6dB of extra gain withunity gain halfway between the one and twoo’clock positions.

POWER CONNECTIONJust in case you lose the cord provided with

the CR1604-VLZ, its power jack accepts a stan-dard 3-prong IEC cord like those found onmost professional recorders, musical instru-ments, and computers. At the other end of ourcord is — get this — a plug! Not a black cubeor, as we’re fond of calling them, a “wall wart.”We did this for some very good reasons:

The CR1604-VLZ has sophisticated powerrequirements that a wall wart cannot provide.Wall warts are inconvenient, fragile, radiate hugehum fields, hog extra jacks on your power stripand get in the way. If you lose a wall wart, you’rein trouble, but if you lose the CR1604-VLZ’s powercord, you can get a new one at any electronics,music, or computer store. You can even buy themat Radio Shack® (part # 278-1257).

Plug the CR1604-VLZ into any standardgrounded (3-pin) AC outlet or into a powerstrip of proper voltage.

WARNING: Disconnectingthe plug’s ground pin canbe dangerous. Pleasedon’t do it.

FUSEThe CR1604-VLZ is fused for your (and its

own) protection. If you suspect a blown fuse,disconnect the power cord, pull the fuse drawerout (located just below the cord receptacle)and replace the fuse with a 1A SLO BLO, 5x20mm,available at electronics stores or your dealer(or a 500mA [0.5 amps] SLO BLO 5x20mm ifyour CR1604-VLZ is a 220V-240V unit).

SLEEVE

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

RING

RING

TIP

SLEEVERING

SLEEVE

TIP

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

SLEEVE

OO +6

PHANTOMPOWER 120 VAC 50/60 Hz 20W315mA/250V SLO-BLO

16 15 14 13 12 11 10

MIC 16

INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT

MIC 15 MIC 14 MIC 13 MIC 12 MIC 11 MIC 10

C-R OUTSMAIN INSERT TAPE TAPEMAIN OUT

R

L

MONOR

L

R

L

R

L

R

LBAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBALINPUT OUTPUT

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

TO REDUCE THE RISK OFFIRE REPLACE WITH SAME

TYPE FUSE AND RATING

CAUTION:

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POWER SWITCHIf this one isn’t self-explanatory, we give up.

You can leave this switch on all the time; theCR1604-VLZ is conservatively designed, so heatbuildup isn’t a problem even in 24-hour-a-dayoperation. There’s nothing that will burn out orget used up. You may notice that the CR1604-VLZ’s “pod” feels quite warm (the pod is thechassis that contains the jacks). This is per-fectly normal.

POWER LEDYou’ve probably already figured this out, but

if the POWER switch is on, this LED (light-emitting diode), located in the output section,will light. If the switch is off, well, you get theidea. If the POWER switch is on and the LEDdoes not glow, one of three things has hap-pened: Somebody tripped over the power cordand yanked it from the outlet, your electricityhas been turned off due to nonpayment, or thefuse has blown .

PHANTOM SWITCHThe PHANTOM switch controls the phan-

tom power supply for condenser microphones asdiscussed at the start of this section . Whenturned on (or off), the phantom power circuitrytakes a few moments for voltage to ramp up (ordown). This is also perfectly normal. For aneven closer look, refer to Appendix C.

PHANTOM LEDLocated right next to the POWER LED in the

output section, this is just to let you know whichway you have the PHANTOM switch set. If yourdynamic mics work and your condensers don’t,chances are this LED is off, so turn it on.

You’ll notice that when you turn the phan-tom power off, the LED stays on for a while.This is a natural phenomenon — the LED isactually a yellow voltmeter telling you that thephantom power takes time to ramp itself downto zero volts. So, if you’ve turned phantompower off to connect something to the mic in-puts, wait until the yellow LED stops glowingand then make your connections safely.

BNC LAMP SOCKETLocated in the top right corner of the out-

put section, this 12V socket will drive anystandard BNC-type lamp (a Littlite® #12G or#12G-HI (high-intensity), for instance).

PATENT PENDING

4 3 2 1

INSERT INSERT INSERT

LINE

INSERT

MIC 4 MIC 3 MIC 2 MIC 1

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINE

OO +6

PHANTOMPOWER 120 VAC 50/60 Hz 20W315mA/250V SLO-BLO

16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5

MIC 16

INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT

MIC 15 MIC 14 MIC 13 MIC 12 MIC 11 MIC 10 MIC 9 MIC 8 MIC 7 MIC 6 MIC 5

SUB OUTSC-R OUTSMAIN INSERT TAPE TAPEMAIN OUT AUX SEND DIRECT OUTAUX RETURN

3

R

L

MONO

R R RR

L

R

L

R

L

R

L

L L L

1

4 2

51234 3 1

6 4 2

7 5 3

8 6 4

1

2

BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBALINPUT OUTPUT

(MONO)

R

L(MONO)(MONO)(MONO)

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

TO REDUCE THE RISK OFFIRE REPLACE WITH SAME

TYPE FUSE AND RATING

CAUTION:

AUXSENDS

STEREO AUX RETURNS

EFFECTS TOMONITORS

TO AUXSEND 2

TO AUXSEND 11

2

PWRPHAN

SOLO

SOLO

1

2

1

2

3

4

1

2

C-R / PHNSONLY

RETURNSSOLO

MAIN MIXTO SUBS

ASSIGN OPTIONS

1–23–4

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +10

U

OO +10

LEFT RIGHT

LAMP

12V0.5A

TM

CR1604-VLZ16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER

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CHANNEL STRIP DESCRIPTION

A Clean FadeFaders are not rocket

science — they operate bydragging a metal pin (thewiper) across a carbon-based

strip (the track). It is possible for airbornecrud to land on the track. Should that happen,you may hear scratchy noises or signal drop-outs as the wiper stumbles over the crud. Doall you can to keep airborne crud out of yourprofession. Use air conditioned rooms when-ever possible, avoid smoking near the mixer,keep food and drink away from the mixer, andfor pity’s sake, never put the mixer in yourkitchen! We also recommend “exercising” thefaders — give them a few full-travel excur-sions once a week or so, and that will helpscare the crud away. We do not recommendspray cleaners.

ASSIGN (1–2, 3–4, L–R)Alongside each channel fader are four but-

tons, labeled SOLO, 1–2, 3–4 and L–R. Thelatter three are collectively referred to as chan-nel assignment switches. 1, 3 and L are the leftsides of these stereo pairs, and 2, 4 and R arethe right sides. Used in conjunction with thechannel’s PAN knob , these switches deter-mine the destination of a channel’s signal:With the PAN knob set at the center detent,the left and right sides receive equal signallevels. To feed only one side or the other, justturn the PAN knob accordingly.

If you’re doing a mixdown to a 2-track, sim-ply engage the L–R switch on each channelthat you want to hear, and they’ll be sent to theMAIN L-R MIX. If you want to create a sub-group of certain channels, engage either the1–2 or 3–4 switches instead of the L–R, andthey’ll be sent to the appropriate subgroup fad-ers . From there, the subgroups can be sentback to the MAIN L-R MIX , allowing you touse the subgroup faders as a master control forthose channels.

The sixteen channel strips look alike andfunction identically. The only difference is thatthe eight on the left have DIRECT OUT jacks

and the eight on the right don’t. We’ll startat the bottom and work our way up.

“U” LIKE UNITY GAINMackie mixers have a “U”

symbol on almost every levelcontrol. This “U” stands for“unity gain,” meaning no

change in signal level. Once you have per-formed the Level-Setting Procedure , youcan set every control at “U” and your signalswill travel through the mixer at optimal lev-els. What’s more, all the labels on our controlsare measured in decibels (dB), so you’ll knowwhat you’re doing level-wise if you choose tochange a control’s settings.

You won’t have to check it here and check itthere, as you would with some other mixers. Infact, some don’t even have any reference toactual dB levels at all! Ever seen those “0–10”fader markings? We call these AUMs (ArbitraryUnits of Measurement), and they mean noth-ing in the real world. You were smart — youbought a Mackie.

FADERThe fader is almost the last control in a

channel’s signal path. It’s placed after the EQand MUTE controls (post-EQ /post-MUTE andbefore the PAN control (pre-PAN). The “U”mark, about three-quarters of the way up,indicates unity gain, meaning no increase ordecrease of signal level. All the way up pro-vides an additional 10dB, should you need toboost a section of a song. If you find that theoverall level is too quiet or too loud with afader near unity, you’ll want to confirm theTRIM setting by performing the Level-SettingProcedure .

PAN

AUX

3

1

2

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PRE

TRIM 1

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

OL

-20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+15-15

800

2k200

8k

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW100

U

OO +15

1MUTE

MIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBV

L R

OO

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18

If you’re printing new tracks or bouncing ex-isting ones, you’ll also use the 1–2 and 3–4switches, but not the L–R switch. Here, youdon’t want the subgroups sent back into theMAIN L-R MIX, but sent out, via the SUB OUTSjacks, to your multitrack inputs . However, ifyou’re printing tracks via the DIRECT OUTjacks , all the channel assignment switchesshould be disengaged (up).

The CR1604-VLZ is what we call a “true4-bus mixer.” Each channel can be assigned orunassigned to any of the subgroups without af-fecting the other subgroups or settings withinthe channel, and each subgroup has its ownmaster fader and dedicated output . Infact, since there are 4 subgroups and the MAINL–R MIX, it’s actually a true 6-bus mixer. Wecould have named it the CR1606-VLZ. Darn!

SOLOThis lovable switch allows you to check

signals through your PHONES output or C-ROUTS without having to assign them to theL-R, 1-2 or 3-4 mixes. You can solo as manychannels as you like. SOLO does not interruptany of the other channels, buses or outputs —that’s called nondestructive solo. Not only that,via the MODE switch , the CR1604-VLZ’ssolo system comes in two flavors: NORMAL(AFL) (sometimes called SIP, or solo-in-place)and LEVEL SET (PFL) (sometimes called PFL,or pre-fader-listen).

During NORMAL (AFL) mode, the soloedchannel’s signal is sent directly to the C-R OUTS,PHONES output, and meter display just as itwould sound to the channel’s assignmentswitches: post-EQ, post-fader and post-PAN.The only difference is that SOLO works re-gardless of the channel’s assignment positions,and that makes it really handy — you cancheck out a channel before you assign it.

NORMAL (AFL) is the preferred mode dur-ing mixdown: If the channel has somemidrange boost at 4.236kHz, is panned a smid-gen to the left, and its fader is at –5.385dB,that’s exactly what you’ll hear if you SOLO dur-ing NORMAL (AFL) mode. It’s just as if youtook the time to MUTE all the other channels.

LEVEL SET (PFL) solo is the key player in theall-important Level-Setting Procedure . It’llsend the channel’s actual internal levels to themeters so you’ll know just what’s going on, level-wise. This procedure should be performed everytime a new sound source is patched into achannel’s MIC or LINE input jacks.

LEVEL SET (PFL) is also the preferred modefor SR (sound reinforcement, or live sound), topreview channels before they are let into themix. It won’t give you stereo placement, but willgive you signal even if the fader is pulled down.

Remember, LEVEL SET (PFL) taps the chan-nel signal before the fader. If you have achannel’s fader set way below “U” (unity gain),SOLO won’t know that and will send a unitygain signal to the C-R OUTS, PHONES outputand meter display. That may result in a startlinglevel boost at these outputs, depending on theposition of the SOLO level knob .

In a nutshell, soloed channels are sent tothe SOURCE mix , that ultimately feeds yourC-R OUTS, PHONES output and meter display.Whenever SOLO is engaged, all SOURCE se-lections (MAIN MIX, 1–2, 3–4 and TAPE) aredefeated, to allow the soloed channel to do justthat — SOLO!

–20 (SOLO) LEDAn LED that does two completely different

things! Saves space, but requires some expla-nation. First, the “–20” part: Often referred toas “signal activity,” this LED will flicker in timewith the signal present in that channel. It’shandy for confirming that a channel is indeedactive, and may also lend a clue as to what thesignal is. For instance, a kick drum will causethe LED to pulse in time with the drum, and asynth pad will cause it glow a bit more steadily.

Now for the “SOLO” part. When a channel’sSOLO switch is engaged, this LED will glowsteadily, without flickering. It will also bebrighter than it would be as a –20 indicator. Inconjunction with the RUDE SOLO LIGHT ,you can find a rogue SOLO switch very quickly.

OL (MUTE) LEDAnother LED that does two completely differ-

ent things! First, the “OL” part: “OL” meansoverload, or clip. You don’t want that to happen.Ever. Clipping can happen to any mixer — it’sthe point where the signal’s voltage exceeds thesupply voltages that power the circuitry. TheCR1604-VLZ’s OL LED will come on just beforeclipping, so if you see it, take immediate action:Perform the Level-Setting Procedure . If thatdoesn’t help, check for excessive use of EQboost or fader gain. Like the –20 LED, it willtend to flicker in time with that channel’s signal.

Now for the “MUTE” part. Assuming yourlevels are set correctly, the OL LED will never

PAN

AUX

3

1

2

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PRE

TRIM 1

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

OL

-20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+15-15

800

2k200

8k

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW100

U

OO +15

1MUTE

MIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBV

L R

OO

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CONSTANT LOUDNESS ! ! !The CR1604-VLZ’s PAN

controls employ a designcalled “Constant Loudness.”It has nothing to do with

living next to a freeway. As you turn the PANknob from left to right (thereby causing thesound to move from the left to the center tothe right), the sound will appear to remain atthe same volume (or loudness).

If you have a channel panned hard left (orright) and reading 0dB, it must dip down about4dB on the left (or right) when panned center.To do otherwise, like those Brand X mixers,would make the sound appear much louderwhen panned center.

3-BAND MID-SWEEP EQThe CR1604-VLZ has a 3-band, mid-sweep

equalization: LOW shelving at 80Hz, MID sweeppeaking from 100Hz to 8kHz, and HI shelving at12kHz. It’s probably all the EQ you’ll ever need!(Shelving means that the circuitry boosts orcuts all frequencies past the specified frequency.For example, the CR1604-VLZ’s LOW EQ boostsbass frequencies starting at 80Hz and continu-ing 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 cutat 80Hz. The circuit is flat (no boost or cut) at thecenter detent position. This frequency representsthe punch in bass drums, bass guitar, fat synthpatches, and some really serious male singers.

20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz

–15

–10

–5

0

+5

+10

+15

Used in conjunction with the LOW CUTswitch , you can boost the LOW EQ withoutinjecting a ton of subsonic debris into the mix.We recommend using the LOW CUT feature onall channels, except low frequency signals, likekick drums and bass guitars.

The MID EQ , or “midrange,” has a fixedbandwidth of 1.5 octaves. The MID knob setsthe amount of boost or cut, up to 15dB, and iseffectively bypassed at then center detent. Thefrequency knob sets the center frequency,sweepable from 100Hz to 8kHz.

come on as a result of clipping. That’s prettyboring. So, to liven things up, this LED willglow steadily when that channel’s MUTEswitch 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 soloedOL (MUTE) red channel is clipping channel is muted

MUTEEngaging a channel’s MUTE switch pro-

vides the same results as turning the fader allthe way down: Any channel assignment toL-R, 1-2 or 3-4 will be interrupted. All the postAUX sends will be silenced, as will theDIRECT OUT signals on channels 1 through8. And of course, that fun-loving OL (MUTE)LED will commence to glow. The PRE AUXsends , channel INSERT send and SOLO(in LEVEL SET (PFL) mode) will continue tofunction during MUTE.

Depending on the audio content in a chan-nel, engaging its MUTE switch may cause aslight popping sound. This is not a problemwithin the mixer, and it can be avoided: Sim-ply engage the LOW CUT switch on eachchannel (unless its low frequency content isvitally important, such as a kick drum or bassguitar). LOW CUT eliminates subsonic de-bris, which causes the pop, and its effect isusually transparent.

PANPAN adjusts the amount of channel signal

sent to the left versus the right outputs. Pan de-termines the fate of the L-R assignment,subgroups 1–2 and 3–4, and the SOLO (inLEVEL SET (PFL) mode). With the PAN knobhard left, the signal will feed the left MAIN L-RMIX, subgroup 1, subgroup 3 and left NORMAL(AFL) solo mode (assuming their assignmentswitches are engaged). With the knob hardright, signal feeds the right MAIN L-R MIX, sub-group 2, subgroup 4 and right NORMAL (AFL)solo mode. With the PAN knob set somewherein-between left and right, the signal will be di-vided between the left and right busses.

Stereo SourcesYour life will be easier if you follow this

standard convention: When patching stereosound sources to a mixer, always plug the leftsignal into an “odd” channel (1, 3, 5, etc.) andthe right signal into the adjacent “even” chan-nel (2, 4, 6, etc.). Then pan the odd channelhard left and the even channel hard right.

PAN

AUX

3

1

2

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PRE

TRIM 1

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

OL

-20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+15-15

800

2k200

8k

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW100

U

OO +15

1MUTE

MIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBV

L R

OO

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20

20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz

–15

–10

–5

0

+5

+10

+15

20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz

–15

–10

–5

0

+5

+10

+15

Most of the root and lower harmonics thatdefine a sound are located in the 100Hz–8kHzfrequency range, and you can create drasticchanges with these two knobs. Many engineersuse MID EQ to cut midrange frequencies, notboost them. One popular trick is to set the MIDfully up, turn the frequency knob until you finda point where it sounds just terrible, then backthe MID down into the cut range, causingthose terrible frequencies to disappear. Soundssilly, but it works. Sometimes.

The HI EQ provides you up to 15dB boost orcut at 12kHz, and it is also flat at the detent. Useit to add sizzle to cymbals, an overall sense oftransparency, or an edge to keyboards, vocals, gui-tar and bacon frying. Turn it down a little toreduce sibilance or to mask tape hiss.

20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz

–15

–10

–5

0

+5

+10

+15

With too much EQ, you can screw things uproyally. We’ve designed a lot of boost and cutinto each equalizer circuit because we knoweveryone will occasionally need that. But if youmax the EQ on every channel, you’ll get mixmush. Equalize subtly and use the left sides ofthe knobs (cut), as well as the right (boost). Ifyou find yourself repeatedly using full boost orcut, consider altering the sound source, suchas placing a mic differently, trying a differentkind of mic, changing the strings, or gargling.

LOW CUTThe LOW CUT switch, often referred to as a

high pass filter (all depends on how you lookat it), cuts bass frequencies below 75Hz at arate of 18dB per octave. This ain’t no thrown-indime-store filter — an 18dB per octave curverequires an elaborate circuit. Nothing but thebest for you.

We recommend that you use LOW CUT on ev-ery sound source except kick drum, bass guitar,bassy synth patches, or recordings of earth-quakes. These aside, there isn’t much down therethat you want to hear, and filtering it out makesthe low stuff you do want much more crisp andtasty. Not only that, but low cut can help reducethe possibility of feedback in live situations, and ithelps to conserve amplifier power.

With LOW CUT, you can safely boost LOWEQ . Many times, bass shelving eq can reallybenefit voices. Trouble is, adding LOW EQ alsoboosts the subsonic debris: Stage rumble, michandling clunks, wind noise and breath pops.LOW CUT removes all that debris so you canboost the LOW EQ without frying your woofer.Here’s a frequency curve of LOW EQ combinedwith LOW CUT:

20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz

–15

–10

–5

0

+5

+10

+15

AUX 1, 2, 3, & 4These four knobs tap a portion of each

channel’s signal, mix them together and sendthem to the AUX SEND outputs . They areoff when turned fully down, deliver unity gainat the center detent, and can provide up to15dB of gain turned fully up. Chances are you’llnever need this extra gain, but it’s nice toknow it’s there if you do.

The AUX SEND output are then patched toparallel effects processor inputs or stagemonitor amp inputs. AUX SENDS 1 and 2 lev-els are controlled not only by the channel’sAUX knobs, but also by the AUX SEND mas-ter knobs .

AUX SENDS can also be used to generateseparate mixes for recording or “mix-minuses”for broadcast. By using AUX 1 or 2 in the PREmode , these mix levels can be obtained in-dependently of a channel’s fader settings.

PAN

AUX

3

1

2

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PRE

TRIM 1

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

OL

-20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+15-15

800

2k200

8k

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW100

U

OO +15

1MUTE

MIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBV

L R

OO

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We recommend going into a stereo reverb inmono and returning in stereo. We have foundthat on most “stereo” reverbs, the second inputjust ties up an extra aux send and adds nothingto the sound. There are exceptions, so feel freeto try it both ways. Should you choose to use twoaux sends, use the “odd” AUX (1, 3 or 5) to feedits left input and the “even” AUX (2, 4 or 6) tofeed the right input. Remember, if you’re alsodealing with a stereo source signal, you’ll wantto follow the sides — use the odd AUX on thechannel carrying the left side and the even AUXon the channel carrying the right.

PREThis switch determines the tap point of

AUX 1 and 2. Generally, “post” sends are usedto feed effects devices, and “pre” sends areused to feed your stage monitors. See the “Prevs. Post” diagram below. AUX 3 through 6 arealways in post mode.

In post mode (switch up), AUX 1 and 2 willfollow the EQ, LOW CUT, fader and MUTE set-tings. If you fade the channel, you fade thesend. This is a must for effects sends, since youwant the levels of your “wet” signals to followthe level of the “dry.”

PAN

AUX

3

1

2

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PRE

TRIM 1

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

OL

-20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+15-15

800

2k200

8k

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW100

U

OO +15

1MUTE

MIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBV

L R

OO

Pre Vs. Post

In PRE mode (switch down), AUX 1 and 2follow the TRIM and LOW CUT settings only.EQ, PAN, fader and MUTE settings have no ef-fect on the PRE sends. This is the preferredmethod for setting up stage monitor feeds —they’ll be controlled independently of the faderand mute moves.

5/6 SHIFTDon’t let the fact that there’s only four AUX

knobs per channel fool you — the CR1604-VLZhas six AUX SENDs. With the 5/6 SHIFT switchup, the knobs labeled AUX 3 and AUX 4 delivertheir signals to AUX SEND 3 and 4 outputs.With the shift switch down, the signals appearat the AUX SEND 5 and 6 outputs.

We recommend that AUX SEND 3 and 4 bepatched into your “utility” effects, like a short re-verb and slap delay; effects you use all the time.Use AUX SEND 5 and 6 for “exotic” effects, likeharmonizers and multi-tap delays; they are notlikely to be used as often.

INPUT TRIM INSERTLOWCUT EQ

PAN ASSIGNMUTE

FADER

'POST' SIGNAL'PRE' SIGNAL

PRE SWITCH

AUX 1

AUX 2

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AUXSENDS

STEREO AUX RETURNS

EFFECTS TOMONITORS

TO AUXSEND 2

TO AUXSEND 11

2

PWRPHAN

SOLO

SOLO

1

2

1

2

3

4

1

2

C-R / PHNSONLY

RETURNSSOLO

MAIN MIXTO SUBS

ASSIGN OPTIONS

1–23–4

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +10

U

OO +10

LEFT RIGHT

PHONES

LAMP

12V0.5A

TAPE IN

SOLO

RUDESOLOLIGHT

C-R / PHONES

SUBS 3–4

SUBS 1–2

MAIN MIX

SOURCE

TAPE TAPE TOMAIN MIX

MAINL-R MIX

RIGHT

1 2 3 4

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

28CLIP

10

7

4

2

2

0

4

7

10

20

30

ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX

LEVELSET

TM

MODE

(AFL)LEVEL SETNORMAL

(PFL)

CR1604-VLZ16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER

U

OO +20

OO

OOMAX

0 dB=0 dBu

MAX

dB

30

20

10

OO

4050

5

5

U

60

10

dB

30

20

10

OO

4050

5

5

U

60

10

At Mackie, audio quality is much more im-portant than the price of wall warts. All of ourmixers now employ VLZ and built-in powersupplies that deliver more than enough cur-rent, resulting in sonic specifications thatrival consoles upwards of $50,000!

SUBGROUP FADERSAs you might expect, these faders control the

levels of signals sent to the SUB OUTS. All chan-nels that are assigned to subgroups, not mutedand not turned fully down will appear at theSUB OUTS. Unlike the MAIN OUT, the sub-group signals do not pass through an insert jackon their way to the subgroup faders. That’s noproblem — should you want to send these sig-nals through a serial effects processor, simplypatch from the SUB OUTS to the effect’s input,and from the effect’s output to whatever the fi-nal destination is, usually a multitrack recorder.

The subgroup signals is off when its fader isfully down, the “U” marking is unity gain, andfully up provides 10dB additional gain. Re-member that if you’re treating two subgroupsas a stereo pair, subgroup 1 and 2 for example,make sure that both subgroup faders “ride”together, to maintain the left/right balance.

ASSIGN TO MAIN MIXOne popular use of the subgroups is to use

them as master faders for a group of channelson their way to the MAIN L-R MIX. Let’s sayyou’ve got a drum kit hogging up seven channelsand you’re going to want to fade them out at adifferent rate than the other channels. You don’twant to try that with seven hands or seven fin-gers, so just un-assign these channels from L–R,reassign them to subgroup 1–2, engage the AS-SIGN TO MAIN MIX, LEFT on subgroup 1 andthe ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX, RIGHT on subgroup2. Now you can ride the entire stereo drum mixwith two faders — 1 and 2.

If you engage just one ASSIGN TO MAINMIX switch per subgroup (LEFT or RIGHT),the signal sent to the MAIN L-R MIX will bethe same level as the SUB OUTS. If you wantthe subgroup to appear in the center of themain mix, engage both the ASSIGN TO MAINMIX, LEFT and ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX, RIGHTswitches. The signal will be sent to both sides,and will be attenuated just enough to pre-serve constant loudness , just like thechannel PAN knobs when set center.

OUTPUT SECTION DESCRIPTION

You’ve just learned about theinput channels and how the sig-nals get in and out. The signalscome in via MIC and LINE inputjacks, are manipulated by thechannels, and then sent to theoutput section. In the outputsection, things get a bit morecomplicated, so put on yourthinking caps.

MAIN L-R MIX FADERAs the name implies, this

fader controls the levels ofsignals sent to the MAIN OUT1/4" TRS jacks and TAPEOUTPUT RCA jacks . Allchannels and AUX RETURNsthat are assigned to the MAINL-R MIX, not muted and notturned fully down will appearat the MAIN OUT. Before themain mix gets to this fader, thesignals pass through the MAININSERT .

The MAIN L-R MIX signalsare off with the fader fullydown, the “U” marking is unitygain, and fully up provides10dB additional gain. This ad-ditional gain will typicallynever be needed, but onceagain, it’s nice to know it’sthere. The fader itself is a ste-reo version of the channel andsubgroup faders — same su-persmooth custom taper, samedead silence when turned fullydown. This is the fader to pulldown at the end of the song

when you want “The Great Fade-Out.”

VLZ MIXARCHITECTURE

When designing a mixingcircuit, the lowest noise andbest crosstalk specs are

achieved by using Very Low Impedance (VLZ).To implement VLZ in a mixer, the power supplymust be able to deliver plenty of current to thecircuitry. That’s why those “wall wart” mixers areoften noisy — they can’t power a VLZ circuit.

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23

Now you know how to select the signals youwant to send to the engineer’s control roomand/or phones. From there, these signals all passthrough the same level control, aptly named:

C-R/PHONESAs you might expect, this knob controls the

levels of both the stereo C-R OUTS andPHONES output . The control range is fromoff through unity gain at the detent, with 10dBof extra gain (when turned fully clockwise).

When MAIN MIX is your SOURCE selection,those signals will now pass through two levelcontrols on the way to your control room ampand headphones — the MAIN L-R MIX faderand this C-R/PHONES knob. This way, you cansend a nice healthy level to the MAIN OUTjacks (MAIN L-R MIX fader at “U”), and a qui-eter level to the C-R OUTS or PHONES (C-R/PHONES knob wherever you like it).

Whatever your selection, you can also use theC-R OUTS for other applications. Its soundquality is just as impeccable as the MAIN OUToutputs. It can be used as additional main mixoutput and this one will have its own level con-trol. However, should you do this, be aware thatif you engage a SOLO switch, that will interruptthe mix, as we’ve already covered .

Once again, engaging a SOLO switch willcause this dramatic turn of events: Any existingSOURCE matrix selections will be replaced bythe SOLO signals, appearing at the C-R OUTS,PHONES output and at the meter display. Theaudible solo levels are controlled by the SOLOlevel knob. The SOLO levels appearing on themeter display are not controlled by anything— you wouldn’t want that. You want to see theactual channel level on the meter display,regardless of how loud you’re listening.

TAPE IN (LEVEL)This knob controls the level of the stereo signal

coming from the TAPE INPUT RCA jacks. Its rangeis off when fully down, unity at the center detent,with 20dB additional gain turned fully up, whichmay come in handy if you’ve patched in a“walkperson” type device with wimpy output levels.After the TAPE IN level is determined, the stereotape signal can be sent to either of two places —the MAIN L-R MIX or the SOURCE matrix .

TAPE TO MAIN MIXEngaging this switch is just like engaging

the L-R switch on a channel — the signal,stereo in this case, is sent to the MAIN MIX. Itdoes not interrupt other signals, just adds itselfto them. This switch can be very handy in alive sound situation when you want to playsoothing elevator music to an anxious crowd.

WARNING: EngagingTAPE TO MAIN MIX cancreate a feedback path be-tween TAPE INPUT andTAPE OUTPUT. Make sure

your tape deck is not in record, record-pause or input monitor mode when youengage this switch, or that the TAPE INlevel knob is turned fully down.

SOURCETypically, the engineer sends the main mix

to an audience (if live) or to a mixdown deck(if recording). But what if the engineer needsto hear something other than the main mix?With the New Improved CR1604-VLZ, the engi-neer has several choices of what to listen to.This is one of those tricky parts — have adouble espresso first.

Via the SOURCE switches, you can choose tolisten to any combination of MAIN MIX, SUBS1-2, SUBS 3-4 and TAPE. Selections made in theSOURCE matrix deliver stereo signals to theC-R OUTS, PHONES output and meter display.These signals are tapped after their respectivelevel controls — post-MAIN L-R MIX fader, postsubgroup faders and post-TAPE IN knob. Withno switches engaged, there will be no signal atthese outputs and no meter indication, with twoexceptions (SOLO / and AUX RETURN 4 ).

One of those exceptions is the SOLO func-tion / . Regardless of the SOURCE matrixselection, engaging a SOLO switch will replacethat selection with the SOLO signal, also sentto the C-R OUTS, PHONES output and meterdisplay. This is what makes the Level-SettingProcedure so easy to do.

LEFT RIGHT

TAPE IN

SOLO

RUDESOLOLIGHT

C-R / PHONES

SUBS 3–4

SUBS 1–2

MAIN MIX

SOURCE

TAPE TAPE TOMAIN MIX

28CLIP

10

7

4

2

2

0

4

7

10

20

30

LEVELSET

MODE

(AFL)LEVEL SETNORMAL

(PFL)

U

OO +20

OO

OOMAX

0 dB=0 dBu

MAX

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MODE (NORMAL (AFL)/LEVEL SET (PFL))You may have already seen this, but in case

you missed it: The CR1604-VLZ’s solo systemcomes in two flavors: NORMAL (AFL) (sometimescalled SIP, or solo-in-place) and LEVEL SET (PFL)(sometimes called PFL, or pre-fader-listen).

In NORMAL (AFL), the soloedchannel’s signal is sent directly tothe C-R OUTS, PHONES outputand meter display just as it wouldsound to the channel’s assign-ment switches: post-EQ,post-fader and post-PAN. Theonly difference is that SOLOworks regardless of the channel’sassignment positions, and thatmakes it really handy — you can

check out a channel before you assign it.NORMAL (AFL) is the preferred mode dur-

ing mixdown: If the channel has somemidrange boost at 4.236kHz, is panned a smid-gen to the left, and its fader is at –5.385dB,that’s exactly what you’ll hear if you SOLO dur-ing NORMAL (AFL) mode. It’s just as if youtook the time to MUTE all the other channels.

LEVEL SET (PFL) solo is the key player in theall-important Level-Setting Procedure . It’llsend the channel’s actual internal levels to themeters so you’ll know just what’s going on, level-wise. This procedure should be performed everytime a new sound source is patched into achannel’s MIC or LINE input jacks.

LEVEL SET (PFL) is also the preferred modefor SR (sound reinforcement, or live sound), topreview channels before they are let into themix. It won’t give you stereo placement, but willgive you signal even if the fader is turned down.

Remember, LEVEL SET (PFL) taps the chan-nel signal before the fader. If you have achannel’s fader set way below “U” (unity gain),SOLO won’t know that and will send a unitygain signal to the C-R OUTS, PHONES outputand meter display. That may result in a star-tling level boost at these outputs, dependingon the position of the SOLO level knob .

LEVEL SET LEDTo quote step 6 of the Level-Setting

Procedure , “Push in the MODE switch inthe output section (LEVEL SET (PFL) mode)— the LEVEL SET LED will light.” When thesolo MODE switch is engaged, it’s in LEVELSET (PFL) mode, the mode you must be in toset levels. Now, when you engage any soloswitch, this LED will be a “green light” to setlevels. If you tried to set levels duringNORMAL (AFL) mode, the meter displaywould be at the mercy of the channel fader,and that would be a big problem.

SOLO (LEVEL)This knob controls the level of the signals

coming from the SOLO system. It’s range is offwhen fully down, unity at the center detent,with 10dB additional gain turned fully up. Afterthe SOLO level is determined, the SOLO signalswill proceed to take over the C-R OUTS,PHONES output and meter display .

Once again, LEVEL SET (PFL) SOLO tapsthe channel signal before the fader. If youhave a channel’s fader set way below “U”(unity gain), LEVEL SET (PFL) SOLO won’tknow that and will send a unity gain signal tothe C-R OUTS, PHONES output and meterdisplay. That may result in a startling levelboost at these outputs, depending on theposition of the SOLO level knob.

RUDE SOLO LIGHTThis flashing LED (light emitting diode)

serves two purposes — to remind you thatyou’re in SOLO, and to let you know thatyou’re mixing on a Mackie. No other companyis so concerned about your level of SOLOawareness. We even force the soloed chan-nel’s –20 LED to play along, so you can findthat rogue switch fast.

If you work on a mixer that has a SOLOfunction with no indicator lights, and youhappen to forget you’re in SOLO, you can eas-ily be tricked into thinking that something iswrong with your mixer. Hence the RUDESOLO LIGHT. It’s especially handy at about3:00 in the morning, when no sound is comingout of your monitors, even though your multi-track is playing back like mad.

LEFT RIGHT

TAPE IN

SOLO

RUDESOLOLIGHT

C-R / PHONES

SUBS 3–4

SUBS 1–2

MAIN MIX

SOURCE

TAPE TAPE TOMAIN MIX

28CLIP

10

7

4

2

2

0

4

7

10

20

30

LEVELSET

MODE

(AFL)LEVEL SETNORMAL

(PFL)

U

OO +20

OO

OOMAX

0 dB=0 dBu

MAX

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25

METERSThe CR1604-VLZ’s peak metering system is

made up of two columns of twelve LEDs. Decep-tively simple, considering the multitude of signalsthat can be monitored by it. If nothing is selectedin the SOURCE matrix and no channels are inSOLO, the meter display will just sit there. Toput them to work, you must make a selection inthe SOURCE matrix (or engage a SOLO switch).

Why? You want the meter display to reflectwhat the engineer is listening to, and as we’vecovered, the engineer is listening either to theC-R OUTS or the PHONES output. The onlydifference is that while the listening levels arecontrolled by the C-R/PHONES knob, themeter display reads the SOURCE mix beforethat control, giving you the real facts at alltimes, even if you’re not listening at all.

When the solo MODE switch is set to LEVELSET (PFL) (down) , all soloed signals will besent to the left meter only. That, combinedwith LEVEL SET LED , are along the path ofenlightenment known as the Level-SettingProcedure . During NORMAL (AFL) mode,the meters will behave normally.

Meters vs. RealityYou may already be an

expert at the world of “+4”(+4dBu=1.23V) and “–10”

(–10dBV=0.32V) operating levels. Basically,what makes a mixer one or the other is therelative 0dB VU (or 0VU) chosen for the meterdisplay. A “+4” mixer, with a +4dBu signalpouring out the back will actually read 0VU onits meter display. A “–10” mixer, with a –10dBVsignal trickling out, will read, you guessed it,0VU on its meter display. So when is 0VU actu-ally 0dBu? Right now!

At the risk of creating another standard,Mackie’s compact mixers address the need ofboth crowds by calling things as they are: 0dBu(0.775V) at the output shows as 0VU on themeter display. What could be easier? By theway, the most wonderful thing about standardsis that there are so many to choose from.

Thanks to the CR1604-VLZ’s wide dynamicrange, you can get a good mix with peaks flash-ing anywhere between –20 and +10dB on themeter display. Most amplifiers clip at about+10dB, and some recorders aren’t so forgivingeither. For best real-world results, try to keepyour peaks between “0” and “+7.”

Please remember: Audio meter displays arejust tools to help assure you that your levelsare “in the ballpark.” You don’t have to stare atthem (unless you want to).

AUX TALKFirst of all, there is no particular alliance

between AUX SEND 1 and AUX RETURN 1.They’re just numbers. They’re like two com-plete strangers, both named Fred.

Sends are outputs, returns are inputs. TheAUX knob taps the signal off the channeland sends it to the AUX SEND outputs .AUX 1 and 2 are sent to the AUX SENDS 1and 2 master knobs before the AUX SENDoutputs and AUX 3 through 6 are sent directly.

These outputs are fed to the inputs of a re-verb or other device. From there, the outputs ofthe external device are fed back to the mixer’sAUX RETURN inputs . Then these signals aresent through the AUX RETURN level controls,and finally delivered to the MAIN L-R MIX .

So, the original “dry” signals come from thechannels to the MAIN L-R MIX and the af-fected “wet” signals come from the AUXRETURNS to the MAIN L-R MIX, and oncemixed together, the dry and wet signals com-bine to create a glorious sound. Armed withthis knowledge, let’s visit the Auxiliary World:

AUX SENDS (MASTER)These knobs provide overall level control of

AUX SENDS 1 and 2, just before they’re deliveredto their AUX SEND outputs . This is perfectfor controlling the level of stage monitors, sinceyou’ll be using AUX 1 and 2 for this, with theirPRE switches engaged . AUXSENDS 3 through 6 have no suchcontrol — they’ll just send theirmixes directly to their respectiveAUX SEND outputs at unity gain.

This knob goes from off(turned fully down), to unitygain at the center detent, with10dB of extra gain (turned fullyup). As with some other levelcontrols, you may never needthe additional gain, but if youever do, you’ll be glad youbought a Mackie.

This is usually the knob youturn up when the lead singerglares at you, points at his stagemonitor, and sticks his thumb inthe air. (It would follow suit thatif the singer stuck his thumbdown, you’d turn the knobdown, but that never happens.)

AUXSENDS

STEREO AUX RETURNS

EFFECTS TOMONITORS

TO AUXSEND 2

TO AUXSEND 11

2

PWRPHAN

SOLO

SOLO

1

2

1

2

3

4

1

2

C-R / PHNSONLY

RETURNSSOLO

MAIN MIXTO SUBS

ASSIGN OPTIONS

1–23–4

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +10

U

OO +10

LEFT RIGHT

LAMP

12V0.5A

TAPE IN

SOLO

RUDESOLOLIGHT

C-R / PHONES

SUBS 3–4

SUBS 1–2

MAIN MIX

SOURCE

TAPE TAPE TOMAIN MIX

28CLIP

10

7

4

2

2

0

4

7

10

20

30

LEVELSET

TM

MODE

(AFL)LEVEL SETNORMAL

(PFL)

CR1604-VLZ16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER

U

OO +20

OO

OOMAX

0 dB=0 dBu

MAX

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AUX SENDS SOLOOnce again, in a live sound situations AUX

SEND 1 and 2 are likely to feed your stagemonitors. You’ll want to check the mix you’resending them, and that’s what these two but-tons are for. (AUX 3 through AUX 6 have nosuch switch.) Below each switch is a greenLED that, just like the channel’s –20 LED ,helps you find the rogue SOLO switch.

The only thing different about AUX SENDSSOLO is that it’s not really PFL (pre-fader lis-ten), and it’s not really SIP (solo-in-place), it’sactually AFL (after-fader listen, and yes, weknow there’s no fader in this case.) DuringNORMAL (AFL) mode , you’ll get AUXSEND 1’s solo signal, post-AUX SENDS masterlevel, in the left side of the C-R OUTS,PHONES output and meter display, and AUXSEND 2 on the right side. (If you ever you useAUX 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 stillpost-AUX SENDS master level.

AUX RETURNS (LEVEL)These four controls set the overall level of

effects received from the stereo AUX RETURNinput jacks . These controls are designed tohandle a wide range of signal levels — eachknob goes from off, to unity gain at the detent,to 20dB gain fully clockwise, to compensate for

low-level effects. Signals passingthrough the STEREO AUXRETURN level controls will pro-ceed directly to the MAIN L-RMIX fader , with exceptionsthat we’ll discuss in a moment.

Typically, these knobs canjust live at the center detent,and the effects device’s outputcontrol should be set at what-ever they call unity gain (checktheir manual). If that turns outto be too loud or too quiet, ad-just the effects device’s outputs,not the mixer. That way, themixer’s knobs are easy torelocate at the center detent.

EFFECTS TO MONITORSIf you want to add reverb or delay to the

stage monitor mixes, these are the knobs foryou. Operating independently of their respec-tively numbered AUX RETURNS level controls,these knobs are exactly the same as the AUX 1and AUX 2 knobs found in the channel strip .

These two knobs feed AUX RETURN signalsto their respective AUX SEND outputs : TOAUX SEND 1 feeds AUX RETURN 1 to AUXSEND 1 master, and TO AUX SEND 2 feedsAUX RETURN 2 to AUX SEND 2 master. Theyare off when turned fully down, deliver unitygain at the center detent, and can provide upto 15dB of gain turned fully up. AUX RETURN3 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 astereo signal, regulated by its level knob, to theMAIN L-R MIX . When you engage thisswitch, the signals are removed from the MAINL-R MIX buses and sent to the 1-2/3-4 switch,which diverts the signal once more. We’re notfinished. 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 switchdoes absolutely nothing. Let’s now assume it’sengaged. AUX RETURN 3’s stereo signal will notbe sent to the MAIN MIX, but to subgroup fad-ers 1 and 2 (1–2/3–4 switch up) or subgroupfaders 3 and 4 (switch down).

Let’s say you’ve made a stereo drum submix onsubgroup faders 1 and 2, so you can ride thosetwo faders instead of the seven channels that thedrums came from. Subgroup fader 1 has itsASSIGN TO MAIN MIX, LEFT button engagedand subgroup fader 2 has its ASSIGN TO MAINMIX, RIGHT button engaged, blending the drumsubmix back into the MAIN L-R MIX. The drumchannels are also sending signals to your reverbvia the AUX sends and the reverb outputs arepatched into AUX RETURN 3. So far so good.

Even though you could send AUX RETURN 3directly to the MAIN L-R MIX (MAIN MIX TOSUBS switch up), you don’t want to. Instead, en-gage the MAIN MIX TO SUBS switch and makesure the 1–2/3–4 switch is up. Now the reverbreturn will be blended into the drum submix,and as you ride those two faders, the reverblevel will follow.

Why do we want that? Because if you hadjust sent the reverb directly to the MAIN L-R

AUXSENDS

STEREO AUX RETURNS

EFFECTS TOMONITORS

TO AUXSEND 2

TO AUXSEND 11

2

PWRPHAN

SOLO

SOLO

1

2

1

2

3

4

1

2

C-R / PHNSONLY

RETURNSSOLO

MAIN MIXTO SUBS

ASSIGN OPTIONS

1–23–4

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +10

U

OO +10

LEFT RIGHT

LAMP

12V0.5A

TAPE IN

SOLO

RUDESOLOLIGHT

C-R / PHONES

SUBS 3–4

SUBS 1–2

MAIN MIX

SOURCE

TAPE TAPE TOMAIN MIX

28CLIP

10

7

4

2

2

0

4

7

10

20

30

LEVELSET

TM

MODE

(AFL)LEVEL SETNORMAL

(PFL)

CR1604-VLZ16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER

U

OO +20

OO

OOMAX

0 dB=0 dBu

MAX

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MIX (MAIN MIX TO SUBS switch up) and youdid a drum fade-out using subgroup faders 1and 2, the “dry” signals would fade out, but the“wet” signals would keep on singing. All youwould hear is the drum reverb (the “wet”), andnone of the original drum signals (the “dry”).That’s because the reverb is being fed by thechannel’s AUX sends, and they have no ideathat you’ve pulled down the subgroup faders.That’s why we threw in these switches.

C-R/PHNS ONLY (AUX RET 4)Once again, the default for all the STEREO

AUX RETURNS is to feed them directly intothe MAIN L-R MIX. You’ve just learned aboutthe optional exceptions involving AUXRETURN 3. AUX RETURN 4 also has an op-tional exception: By engaging the C-R/PHNSswitch, you will remove AUX RETURN 4’s ste-reo signal from the MAIN L-R MIX and send itdirectly to the C-R/PHONES SOURCE matrix

. It matters not if any of the SOURCE matrixswitches are assigned, but it will be inter-rupted, as usual, if a SOLO switch is engaged.

Let’s pretend you’re doing a live mix to a2-track deck, a house PA, or both, and youwant to play along to a click track. You couldrun the click track directly into the MAIN L-RMIX, but you don’t want the mixdown deckand/or audience to hear it. By gum, this is theswitch for you. Similarly, it can be used forvoice-over tracks, narration, anything you wantheard by the engineer and players but not bythe audience and mixdown deck.

RETURNS SOLOThis switch operates just like the channel

SOLO switches — engaging it sends signals tothe C-R OUTS, PHONES output and meter dis-play and interrupts whatever happened to bethere before you soloed. It follows the MODEswitch setting as well. The only difference isthat when you engage the RETURNS SOLOswitch, it sends all four STEREO AUX RETURNSsignals to the SOLO circuit.

Assume you want to solo the snare drum.Hit that channel’s SOLO switch, and you getthe “dry” (no effects) snare only. That helps,but you want to hear it with the reverb youhave patched into an AUX RETURN. Leavingthat channel’s SOLO switch engaged, also en-gage the RETURNS SOLO switch, and nowyou’ll get the dry snare and its reverb.

Since it is a global feature, you’ll also getthe signals from all the other AUX RETURNS,so there may be some sounds that you didn’twant to hear. If they offend your sensibilities,simply turn down the levels of the STEREOAUX RETURNS you don’t want to hear, orMUTE the channels feeding the unwanted sig-nal to the effects device you do want to hear.

Congratulations! You’ve just read about allthe features of your CR1604-VLZ. You’re prob-ably ready for a cold one. Go ahead. The rest ofthe manual can wait.

STEREO AUX RETURNS

3

4C-R / PHNS

ONLYRETURNS

SOLO

MAIN MIXTO SUBS

ASSIGN OPTIONS

1–23–4

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

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MODIFICATIONSCR1604-VLZ Post-EQ Mod

This changes AUX SENDS 1 and 2, with thepre switch engaged, to receive their signals post-EQinstead of pre-EQ. The signal remains post-low cut,pre-mute and pre-fader. With the pre switch disen-gaged (up), the signals are not affected by the mod.The following must be performed for each channelyou wish to modify:1. Remove all cords, including the power cable,

from the CR1604-VLZ.2. Place the mixer upside-down on a dry, non-

marring surface.3. If you have converted your mixer to the rack-

mount position or have installed a RotoPod,undo those changes and temporarily configurethe mixer in the original desktop mode. You donot have to install the pod, just get it out of theway of the bottom cover.

4. Remove the screws that attach the bottomcover. Keep track of what screws go where.Remove the bottom cover.

5. Cut the conductor at point C, between thesquare and round pads. Be careful to cut allthe way through the conductor, and do no cutany nearby traces. Each channel is slightlydifferent, but this graphic shows Channel 16,which is very different from the others, andChannel 15 (respectively), which is similiar tothe remaining channels.

6. Add a jumper from the square pad at point Bto the square pad at point C.

7. Repeat for each channel you wish to modify.8. Check your work very carefully, them put the

bottom cover back the way you found it.You’re done!

UL WarningCAUTION! These modi-

fication instructions arefor use by qualified per-sonnel only. To avoid

electric shock, do not perform any servicingother than changing the fuse unless youare qualified to do so. Refer all servicingand modifying to qualified personnel.

Mackie DisclaimerAny modification of any Mackie Designs prod-

uct must be performed by a competent electronictechnician. Mackie Designs accepts no responsi-bility for any damages or injuries caused by anymodification, regardless of the source of the modi-fication instructions or the qualifications of thetechnician performing them. In the case of suchdamages, Mackie Designs may declare warrantyprivileges void. BE CAREFUL!

About JumpersWe recommend solid (non-stranded) wire,

26–28 gauge (wire-wrapping variety). When in-stalling jumpers, do not run their ends throughholes in the circuit board. Rather, solder them flatagainst the desired pad (the flat silver area, possi-bly with a hole in the middle). Make sure the endsof these flat wires do not extend beyond the pad.

65

jumpershere

cuthere

Holes

Jumper

Solder

BEFORE

AFTER

Ch. 16 Ch. 15

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UL WarningCAUTION! These modi-

fication instructions arefor use by qualified per-sonnel only. To avoid

electric shock, do not perform any servicingother than changing the fuse unless youare qualified to do so. Refer all servicingand modifying to qualified personnel.

Mackie DisclaimerAny modification of any Mackie Designs prod-

uct must be performed by a competent electronictechnician. Mackie Designs accepts no responsi-bility for any damages or injuries caused by anymodification, regardless of the source of the modi-fication instructions or the qualifications of thetechnician performing them. In the case of suchdamages, Mackie Designs may declare warrantyprivileges void. BE CAREFUL!

About JumpersWe recommend solid (non-stranded) wire,

26–28 gauge (wire-wrapping variety). When in-stalling jumpers, do not run their ends throughholes in the circuit board. Rather, solder them flatagainst the desired pad (the flat silver area, possi-bly with a hole in the middle). Make sure the endsof these flat wires do not extend beyond the pad.

CR1604-VLZ Source ModThis changes the C-R/PHONES level control

in the SOURCE matrix to receive the main mixstereo signal pre-MAIN L-R MIX fader insteadof post-MAIN L-R MIX fader.

You can accomplish the same result that thismodification provides by using two standard 1⁄4"tip-sleeve “jumper cables” plugged into the MAININSERT (L and R) to the first click and the otherend plugged into STEREO AUX RETURN 4,assigned to C-R/PHNS ONLY. STEREO AUXRETURN 4 level will control the volume as well asC-R/PHONES level control.

You can also use the TAPE INPUT (L and R)RCA jacks (you will need 1⁄4" to RCA cables oradapters) and assign the TAPE source button inthe SOURCE matrix.1. Remove all cords, including the power cable,

from the CR1604-VLZ.2. Place the mixer upside-down on a dry, non-

marring surface.3. If you have converted your mixer to the rack-

mount position or have installed a RotoPod,undo those changes and temporarily configurethe mixer in the original desktop mode. You donot have to install the pod, just get it out of theway of the bottom cover.

4. Remove the screws that attach the bottomcover. Keep track of what screws go where.Remove the bottom cover.

5. Cut the conductor at points ZL and ZR,between the square and round pads. Becareful to cut all the way through the conduc-tor, and do no cut any nearby traces.

6. Add a jumper from the square pad at point YLto the square pad at point ZL and anotherfrom the square pad at point YR to the squarepad at point ZR.

7. Check your work very carefully, then put thebottom cover back the way you found it.You’re done!

Holes

Jumper

Solder

BEFORE

AFTER

7

6

jumpershere

cuthere

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CR1604-VLZ BLOCK DIAGRAM

MAIN L

SUB 3

MAIN R

SUB 2SUB 1

SUB 4AUX 1AUX 2AUX 3AUX 4AUX 5AUX 6SIP LSIP R

PFLLOGIC

75Hz

HPF

MID

HI

8010

0–8K

12K

LOL R 1 2 3 4

SIP

L

SIP

R

PFL

PHAN

TOM

POW

ER(G

LOBA

L SW

ITCH

TRIM

MIC

IN

LINE

IN

DIRE

CT O

UT(C

H'S

1–8

ONLY

)

INSE

RT LOW

CUT

–20

(FL

ICKE

R)S

OLO

(G

LOW

)O

L (F

LICK

ER)

MUT

E (G

LOW

)

EQ

GAI

NFR

EQ

FADE

RM

UTE

PAN

ASSI

GN

PRE

AUX

1

AUX

2

AUX

3

AUX

4SH

IFT

5/6

INPU

T CH

ANNE

L(1

OF 16

)

AUX

RETU

RN 1

AUX

RETU

RN 2

AUX

RETU

RN 4

AUX

RETU

RN 3

L R L R L RL R

EFX

TOM

ON

LEVE

L

LEVE

L

LEVE

L

LEVE

LAS

SIG

N TO

C-R/

PHNS

ONLY

MAI

N/SU

BS 1–2/

3–4

EFX

TOM

ON

SOLO

TO S

OLO

LED

SIP

L

SIP

R

PFL

SOLO

MAC

KIE

CR16

04-V

LZSI

GNA

L FL

OW16

-410

97.V

SD.D

F

CR/PHN LCR/PHN R

SOLO

RELA

Y

ASSI

GN

TO M

IX

MAI

N M

IX

INSE

RT

FADE

R R

MAI

N M

IX M

ONO

OUT

MAI

N M

IX LE

FT O

UT

TAPE

OUT

LEF

T

TAPE

OUT

RIG

HT

MAI

N M

IX RI

GHT

OUT

MET

ERS

(0VU

= 0

dBu)

TAPE

IN

L RTA

PE L

EVEL

C-R/

PHON

ESSO

URCE

MAI

N

TAPE

1–2

RUDE

SOL

O LE

D

C-R/

PHON

ES M

IX

C-R/

PHON

ESLE

VEL

CONT

ROL

ROOM

OUT

L R

PHON

ES O

UT

SIP/

PFL

SOLO

LEV

EL

SOLO

MIX

SUB

1 MIX

FADE

R

FADE

R

ASSI

GN

TO M

AIN

MIX

L R

SUB

1 OUT

SUBM

IX 1

(SUB

MIX

3 ID

ENTI

CAL)

SUB

2 M

IX

ASSI

GN

TO M

AIN

MIX

L R

SUB

2 OU

T

SUBM

IX 2

(SUB

MIX

4 ID

ENTI

CAL)

AUX

MIX

LEVE

L

AUX

SEND

1 (#

2 ID

ENTI

CAL) AU

X 1 O

UT

AUX

SEND

3

(#4

–6 ID

ENTI

CAL)

AUX

3 OU

T

SOLO

3–4

(FRO

M S

UB 3

OUT

)

(FRO

M S

UB 4

OUT

)

22 10 7 4 2 0 2 4 7 10 20 30

LEVE

L SE

T(P

FL) L

ED

MON

O LE

VEL

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GAIN STRUCTURE DIAGRAM

+22d

Bu m

ax in

10dB

loss

, TRI

M d

own

40dB

gai

n, T

RIM

up

LINE

IN, a

ll ch

anne

ls

MIC

IN, a

ll ch

anne

ls

60

dB g

ain,

TRI

M u

p

10dB

gai

n, T

RIM

dow

n

+14d

Bu m

ax in

+15d

B up

–15d

Bdo

wn–1

5dB

down

–15d

Bdo

wn

LOW

+15d

B up

MID

+15d

b up

HIG

H+1

0dB

up

FADE

RPA

N

–4dB

cen

ter

EQM

IX

0dB

1/4"

Unb

al O

utan

d RC

A T

ape

Out

+6dB

(1/4

" bal

, Mai

n M

ix on

ly)

OUTP

UTS

CHA

NNEL

MA

IN M

IX &

SUB

MA

STE

RS

to ‘A

’‘A’

to ‘A

to ‘D

(fro

m M

ain

Mix,

Sub

s an

d Ta

pe In

)

0dB

0dB

‘D’

+10

dB u

p

OUTP

UT

0dB

SOU

RCE

Mat

rixM

IXLE

VEL

CONT

ROL

ROOM

/ PH

ONES

‘C’

‘B’

0dB

From

‘B’

+10

dB u

p

Chan

nel S

END

AUX

MIX

AUX

1 &

2 M

aste

r

0dB

OUTP

UT

AUX

SEN

D

INPU

T

+20

dB u

p

to ‘C

’0

dB

LEVE

L

AUX

RET

URN

+22d

Bu m

ax o

ut (1

/4" u

nbal

& R

CA)

+28

dBu

max

out

(1/4

" bal

, Mai

n M

ix on

ly)

+22d

Bu m

ax o

ut+2

2dBu

max

in

+22d

Bu m

ax o

ut

to ‘C

FADE

R

+10

dB u

p

(Inse

rtS

end)

(Inse

rtRe

turn

)In

sert

poi

nt(M

ain

Mix

only

)

–6dB

0dB

0dB

+15d

B up

+20

db u

p

TAPE

IN

0dB

LEVE

Lto

‘D’

+15d

b up

SOL

O

0dB

LEVE

Lto

‘D’

MA

CKIE

CR1

60

4-VL

ZLE

VEL

DIA

GRA

M

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SPECIFICATIONSMain Mix Noise20Hz–20kHz bandwidth, 1⁄4" Main Out, channel Trims @unity gain, channel EQs flat, all channels assigned to MainMix, odd channels panned left, even channels panned right

Main Mix fader unity, channel faders down: –86.5dBu(90dB Signal to Noise Ratio, ref +4dBu)Main Mix fader @ unity, channel faders @ unity: –84.0dBu

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)1kHz @ +14dBu: 20Hz–20kHzMic in to Main out: below 0.005%

Attenuation (Crosstalk)1kHz relative to 0dBu, 20Hz–20kHz bandwidth,Line in, 1⁄4" Main Out, Trim @ unity

Channel Mute switch engaged: –84dBuChannel Gain knob down: –84dBu

Frequency ResponseMic input to any output

20Hz to 60kHz: +0dB/–1dB20Hz to 100kHz: +0dB/–3dB

Equivalent Input Noise (EIN)Mic in to Insert Send out, max gain

150 ohm termination: –129.5dBm unweighted

Common Mode Rejection (CMR)Mic in to Insert Send out, max gain

1kHz: better than 80dB

Maximum LevelsMic in: +14dBuAll other inputs: +22dBuMain Mix 1⁄4" TRS outputs: +28dBuAll other outputs: +22dBu

ImpedancesMic in: 1.3 kilohmsChannel Insert return: 2.5 kilohmsAll other inputs: 10 kilohms or greaterTape out: 1.1 kilohmsAll other outputs: 120 ohms

EQHigh Shelving: ±15db @ 12kHzMid Peaking: ±15dB, sweep 100Hz–8kHzLow Shelving: ±15db @ 80HzLow Cut Filter: 18dB/octave, –3dB @ 75Hz

Power Consumption120VA.C., 50/60Hz, 50 watts

Fuse Ratings120V: 1A Slo Blo, 5 x 20mm220–240V: 0.5A Slo Blo, 5 x 20mm

Weight20 lbs. (9.1kg)

17.9

" (45

4.7m

m)

11 ra

ck s

pace

s17

.6" (

447.

0mm

)10

rack

spa

ces

13.0

" (32

5.1m

m)

8 ra

ck s

pace

s

8.7" (221.0mm)

5.0" (127mm)

19.0" (482.6mm)

5.6" (142.2mm)

6.0" (152.4mm)

17.3" (442.0mm)

9.3" (236.2mm)

6.6" (167.6mm)

CR1604-VLZ with pod normal

CR1604-VLZ with pod to back

CR1604-VLZ with optional rotopod

CR1604-VLZWEIGHT20.0 lbs.(9.1 kg)

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SERVICE INFODetails concerning Warranty Service are

spelled out on the Warranty Card includedwith your mixer (if it’s missing, let us knowand we’ll rush one to you).

If you think your CR1604-VLZ has a problem,please do everything you can to confirm it beforecalling for service. Doing so might save youfrom being deprived of your mixer.

Of all Mackie products returned for service(which is hardly any at all), roughly 50% arecoded “CND” — Could Not Duplicate, whichusually means the problem lies somewhereother than the mixer. These may sound obviousto you, but here’s some things you can check:

TROUBLESHOOTING

Bad Channel• Are the channels assigned to the correct

mix (1-2, 3-4, L-R )?• Is the fader up?• Try unplugging any insert devices from the

INSERT jacks.• Try the same source signal in another channel,

set up exactly like the suspect channel.

Bad Output• Is the associated level control (if any) turned up?• If you’re listening to the C-R OUTS or

PHONES outputs, has a SOURCE selectionbeen made?

• If it’s one of the MAIN OUTS, try unpluggingits companion. For example, if it’s the 1/4"LEFT MAIN OUT, unplug the RCA output.If the problem goes away, it’s not the mixer.

• If it’s a stereo pair, try switching themaround. For example, if a left output ispresumed dead, switch the left and rightcords, at the mixer end. If the problemstays on the left, it’s not the mixer.

• Unplug everthing from the MAIN INSERTS.

Noise• Turn the channel faders and AUX RETURN

knobs down, one by one. If the sound disap-pears, it’s either that channel or whatever isplugged into it, so unplug whatever that is. Ifthe noise disappears, it’s from your whatever.

PowerOur favorite question: Is the POWER switch on?Check the fuse .

REPAIRService for the U.S. version of the CR1604-VLZ

is only available from Mackie Designs, located insunny Woodinville, Washington. (Service for mixersliving outside the United States can be obtainedthrough local dealers or distributors.) If yourmixer needs service, follow these instructions:1. Review the preceding troubleshooting

suggestions. Please.2. Call Tech Support at 1-800-258-6883, 8am

to 5pm PST, to explain the problem andrequest an R.A. number. Have your mixer’sserial number ready. You must have aReturn Authorization number, or wemay refuse the delivery.

3. Set aside the power cord, owner’s manual,or anything else that you’ll ever want tosee again. We are responsible for thereturn of the mixer only.

4. Pack the mixer in its original package,including endcaps and box. This is VERYIMPORTANT. If you don’t have a box, pleaselet Tech Support know that you need a newone when you call for the R.A. number.

5. Include a legible note stating your name,shipping address (no P.O. boxes), daytimephone number, R.A. number and a detaileddescription of the problem, including howwe can duplicate it.

6. Write the R.A. number in BIG PRINT ontop of the box.

7. Ship the mixer to us. We recommend UnitedParcel Service (UPS). We suggest insurancefor all forms of cartage. Ship to this address:

Mackie Designs Inc.SERVICE DEPARTMENT16220 Wood-Red Rd. NEWoodinville, WA 98072

8. We’ll try to fix the mixer within threebusiness days. We send everything backprepaid using UPS BLUE (Second DayAir). If you rush your mixer to us by AirShipment, we’ll treat it in kind by letting itjump to the head of the line, and we’ll alsoship it back to you UPS RED (Next DayAir). This paragraph does not necessarilyapply to non-warranty service.

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This Glossary contains brief definitions ofmany of the audio and electronic terms used indiscussions of sound mixing and recording. Manyof the terms have other meanings or nuances orvery rigorous technical definitions which we havesidestepped here because we figure you alreadyhave a lot on your mind. If you’d like to get moreinformation, you can call Mix Bookshelf at 1-800-233-9604. We recommend the following titles: TheAudio Dictionary, by Glenn White; Tech Terms,by Peterson & Oppenheimer; Handbook forSound Engineers, by Glen Ballou, Mackie MixerBook by Rudy Trubitt and Sound ReinforcementHandbook, by Gary Davis.AFL

An acronym for After Fade Listen, which isanother way of saying post-fader solo function.assign

In sound mixers, assign means to switch orroute a signal to a particular signal path orcombination of signal paths.attenuate

To reduce or make quieter.aux

See next entry.auxiliary

In sound mixers, supplemental equipmentor features that provide additional capabilitiesto the basic system. Examples of auxiliaryequipment include: serial processors (equaliz-ers, compressors, limiters, gates) and paralleldevices (reverberation and delay). Most mix-ers have aux send buses and aux return inputsto accommodate auxiliary equipment.balanced

In a classic balanced audio circuit, the twolegs of the circuit (+ and –) are isolated fromthe circuit ground by exactly the same imped-ance. Additionally, each leg may carry the signalat exactly the same level but with opposite po-larity with respect to ground. In some balancedcircuits, only one leg actually carries the signalbut both legs exhibit the same impedance char-acteristics with respect to ground. Balancedinput circuits can offer excellent rejection ofcommon-mode noise induced into the line andalso make proper (no ground loops) systemgrounding easier. Usually terminated with 1⁄4"TRS or XLR connectors.bandwidth

The band of frequencies that pass through adevice with a loss of less than 3dB, expressedin Hertz or in musical octaves. Also see Q.

busAn electrical connection common to three

or more circuits. In mixer design, a bus usuallycarries signals from a number of inputs to amixing amplifier, just like a city bus carriespeople from a number of neighborhoods totheir jobs.Cannon

A manufacturer of electrical connectorswho first popularized the three-pin connectornow used universally for balanced microphoneconnections. In sound work, a Cannon connec-tor is taken to mean a Cannon XLR-3 micconnector or any compatible connector.cardioid

Means heart-shaped. In sound work, car-dioid refers to the shape of the sensitivitypattern of some directional microphones.channel

A functional path in an audio circuit: aninput channel, an output channel, a recordingchannel, the left channel and so on.channel strip

The physical representation of an audiochannel on the front panel of a mixer; usuallya long, vertical strip of controls.chorusing

An effect available in some digital delayeffects units and reverbs. Chorusing involves anumber of moving delays and pitch shifting,usually panned across a stereo field. Depend-ing on how used, it can be lovely or grotesque.clipping

A cause of severe audio distortion that isthe result of excessive gain requiring the peaksof the audio signal to rise above the capabili-ties of the amplifier circuit. Seen on anoscilloscope, the audio peaks appear clippedoff. To avoid distortion, reduce the system gainin or before the gain stage in which the clip-ping occurs. See also headroom.condenser

Another term for the electronic componentgenerally known as a capacitor. In audio,condenser usually refers to a type of micro-phone that uses a capacitor as the soundpickup element. Condenser microphonesrequire electrical power to run internal ampli-fiers and maintain an electrical charge on thecapacitor. They are typically powered by inter-nal batteries or “phantom power” supplied byan external source, such as a mixing console.

APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY

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consoleA term for a sound mixer, usually a large

desk-like mixer.cueing

In broadcast, stage and post-productionwork, to “cue up” a sound source (a record, asound effect on a CD, a song on a tape) meansto get it ready for playback by making sure youare in the right position on the “cue,” makingsure the level and EQ are all set properly. Thisrequires a special monitoring circuit that onlythe mixing engineer hears. It does not go outon the air or to the main mixing buses. This“cueing” circuit is the same as pre-fader (PFL)solo on a Mackie mixer, and often the termsare interchangeable.dB

See decibel.dBm

A unit of measurement of audio signal levelin an electrical circuit, expressed in decibelsreferenced to 1 milliwatt. The “m” in dBmstands for “milliwatt.” In a circuit with an im-pedance of 600 ohms, this reference (0dBm)corresponds to a signal voltage of 0.775 VRMS(because 0.775 V across 600 ohms equals 1mw).dBu

A unit of measurement of audio signal levelin an electrical circuit, expressed in decibelsreferenced to 0.775 VRMS into any impedance.Commonly used to describe signal levelswithin a modern audio system.dBv

A unit of measurement equal to the dBu butno longer in use. It was too easy to confuse adBv with a dBV, to which it is not equivalent.dBV

A unit of measurement of audio signallevel in an electrical circuit, expressed indecibels referenced to 1 VRMS across any im-pedance. Commonly used to describe signallevels in consumer equipment. To convertdBV to dBu, add 2.2dB.decibel (dB)

The dB is a ratio of quantities measured insimilar terms using a logarithmic scale. Manyaudio system parameters measure over such alarge range of values that the dB is used tosimplify the numbers. A ratio of 1000V:1V=60dB.When one of the terms in the ratio is anagreed upon standard value such as 0.775V, 1Vor 1mw, the ratio becomes an absolute value,i.e., +4dBu, –10dBV or 0dBm.

delayIn sound work, delay usually refers to an

electronic circuit or effects unit whose purposeit is to delay the audio signal for some short pe-riod of time. Delay can refer to one short repeat,a series of repeats or the complex interactionsof delay used in chorusing or reverb. When de-layed signals are mixed back with the originalsound, a great number of audio effects can begenerated, including phasing and flanging, dou-bling, Haas-effect positioning, slap or slapback,echo, regenerative echo, chorusing and hall-likereverberation. Signal time delay is central tomany audio effects units.detent

A point of slight physical resistance (aclick-stop) in the travel of a knob or slide con-trol, used in Mackie mixers to indicate unitygain.dipping

The opposite of peaking, of course. A dip isan EQ curve that looks like a valley, or a dip.Dipping with an equalizer reduces a band offrequencies. (See guacamole.)doubling

A delay effect, where the original signal ismixed with a medium (20 to 50 msec) delay.When used carefully, this effect can simulatedouble-tracking (recording a voice or instru-ment twice).dry

Usually means without reverberation, orwithout some other applied effect like delay orchorusing. Dry is not wet, i.e. totallyunaffected.dynamic

In sound work, dynamic refers to the classof microphones that generate electrical signalsby the movement of a coil in a magnetic field.Dynamic microphones are rugged, relativelyinexpensive, capable of very good performanceand do not require external power.dynamic range

The range between the maximum and mini-mum sound levels that a sound system canhandle. It is usually expressed in decibels asthe difference between the level at peakclipping and the level of the noise floor.

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echoThe reflection of sound from a surface such

as a wall or a floor. Reverberation and echo areterms that can be used interchangeably, but inaudio parlance a distinction is usually made:echo is considered to be a distinct, recogniz-able repetition (or series of repetitions) of aword, note, phrase or sound, whereas rever-beration is a diffuse, continuously smoothdecay of sound. Echo and reverberation can beadded in sound mixing by sending the originalsound to an electronic (or electronic/acoustic)system that mimics natural echoes, and thensome. The added echo is returned to the blendthrough additional mixer inputs. Highly echoicrooms are called live; rooms with very littleecho are called dead. A sound source withoutadded echo is dry; one with reverb or echoadded is wet.effects devices

External signal processors used to add re-verb, delay, spatial or psychoacoustic effects toan audio signal. An effects processor may beused as an insert processor (serial) on a par-ticular input or subgroup, or it may be used viathe aux send/return system(parallel). See alsoecho, reverb.EIN

Equivalent Input Noise. Specification thathelps measure the “quietness” of a gain stage byderiving the equivalent input noise voltage nec-essary to obtain a given preamp's output noise.Typically ranges from –125 to –129.5 dBm.EQ

See equalization.EQ curve

A graph of the response of an equalizer,with frequency on the x (horizontal) axis andamplitude (level) on the y (vertical) axis.Equalizer types and effects are often namedafter the shape of the graphed response curve,such as peak, dip, shelf, notch, knee and so on.equalization

Equalization (EQ) refers to purposefullychanging the frequency response of a circuit,sometimes to correct for previous unequal re-sponse (hence the term, equalization), andmore often to add or subtract level at certainfrequencies for sound enhancement, to removeextraneous sounds, or to create completelynew and different sounds.

Bass and treble controls on your stereo areEQ; so are the units called parametrics andgraphics and notch filters.

A lot of how we refer to equalization has todo with what a graph of the frequency re-sponse would look like. A flat response (noEQ) is a straight line; a peak looks like a hill, adip is a valley, a notch is a really skinny valley,and a shelf looks like a plateau (or a shelf).The slope is the grade of the hill on the graph.

Graphic equalizers have enough frequencyslider controls to form a graph of the EQ righton the front panel. Parametric EQs let you varyseveral EQ parameters at once. A filter is sim-ply a form of equalizer that allows certainfrequencies through unmolested while reduc-ing or eliminating other frequencies.

Aside from the level controls, EQs are prob-ably the second most powerful controls on anymixer (no, the power switch doesn’t count!).fader

Another name for an audio level control.Today, the term refers to a straight-line slidecontrol rather than a rotary control.family of curves

A composite graph showing on one chartseveral examples of possible EQ curves for agiven equalizer or equalizer section.filter

A simple equalizer designed to remove cer-tain ranges of frequencies. A low-cut filter(also called a high-pass filter) reduces oreliminates frequencies below its cutoff fre-quency. There are also high-cut (low-pass)filters, bandpass filters, which cut both highand low frequencies but leave a band of fre-quencies in the middle untouched, and notchfilters, which remove a narrow band but leavethe high and low frequencies alone.flanging

A term for phasing. Before digital delay ef-fects units, phasing could be accomplished byplaying two tape machines in synchronization,then delaying one slightly by rubbing a fingeron the reel flange. Get it?FOH

An acronym for Front Of House. See houseand main house speakers.frequency

The number of times an event repeats itselfin a given period. Sound waves and the electri-cal signals that represent sound waves in anaudio circuit have repetitive patterns that rangefrom a frequency of about 20 repetitions persecond to about 20,000 repetitions per second.Sound is the vibration or combination of vibra-tions in this range of 20 to 20,000 repetitions per

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second, which gives us the sensation of pitch,harmonics, tone and overtones. Frequency ismeasured in units called Hertz (Hz). One Hertzis one repetition or cycle per second.gain

The measure of how much a circuit ampli-fies a signal. Gain may be stated as a ratio ofinput to output values, such as a voltage gainof 4, or a power gain of 1.5, or it can be ex-pressed in decibels, such as a line amplifierwith a gain of 10dB.gain stage

An amplification point in a signal path,either within a system or a single device.Overall system gain is distributed between thevarious gain stages.graphic EQ

A graphic equalizer uses slide pots for itsboost/cut controls, with its frequencies evenlyspaced through the audio spectrum. In a per-fect world, a line drawn through the centersof the control shafts would form a graph ofthe frequency response curve. Get it? Or, thepositions of the slide pots give a graphic rep-resentation of boost or cut levels across thefrequency spectrum.ground

Also called earth. Ground is defined as thepoint of zero voltage in a circuit or system, thereference point from which all other voltagesare measured. In electrical systems, groundconnections are used for safety purposes, tokeep equipment chassis and controls at zerovoltage and to provide a safe path for errantcurrents. This is called a safety ground.

Maintaining a good safety ground is alwaysessential to prevent electrical shock. Followmanufacturer’s suggestions and good electricalpractices to ensure a safely grounded system.Never remove or disable the grounding pin onthe power cord.

In computer and audio equipment, tiny cur-rents and voltages can cause noise in thecircuits and hamper operation. In addition toproviding safety, ground provisions in thesesituations serve to minimize the pickup, detec-tion and distribution of these tiny noisesignals. This type of ground is often calledtechnical ground.

Quality audio equipment is designed to main-tain a good technical ground and also operatesafely with a good safety ground. If you havenoise in your system due to technical groundingproblems, check your manual for wiring tips orcall technical support. Never disable the safetyground to reduce noise problems.

ground loopA ground loop occurs when the technical

ground within an audio system is connected tothe safety ground at more than one place. Twoor more connections will allow tiny currents toflow in the loops created, possibly inducingnoise (hum) in the audio system. If you havenoise in your system due to ground loops,check your manual for wiring tips or call tech-nical support. Never disable the safety groundto reduce noise problems.Haas effect

A psychoacoustic effect in which the time ofarrival of a sound to the left and right ears af-fects our perception of direction. If a signal ispresented to both ears at the same time at thesame volume, it appears to be directly in frontof us. But if the signal to one ear, still at thesame volume, is delayed slightly (0 to 5 msec),the sound appears to be coming from the ear-lier (non-delayed) side.headroom

The difference between nominal operatinglevel and peak clipping in an audio system. Forexample, a mixer operating with a nominalline level of +4dBu and a maximum outputlevel of +22dBu has 18dB of headroom. Plentyof room for surprise peaks.Hertz

The unit of measure for frequency of oscilla-tion, equal to 1 cycle per second. AbbreviatedHz. KHz is pronounced “kay-Hertz” and is anabbreviation for kilohertz, or 1000 Hertz.house

In Sound Reinforcement parlance, “house”refers to the systems (and even persons) re-sponsible for the primary sound reinforcementin a given hall, building, arena or “house.”Hence we have the house mixer or house engi-neer, the house mix, the house mix amps, themain house speakers and so on.Hz

See Hertz.impedance

The A.C. resistance/capacitance/inductancein an electrical circuit, measured in ohms. Inaudio circuits (and other AC circuits) the im-pedance in ohms can often be much differentfrom the circuit resistance as measured by aDC ohmmeter.

Maintaining proper circuit impedance rela-tionships is important to avoid distortion andminimize added noise. Mackie input and out-put impedances are set to work well with thevast majority of audio equipment.

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input moduleA holdover from the days when the only way

that real consoles were built was in modularfashion, one channel per module. See channelstrip.knee

A knee is a sharp bend in an EQ responsecurve not unlike the sharp bend in your leg.Also used in describing dynamics processors.level

Another word for signal voltage, power,strength or volume. Audio signals are some-times classified according to their level.Commonly used levels are: microphone level(–40dBu or lower), instrument level (–20 to –10dBu), and line level (–10 to +30dBu).line level

A signal whose level falls between –10dBuand +30dBu.main house speakers

The main loudspeakers for a sound rein-forcement system. These are usually thelargest and loudest loudspeakers, and are usu-ally positioned so that their sound seems tocome from the area of the main stage.mains

See main house speakers.master

A control affecting the final output of amixer. A mixer may have several mastercontrols, which may be slide faders or rotarycontrols.mic amp

See mic preamp.mic level

The typical level of a signal from a micro-phone. A mic level signal (usually but notalways coming from a microphone) is gener-ally below –30dBu. With a very quiet source (apin dropping?) the signal can be –70dBu orlower. It is also possible for some microphonesto deliver more signal than this, in which caseit may be referred to as a “hot” mic level. Alter-natively, you can just say, “Boy, is that loud!”mic pre

See mic preamp.mic preamp

Short for microphone preamplifier. An am-plifier that functions to bring the very lowsignal level of a microphone (approximately –50dBu) up to line level (approximately 0dBu).Mic preamps often have their own volume con-trol, called a trim control, to properly set thegain for a particular source. Setting the micpreamp gain correctly with the trim control isan essential step in establishing good noiseand headroom for your mix.

mixerAn electronic device used to combine

various audio signals into a common output.Different from a blender, which combines vari-ous fruits into a common libation.monaural

Literally, pertaining to or having the use ofonly one ear. In sound work, monaural has todo with a signal which, for purposes of commu-nicating audio information, has been confinedto a single channel. One microphone is a monopickup; many microphones mixed to one chan-nel is a mono mix; a mono signal playedthrough two speakers is still mono, since itonly carries one channel of information. Sev-eral monaural sources, however, can bepanned into a stereo (or at least two-channel,if you are going to be picky) mix. Monaural SRis common for environments where stereo SRwould provide an uneven reproduction to thelistener.monitor

In sound reinforcement, monitor speakers(or monitor headphones or in-the-ear moni-tors) are those speakers used by theperformers to hear themselves. Monitor speak-ers are also called foldback speakers. Inrecording, the monitor speakers are those usedby the production staff to listen to the record-ing as it progresses. In zoology, the monitorlizard is the lizard that observes the produc-tion staff as the recording progresses. Keep thelizard out of the mixer.mono

Short for monaural.mult

Probably short for multiple. In audio work, amult is a parallel connection in a patch bay ora connection made with patch cords to feed anoutput to more than one input. A “Y” cable is atype of mult connection. Also a verb, as in“Why did you mult the flanger into every inputin the board?”noise

Whatever you don’t want to hear. Could behum, buzz or hiss; could be crosstalk or digitalhash or your neighbor’s stereo; could be whitenoise or pink noise or brown noise; or it couldbe your mother-in-law reliving the day she hadher gallstone removed.noise floor

The residual level of noise in any system. Ina well designed mixer, the noise floor will be aquiet hiss, which is the thermal noise gener-ated by bouncing electrons in the transistorjunctions. The lower the noise floor and thehigher the headroom, the more usable dy-namic range a system has.

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pan, pan potShort for panoramic potentiometer. A pan

pot is used to position (or even move back andforth) a monaural sound source in a stereomixing field by adjusting the source’s volumebetween the left and right channels. Ourbrains sense stereo position by hearing this dif-ference in loudness when the sound strikeseach ear, taking into account time delay, spec-trum, ambient reverberation and other cues.parametric EQ

A “fully” parametric EQ is an extremelypowerful equalizer that allows smooth, con-tinuous control of each of the three primaryEQ parameters (frequency, gain, and band-width) in each section independently. “Semi”parametric EQs allow control of fewer param-eters, usually frequency and gain (i.e., theyhave a fixed bandwidth, but variable centerfrequency and gain).peaking

The opposite of dipping, of course. A peak isan EQ curve that looks like a hill, or a peak.Peaking with an equalizer amplifies a band offrequencies.PFL

An acronym for Pre Fade Listen. Broadcast-ers would call it cueing. Sound folks call itbeing able to solo a channel with the faderdown.phantom power

A system of providing electrical power forcondenser microphones (and some electronicpickup devices) from the sound mixer. Thesystem is called phantom because the power iscarried on standard microphone audio wiringin a way that is “invisible” to ordinary dynamicmicrophones. Mackie mixers use standard +48volt DC power, switchable on or off. Most qual-ity condenser microphones are designed to use+48 VDC phantom power. Check themanufacturer’s recommendations.

Generally, phantom power is safe to usewith non-condenser microphones as well, es-pecially dynamic microphones. However,unbalanced microphones, some electronicequipment (such as some wireless microphonereceivers) and some ribbon microphones canshort out the phantom power and be severelydamaged. Check the manufacturer’s recom-mendations and be careful!phasing

A delay effect, where the original signal ismixed with a short (0 to 10 msec) delay. The

time of the delay is slowly varied, and thecombination of the two signals results in a dra-matic moving comb-filter effect. Phasing issometimes imitated by sweeping a comb-filterEQ across a signal. A comb filter can be foundin your back pocket.phone jack

Ever see those old telephone switchboardswith hundreds of jacks and patch cords andplugs? Those are phone jacks and plugs, nowused widely with musical instruments and au-dio equipment. A phone jack is the femaleconnector, and we use them in 1⁄4" two-conductor (TS) and three-conductor (TRS)versions.phone plug

The male counterpart to the phone jack,right above.phono jack

See RCA phono jack.phono plug

See RCA phono plug.post-fader

A term used to describe an aux send(usually) that is connected so that it is affectedby the setting of the associated channel fader.Sends connected this way are typically (but notalways) used for effects. See pre-fader.pot, potentiometer

In electronics, a variable resistor that variesthe potential, or voltage. In audio, any rotaryor slide control.pre-fader

A term used to describe an aux send(usually) that is connected so that it is not af-fected by the setting of the associated channelfader. Sends connected this way are typically(but not always) used for monitors (foldback).See post-fader.proximity effect

The property of many directional micro-phones to accentuate their bass response whenthe source-to-mic distance is small, typicallythree inches or less. Singers generally like thiseffect even more than singing in the shower.Q

A way of stating the bandwidth of a filter orequalizer section. An EQ with a Q of .75 isbroad and smooth, while a Q of 10 gives a nar-row, pointed response curve. To calculate thevalue of Q, you must know the center fre-quency of the EQ section and the frequenciesat which the upper and lower skirts fall 3dBbelow the level of the center frequency. Q

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equals the center frequency divided by the dif-ference between the upper and lower –3dBfrequencies. A peaking EQ centered at 10kHzwhose –3dB points are 7.5kHz and 12.5kHz hasa Q of 2.RCA phono jack—or RCA jackor phono jack

An RCA phono jack is an inexpensive con-nector (female) introduced by RCA andoriginally used to connect phonographs to radioreceivers and phono preamplifiers. The phonojack was (and still is) widely used on consumerstereo equipment and video equipment but wasquietly fading into obscurity in the professionaland semi-professional sound world. Then phonojacks began cropping up in early project-studiomultitrack recorders, which (unfortunately)gave them a new lease on life. Since so manystereo recorders are fitted with them, we de-cided we’d have to put a couple on our mixersfor your convenience. But make no mistake: theonly thing that the phono jack (or plug) hasgoing for it is low cost.RCA phono plug

The male counterpart to an RCA phonojack. See above.regeneration

Also called recirculation. A delay effect cre-ated by feeding the output of a delay back intoitself to cause a delay of the delay of the delay.You can do it right on the front panel of manyeffects units, or you can route the delay returnback into itself on your mixer. Can be a greatdeal of fun at parties.return

A return is a mixer line input dedicated tothe task of returning processed or addedsound from reverb, echo and other effects de-vices. Depending on the internal routing ofyour mixer and your own inclination, you coulduse returns as additional line inputs, or youcould route your reverb outputs to ordinaryline inputs rather than the returns.reverberation, reverb

The sound remaining in a room after thesource of sound is stopped. It’s what you hearin a large tiled room immediately after you’veclapped your hands. Reverberation and echoare terms that can be used interchangeably,but in audio parlance a distinction is usuallymade: reverberation is considered to be a dif-fuse, continuously smooth decay of sound,whereas echo is a distinct, recognizable repeti-tion of a word, note, phrase or sound.Reverberation and echo can be added in sound

mixing by sending the original sound to anelectronic (or electronic/acoustic) system thatmimics natural reverberation, or worse. Theadded reverb is returned to the blend throughadditional mixer inputs. Highly reverberantrooms are called live; rooms with very little re-verberation are called dead. A sound sourcewithout added reverb is dry; one with reverb orecho added is wet.RMS

An acronym for root mean square, a conven-tional way to measure AC voltage and audiosignal voltage. Most AC voltmeters are cali-brated to read RMS volts. Other conventionsinclude average volts, peak volts and peak-to-peak volts.send

A term used to describe a secondary mix andoutput of the input signals, typically used forfoldback monitors, headphone monitors or effectsdevices. Mackie mixers call it an Aux Send.shelving

A term used to describe the shape of anequalizer’s frequency response. A shelvingequalizer’s response begins to rise (or fall) atsome frequency and continues to fall (or rise)until it reaches the shelf frequency, at whichpoint the response curve flattens out and re-mains flat to the limits of audibility. If you wereto graph the response, it would look like a shelf.Or more like a shelf than a hiking boot. The EQcontrols on your stereo are usually shelvingequalizers. See also peaking and dipping.slap, slapback

A single-delay echo without any repeats.Also see echo.solo

Italian for alone. In audio mixers, a solo cir-cuit allows the engineer to listen to individualchannels, buses or other circuits singly or incombination with other soloed signals.SR

An acronym for Sound Reinforcement,which refers to a system of amplifying acousticand electronic sounds from a performance orspeech so that a large audience can hearclearly. Or, in popular music, so that a large au-dience can be excited, stunned or evenpartially deafened by the tremendous amplifi-cation. Means essentially the same thing as PA(Public Address).

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stereoBelieve it or not, stereo comes from a Greek

word that means solid. We use stereo orstereophony to describe the illusion of a con-tinuous, spacious soundfield that is seeminglyspread around the listener by two or more re-lated audio signals. In practice, stereo often istaken to simply mean two channels.sweep EQ

An equalizer that allows you to “sweep” orcontinuously vary the frequency of one or moresections.symmetrically balanced

See balanced.tinnitus

The ringing in the ears that is producedwith prolonged exposure to high volumes. Asound in the ears, such as buzzing, ringing, orwhistling, caused by volume knob abuse!trim

In audio mixers, the gain adjustment for thefirst amplification stage of the mixer. The trimcontrol helps the mixer cope with the widelyvarying range of input signals that come fromreal-world sources. It is important to set thetrim control correctly; its setting determinesthe overall noise performance in that channelof the mixer. See mic preamp.TRS

Acronym for Tip-Ring-Sleeve, a scheme forconnecting three conductors through a singleplug or jack. 1⁄4" phone plugs and jacks and 1⁄8"mini phone plugs and jacks are commonlywired TRS. Since the plug or jack can carrytwo signals and a common ground, TRS con-nectors are often referred to as stereo orbalanced plugs or jacks. Another common TRSapplication is for insert jacks, used for insert-ing an external processor into the signal path.In Mackie mixers, the tip is send, ring is re-turn, and sleeve is ground.TS

Acronym for Tip-Sleeve, a scheme for con-necting two conductors through a single plugor jack. 1⁄4" phone plugs and jacks and 1⁄8" miniphone plugs and jacks are commonly wired TS.Sometimes called mono or unbalanced plugsor jacks. A 1⁄4" TS phone plug or jack is alsocalled a standard phone plug or jack.unbalanced

An electrical circuit in which the two legs ofthe circuit are not balanced with respect toground. Usually, one leg will be held at groundpotential. Unbalanced circuit connections re-quire only two conductors (signal “hot” andground). Unbalanced audio circuitry is less

expensive to build, but under certain circum-stances is more susceptible to noise pickup.unity gain

A circuit or system that has its voltage gainadjusted to be one, or unity. A signal will leavea unity gain circuit at the same level at whichit entered. In Mackie mixers, unity gain isachieved by setting all variable controls to themarked “U” setting. Mackie mixers are opti-mized for best headroom and noise figures atunity gain.VLZ

Acronym for very low impedance.(Impedence is measured in ohms representedby the Ω symbol, which is the last letter of theGreek alphabet. This is why the letter Z is usedinstead of I.) VLZ is one of the most importantreasons why inherent noise levels on Mackiemixing boards are so minuscule. Thermalnoise is something that’s created by all cir-cuitry and usually transistors and resistors arethe worst culprits. The basic rule with thermalnoise is: the higher the impedance, the morethe noise. Mackie’s VLZ design reduces ther-mal noise by making internal impedances aslow as possible in as many places as possiblewithin the console. VLZ is achieved by scalingdown resistor values by a factor of three orfour – resulting in a corresponding reductionin thermal noise. This is especially true for theconsole’s mixing buses.volume

Electrical or sound level in an audio system.Perhaps the only thing that some bands havetoo much of.VRMS

See RMS.wet

With added reverberation or other effectlike echo, delay or chorusing.XLR connector

See Cannon.

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APPENDIX B: CONNECTIONS

“XLR” CONNECTORSMackie mixers use 3-pin female “XLR”

connectors on all microphone inputs, withpin 1 wired to the grounded (earthed) shield,pin 2 wired to the “high” (”hot” or positive po-larity) side of the audio signal and pin 3wired to the “low” (“cold” or negative polar-ity) side of the signal (Figure A). All totallyaboveboard and in full accord with the hal-lowed standards dictated by the AES (AudioEngineering Society).

Use a male “XLR”-type connector, usuallyfound on the nether end of what is called a“mic cable,” to connect to a female XLR jack.

2

2

3 1

1

SHIELD

COLD

HOT

SHIELD

COLD

HOT

3

SHIELD

COLDHOT

3

2

1

SLEEVE

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

RING

RING

TIP

SLEEVERING

Figure B: 1⁄4" TRS Plugs

Figure A: XLR Connectors

1⁄4" TRS PHONE PLUGS AND JACKS“TRS” stands for Tip-Ring-Sleeve, the three

connections available on a “stereo” 1⁄4" or“balanced” phone jack or plug. See Figure B.TRS jacks and plugs are used in severaldifferent applications:• Stereo Headphones, and rarely, stereo

microphones and stereo line connections.When wired for stereo, a 1⁄4" TRS jack orplug is connected tip to left, ring to right and

SLEEVE

TIP

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

SLEEVE

Figure C: TS Plug

sleeve to ground (earth). Mackie mixers donot directly accept 1-plug-type stereomicrophones. They must be separated into aleft cord and a right cord, which are pluggedinto the two mic preamps.You can cook up your own adapter for astereo microphone adapter. “Y” two cablesout of a female 1⁄4" TRS jack to two maleXLR plugs, one for the Right signal and onefor the Left.

• Balanced mono circuits. When wired as abalanced connector, a 1⁄4" TRS jack or plugis connected tip to signal high (hot), ringto signal low (cold), and sleeve to ground(earth).

• Unbalanced Send/Return circuits. Whenwired as send/return “Y” connector, a 1⁄4"TRS jack or plug is connected tip to signalsend (output from mixer), ring to signalreturn (input back into mixer), and sleeveto ground (earth).

1⁄4" TS PHONE PLUGS AND JACKS“TS” stands for Tip-Sleeve, the two connec-

tions available on a “mono” 1⁄4" phone jack orplug (Figure C). TS jacks and plugs are usedin many different applications, always unbal-anced. The tip is connected to the audio signaland the sleeve to ground (earth). Some ex-amples:• Unbalanced microphones• Electric guitars and electronic instruments• Unbalanced line-level connections

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goes to the ground (earth) connection atthe unbalanced input. In most cases, thebalanced ground (earth) will also beconnected to the ground (earth) at theunbalanced input. If there are ground-loopproblems, this connection may be leftdisconnected at the balanced end.

• When connecting an unbalanced output toa balanced input, be sure that the signalhigh (hot) connections are wired to eachother. The unbalanced ground (earth)connection should be wired to the low(cold) and the ground (earth) connectionsof the balanced input. If there are ground-loop problems, try connecting theunbalanced ground (earth) connectiononly to the input low (cold) connection,and leaving the input ground (earth)connection disconnected.In some cases, you will have to make up

special adapters to interconnect your equip-ment. For example, you may need a balancedXLR female connected to an unbalanced 1⁄4"TS phone plug.

SPECIAL MACKIE CONNECTIONSThe balanced-to-unbalanced connection has

been anticipated in the wiring of Mackie jacks.A 1⁄4" TS plug inserted into a 1⁄4" TRS balanced

SWITCHED 1⁄4" PHONE JACKSSwitches can be incorporated into 1⁄4"

phone jacks, which are activated by insertingthe plug. These switches may open an insertloop in a circuit, change the input routing ofthe signal or serve other functions. Mackieuses switches in the channel insert and bus in-sert jacks, input jacks and AUX returns. Wealso use these switches to ground the line-levelinputs when nothing is plugged into them.

In most cases, the plug must be insertedfully to activate the switch. Mackie takesadvantage of this in some circuits, specifyingcircumstances where you are to insert the plugonly partially. See Special MackieConnections, later in this section.

RCA PLUGS AND JACKSRCA-type plugs (also known as phono

plugs) and jacks are often used in home stereoand video equipment and in many other appli-cations (Figure D). They are unbalanced andelectrically identical to a 1⁄4" TS phone plug orjack (See Figure C). Connect the signal to thecenter post and the ground (earth) or shieldto the surrounding “basket.”

UNBALANCING A LINEIn most studio, stage and sound reinforce-

ment situations, there is a combination ofbalanced and unbalanced inputs and outputson the various pieces of equipment. This usu-ally will not be a problem in makingconnections.• When connecting a balanced output to an

unbalanced input, be sure the signal high(hot) connections are wired to each other,and that the balanced signal low (cold)

“tip”

This plug connects to one of the mixer’s Channel Insert jacks. “ring”

tipring

sleeve

SEND to processor

RETURN from processor

(TRS plug)

Figure F

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input, for example, will automatically unbalancethe input and make all the right connections.Conversely, a 1⁄4" TRS plug inserted into a 1⁄4"unbalanced input will automatically tie the ring(low or cold) to ground (earth).

TRS Send/Receive Insert JacksMackie’s single-jack inserts are the three-

conductor, TRS-type 1⁄4" phone. They areunbalanced, but have both the mixer output(send) and the mixer input (return) signals inone connector (See Figure F).

The sleeve is the common ground (earth) forboth signals. The send from the mixer to theexternal unit is carried on the tip, and the re-turn from the unit to the mixer is on the ring.

Using the Send Only on an Insert JackIf you insert a TS (mono) 1⁄4" plug only

partially (to the first click) into a Mackieinsert jack, the plug will not activate the jackswitch and will not open the insert loop in thecircuit (thereby allowing the channel signal tocontinue on its merry way through the mixer).

This allows you to tap out the channel orbus signal at that point in the circuit withoutinterrupting normal operation.

If you push the 1⁄4" TS plug in to the secondclick, you will open the jack switch and createa direct out, which does interrupt the signal inthat channel. See Figure E.

NOTE: Do not over-load or short-circuit thesignal you are tappingfrom the mixer. That willaffect the internal signal.

MACKIE STEREO INPUTS AND RETURNS:Mono, Stereo, Whatever

Stereo line inputs and stereo AUX returnsare a fine example of the Mackie philosophy(which we just made up) of Maximum Flex-ibility with Minimum Headache. The inputsand returns will automatically be mono or ste-reo, depending upon how you use the jacks.Here’s how it works:

A mono signal should be patched into theinput or return jack labeled Left (MONO). Thesignal will be routed to both the left and rightsides of the return circuit, and will show up inthe center of the stereo pair of buses it’s as-signed to, or it can be “panned” with theBalance control.

A stereo signal, having two plugs, should bepatched into the LEFT (MONO) and theRIGHT input or return jacks. A jack switch inthe RIGHT jack will disable the mono func-tion, and the signals will show up in stereo.

A mono signal connected to the RIGHT jackwill show up in the right bus only. You probablywill only want to use this sophisticated effectfor special occasions (weddings, bar mitzvahs,Rush Limbaugh’s birthday party, etc.)

Figure E

Direct out with no signal interruption to master.Insert only to first “click.”

Channel Insert jack

Channel Insert jack

Channel Insert jack

Direct out with signal interruption to master.Insert all the way in to the second “click.”

For use as an effects loop.(TIP = SEND to effect, RING = RETURN from effect.)

MONO PLUG

MONO PLUG

STEREO PLUG

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MULTS AND “Y”sA mult or “Y” connector allows you to route

one output to two or more inputs by simplyproviding parallel wiring connections. You canmake “Y”s and mults for the outputs of bothunbalanced and balanced circuits.

Remember: Only multor “Y” an output into sev-eral inputs. If you needto combine several out-puts into one input, you

must use a mixer, not a mult or a “Y.”

TIP (SEND)

RING (IN)

TIP (OUT)

RING (RETURN)

TO MIXERCHANNEL INSERT

RING (RETURN)

TIP (SEND)

TO PROCESSOR

INPUT

FROM PROCESSOR

OUTPUT

Y-cord insert cable

Y-cord splitter cable

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APPENDIX C: BALANCED LINES,PHANTOM POWERING, GROUNDINGAND OTHER ARCANE MYSTERIES

What is it, exactly?

The obvious external power source for anymodern microphone is a battery. About the onlyelectronic advantage that a battery has is thatits output is pure DC. The only other advantageis to the battery company — you have to keepon buying them.

Tube microphones require several differentvoltages for operation. This invariably means amulti-conductor cable and non-standard (notXLR) connectors. A tube microphone will alwayshave an associated external power supply.

In the late 1960’s, Neumann (you know, thefolks that brought you the U47 and U87microphones) converted its microphones to solid-state, adopting a system of remote powering thatthey called, and trademarked, Phantom Powering.Because of the trademark, some manufacturersuse terms like Simplex Powering, etc. Over theyears, the trademark has become genericized andnow refers to any device that is powered accord-ing to DIN standard 45 596 (or maybe it’s DINstandard 45 595, we’re not exactly sure…).

So, why “Phantom” Powering? Because (likethe Phantom in the old comic strip) it’s therewhen you need it, and invisible when you don’t.This technology is not new; it actually predatesrocket science. Like many other things in au-dio, it was brought to you by the telephonecompany, who used it to get an extra circuitfrom a pair of wires. In effect, so does yourphantom powered microphone.

What is important is: phantom powering isa compatible system. Your dynamic/ribbonmicrophones as well as your condensermicrophones work side-by-side, from thesame microphone inputs, without furtherthought on your part.

Technically speaking, phantom powering refersto a system where the audio signal is appliedto the balanced line in differential-mode, and

Balanced LinesBalanced lines offer increased immunity to ex-

ternal noise (specifically, hum and buzz). Becausea balanced system is able to minimize noise, it isthe preferred interconnect method, especially incases where very long lengths of cable are beingused. A long unbalanced cable carries with it moreopportunity for noise to get into a system —having balanced inputs means very little noisewill enter the system via snakes and other cablesthat typically must run a long length. But regard-less of length, balanced lines are best.

Phantom Powering and Microphones

History

Condenser (capacitor) microphones differfrom dynamic and ribbon microphones becausethey are not self-generating. That is, they cannotgenerate electricity in response to an impingingsound wave. A condenser microphone modifiesan external source of electricity to reflect theeffects of a sound wave striking its diaphragm.

Dynamic and ribbon microphones use magnetismto generate electricity in response to a sound wave:they are self-generating. Furthermore, both of thesetypes of microphones are inherently low-impedancedevices. It is possible to connect a dynamic micro-phone element directly to a balanced, low-impedance mixer input. Many commerciallymade dynamic microphones do just that.

On the other hand, a condenser microphoneis an inherently high-impedance device. Howhigh? Verrrrrrry high. On the order of a billionohms (1 Gigaohm). This is high enough thatthe inherent capacitance of a foot of shieldedcable would audibly reduce the output of themicrophone. All condenser microphones havean impedance converter, in the form of avacuum tube or field-effect transistor (FET),built into the microphone and located ex-tremely close to the microphone element. Theimpedance converter and the microphone ele-ment itself require an external power source.1

1 To be strictly correct, electret condenser microphones area bit different, as the microphone element does not require apower source for operation (it is more or less permanently self-po-larized). Regardless, the impedance converter still requires anexternal source of power.

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the DC power is applied common-mode. Theaudio travels via pins 2 and 3, the power trav-els between pins 2 and 3 simultaneously, andpin 1 is the ground for both audio and power.

Microphones that do not require power simplyignore the DC present between pin 2/pin 3 andpin 1. If you measure with a voltmeter betweenpin 2 and pin 3, you will read 0 Volts DC. Thisis what your dynamic microphone sees. Measur-ing between pin 2 and pin 1, or between pin 3and pin 1, you will read the phantom powervoltage, usually 48V, without a microphoneconnected. The dynamic microphone, as well asyour balanced mixer input, ignores this voltage.

Lately, the term phantom power has beenperverted to refer to any remote poweringsystem. In the strict sense of the DIN standard,this is not true. Furthermore, microphones ortransducers that claim to use this system arenot compatible with the DIN standard and willalmost certainly be damaged if connected intosuch a system. Fortunately, these systems usetip-ring-sleeve phone plugs or miniature XLRconnectors and they are usually associated withinstrument pickup applications2.

Phantom powering is defined in DIN standard45 596 or IEC standard 268–15A. Your MackieDesigns mixer conforms to this standard.

What works?

To be compatible in a phantom poweredsystem, a device (microphone, preamp with amicrophone-style output, or direct box) musthave a balanced and floating, low-impedanceoutput. This includes all microphones commonlyused for sound reinforcement and recording,such as the Shure® SM58, SM57, Electro-Voice® RE-15, RE-16, RE-20, ND series,Beyer® M160, M500, AKG® D224, D12, D112,and many others.

If you are fortunate enough to own any tubecondenser microphones, such as the AKG® C12,Neumann® U47 or U67, these microphonesmay be connected in a phantom powered systemand will operate without regard to the presenceor absence of phantom power. They will alwaysrequire their external power supply (whichmust be plugged in and turned on).

What doesn’t work?

The list is short:1. Microphones with unbalanced outputs.

2. Microphones with grounded center-tappedoutputs. Many old ribbon microphones weresupplied connected this way. Have a techni-cian lift the ground from the center tap.

3. High-impedance microphones.4. Microphones that exhibit leakage

between pin 2 or pin 3 and pin 1. Thesemicrophones will sputter and cracklewhen phantom power is applied and willwork fine when you turn off the phantompower. Get the microphone repaired.

2 There is another remote powering system called A-B orT-system powering. It uses pins 2 and 3 to carry both power andaudio. It is not compatible with dynamic microphones or phantom-powered microphones.

Worry about your other microphones as longas their output is balanced and floating.

Connect microphones or devices that do notconform to the DIN 45 596 standard.

Don’t connect A-B or T-system microphones(another remote powering system) withoutsuitable adaptors.

PHANTOM POWER DO & DON’T CHARTDO DON’T

If you are plugging in a condenser microphone,do verify that your microphone can bephantom powered.

Ensure that the microphone’s output is lowimpedance, balanced and floating. This isespecially important for vintage ribbonmicrophones like the RCA 44BX and 77DX.

Mute the sound system when turning thephantom power on or off, or when connect-ing or disconnecting microphones. If youforget, the resulting loud, nasty POP may beyour last.

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Do’s and Don’ts of Fixed InstallationsIf you install sound systems into fixed installa-

tions, there are a number of things that you cando to make your life easier and that increasethe likelihood of the sound system operating ina predictable manner. Even if you don’t do fixedinstallations, these are good practices for anysound system, installed.1. Do use foil-shielded snake cable for long cable

runs. Carefully terminate each end, minimiz-ing the amount of shielding removed. Protectthe exposed foil shield with shrink sleevingor PVC sleeving. Prevent adjacent shieldsfrom contacting each other (electrically).Use insulating sleeving on the drain wire(the one that connects to pin 1) to preventit from contacting the connector shell.

2. Don’t connect the XLR connector shell topin 1 of the XLR connector (unless necessaryfor RFI shielding). Doing so is an invitationfor a ground loop to come visiting.

3. Do ensure that your speaker lines and ACpower lines are physically separated fromyour microphone lines.

4. If you use floor pockets, use separatepockets for inputs and speakers, or put theconnectors on opposite sides of the box sothat they may be shielded separately.

5. If your speaker lines run in the open, theyshould be twisted pairs, at least 6 twists perfoot. Otherwise, run the speaker lines in theirown conduit. (Of course, conduit is not toopractical for portable systems, heh-heh.)

6. Minimize the distance between the poweramplifiers and the speakers.

7. Use heavy gauge, stranded wire for speakerlines. Ideally, the wire resistance should beless than 6% (0.5dB power loss) of the loadimpedance. Remember that the actual runis twice as long as the physical length ofthe run. See below.

Maximum wire run for 0.5dB power loss in feetwire res. per 2 4 8gauge 1000 ft. Ω Ω Ω

10 1.00 60 120 240

12 1.59 40 75 150

14 2.5 24 48 95

16 4.02 15 30 60

8. Ensure that the electrician uses the star-ground system for the safety grounds inyour electrical system. All of the audiosystem grounds should terminate at thesame physical point. No other grounds maycome in contact with this ground system.

9. Ensure that the AC power feeds are connectedto the same transformer, and ideally, thesame circuit breaker.

10.Walk outside – look at the horizon, see anyradio towers? Locate potential sources of RFinterference and plan for them before you beginconstruction. Know the frequency, transmitterpower, etc. You can get this information bycalling the station. Remember that manybroadcast stations change antenna coveragepattern and transmitter power at night.

11. Don’t use hardware-store light dimmers.

12. Don’t allow for anything other than micro-phone inputs at stage/altar locations.Supplying line inputs at these locations isan invitation for misuse. Make all sourceslook like microphones to the console.

13. Balance (or at least impedance balance)all connections that are remote from theconsole’s immediate location.

14. If you bridge an amplifier, don’t use 1⁄4"phone plugs for speaker connectors.

GroundingGrounding exists in your audio system for

two reasons: product safety and noise reduc-tion. The third wire on the power cord existsfor product safety. It provides a low-resistancepath back to the electrical service to protectthe users of the product from electrical shock.Hopefully, the resistance to ground throughthe safety ground (third wire) is lower thanthat through the user/operator to ground. Ifyou remove this connection (by breaking orcutting the pin off, or by using a ‘groundcheater’), this alternate ground path ceases toexist, which is a safety hazard.

The metal chassis of the product, theground connections provided by the variousconnectors, and the shields within your con-necting cables provide a low potential point fornoise signals. The goal is to provide a lower im-pedance path to ground for noise signals thanthrough the signal wiring. Doing so helps mini-mize hum, buzz, and other extraneousnon-audio signals.

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Many “authorities” tell you that shieldsshould only be connected at one end. Some-times this can be true, but for most (99%)audio systems, it is unnecessary. If you do every-thing else correctly, you should be able toconnect every component of your audio systemusing standard, off-the-shelf connecting cablesthat are available at any music store.

Here are some guidelines:1. All return lines to the stage should be

balanced. At a minimum, they should beimpedance balanced. Remember that you canbalance a line by inserting a piece of equip-ment inline that has a balanced output.

2. Run your own AC power wiring from thestage for the mixer and related equipment.Don’t use the “conveniently located” recep-tacle thoughtfully provided by themanagement for your use. You have no ideahow it’s wired or grounded.

3. Carry an outlet tester, available at any well-stocked hardware store. Use it to tell you ifthe outlet you’re about to plug into is wiredcorrectly. Consider it cheap insurance.

4. If you carry enough equipment that youneed to wire directly into the electricalservice, then use a voltmeter to ensure thatthe line voltage is correct, then use theoutlet tester mentioned in #3, above. Do

this before you connect any of your audioequipment. Chances are that your 120Vgear won’t be too happy if it sees 220V forany length of time.

5. Cables that are too long are less likely topick up hum if you uncoil them in theirentirety, and then find a place to stow theexcess. Leaving the excess coiled onlyhelps the cable pick up hum more effi-ciently.

6. Don’t run unbalanced lines to or from thestage. It’s not the impedance, it’s the factthat they’re unbalanced. It’s a good idea touse a direct box to make the unbalancedsource look like a microphone.

7. For really extreme cases, you may need toinsert 1:1 or isolation transformers intoeach return line from the front-of-houselocation to your amp racks.

8. Don’t cut the third pin off of the powercord. Carry some ground-lifter adaptersand use them only when you have to pluginto an ancient two-wire outlet.

9. If you bundle your cables together, don’tbundle AC wiring and audio wiring to-gether. Bundle them separately.

10. If your sound system insists on humming,you may need to teach it the words.

(Roll credits please) Manual written by JeffGilbert, based on a vignette by Ron Koliha,with tidbits borrowed from almost everywhere.Manual then defaced with proofreading pens inthe hands of Mackie’s legendary Tech Supportstaff. Manual composed on a rinky-dink PC usinga low-budget word processor, then convertedto this amazing piece of work using a 13-story1000 gigawhopper Macintosh operated byMackie’s notorious Advertising staff. Please,feel free to let us know if you find an error orstumble over a confusing paragraph. Thankyou for reading the entire manual (we knowyou have, or you wouldn’t be here).

Mackie Designs is always striving to improveour mixers by incorporating new and improvedmaterials, components and manufacturingmethods. Because we’re always trying to makethings better, we reserve the right to changethese specifications at any time, without notice.

FREE T-SHIRT OFFERWe love to hear what folks have created using

our mixers. If you use your CR1604-VLZ to trackand/or mix a CD that is commercially released,we’ll trade you a disc for a genuine Mackie T-Shirt! By “commercially released,” we mean“offered for sale,” even if it’s just being sold outthe back door of a local Karaoke joint. Nohand-lettered covers, please and thank you.Furthermore, if you send us an interestingstory or photograph about your production wemight use it! To get your genuine 100% cottonMackie Celebrity T-shirt, send your CD (andoptional story or photo) to:

Mackie DesignsFREE T-SHIRT OFFER

attn: Communications Department16220 Wood-Red Rd. NE

Woodinville, WA 98072

Mackie, the "Running Man" figure, and VLZ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Mackie Designs Inc. All other brand namesmentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders, and are hereby acknowledged.

©1997 Mackie Designs Inc.All rights reserved.Printed in the U.S.A.

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PAN

AUX

3

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE

TRIM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+15-15

800

2k200

8k

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

1MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

2MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

3MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

4MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

5MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

6MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

7MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

8MUTE

MIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBV

L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

CR1604-VLZ16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER

Session:

NOTES:

Date:

®

®

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PATENT PENDING

4 3 2 1

INSERT INSERT INSERT

LINE

INSERT

MIC 4 MIC 3 MIC 2 MIC 1

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINE

OO +6

PHANTOMPOWER 120 VAC 50/60 Hz 20W315mA/250V SLO-BLO

16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5

MIC 16

INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT INSERT

MIC 15 MIC 14 MIC 13 MIC 12 MIC 11 MIC 10 MIC 9 MIC 8 MIC 7 MIC 6 MIC 5

SUB OUTSC-R OUTSMAIN INSERT TAPE TAPEMAIN OUT AUX SEND DIRECT OUTAUX RETURN

3

R

L

MONO

R R RR

L

R

L

R

L

R

L

L L L

1

4 2

51234 3 1

6 4 2

7 5 3

8 6 4

1

2

BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBALINPUT OUTPUT

(MONO)

R

L(MONO)(MONO)(MONO)

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

BALUN-BAL

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

TO REDUCE THE RISK OFFIRE REPLACE WITH SAME

TYPE FUSE AND RATING

CAUTION:

AUXSENDS

STEREO AUX RETURNS

EFFECTS TOMONITORS

TO AUXSEND 2

TO AUXSEND 11

2

PWRPHAN

SOLO

SOLO

1

2

1

2

3

4

1

2

C-R / PHNSONLY

RETURNSSOLO

MAIN MIXTO SUBS

ASSIGN OPTIONS

1–23–4

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

U

OO +10

U

OO +10

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE PRE

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

SOLO

L - R

3–4

1–2

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

OL

-20

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3 5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

PAN

AUX

LEFT RIGHT

PHONES

3

EQ

5

4 6

5/6SHIFT

TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM

LAMP

12V0.5A

TAPE IN

SOLO

RUDESOLOLIGHT

C-R / PHONES

SUBS 3–4

SUBS 1–2

MAIN MIX

SOURCE

TAPE TAPE TOMAIN MIX

MAINL-R MIX

RIGHT

1 2 3 4

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

RIGHT

LEFT

28CLIP

10

7

4

2

2

0

4

7

10

20

30

ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX

LEVELSET

TRACK

8TRACK

7TRACK

6TRACK

5TRACK

4TRACK

3TRACK

2TRACK

1

TM

MODE

(AFL)LEVEL SETNORMAL

(PFL)

CR1604-VLZ16-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

+15-15

800

2k200

8k100

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

9MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

10MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

11MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

12MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

MID MID MID MID

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

13MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

14MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

15MUTE

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

U

+15-15

12kHI

80Hz

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

LOW

U

OO +15

U

OO +20

OO

OOMAX

16MUTE

0 dB=0 dBu

MIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBVMIC GAIN

10

U

60+10dB -40dB

-10dBV

L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R

MAX

dB

30

20

10

OO

4050

5

5

U

60

10

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

dB

30

20

10

OO

4050

5

5

U

60

10