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Owner’s Manual
Owner’s Manual
Meters vs. Reality
You may already be an expert at the world of “+4” (+4
dBu=1.23 V) and “–10” (–10 dBV=0.32 V) operating
levels. Basically, what makes a mixer one or the other
is the relative 0 dB VU (or 0 VU) chosen for the meter
display. A “+4” mixer, with a +4 dBu signal pouring out
the back will actually read 0 VU on its meter display.
A “–10” mixer, with a –10 dBV signal trickling out, will
read, you guessed it, 0 VU on its meter display. So when
is 0 VU actually 0 dBu? Right now!
At the risk of creating another standard, Mackie’s
compact mixers address the need of both crowds by
calling things as they are: 0 dBu (0.775 V) at the output
shows as 0 VU on the meter display. What could be
easier? By the way, the most wonderful thing about stan-
dards is that there are so many to choose from.
Thanks to the 1642-VLZ3’s wide dynamic range, you
can get a good mix with peaks flashing anywhere be-
tween –20 and +10 dB on the meter display. Most ampli-
fiers clip at about +10 dB, and some recorders aren’t so
forgiving either. For best real-world results, try to keep
your peaks between “0” and “+7.”
Please remember: Audio meter displays are just tools
to help assure you that your levels are “in the ballpark.”
You don’t have to stare at them (unless you want to).
AUX DISCUSSION
SENDS are outputs, RETURNS are inputs. The AUX
[35] knobs tap the signal off the channel and sends it to
the AUX SEND [6] outputs: AUX 1 and 2 are sent to the
AUX SENDS 1 and 2 [49] master knobs before the AUX
SEND outputs, and AUX 3 through 6 are sent directly.
These outputs are fed to the inputs of a reverb or
other device. From there, the outputs of the external
device are fed back to the mixer’s STEREO RETURN [7]
inputs. Then these signals are sent through the STEREO
RETURN [51] level controls, and finally delivered to the
main mix.
So, the original “dry” signals come from the channels
to the main mix and the affected “wet” signals come
from the STEREO RETURNS to the main mix, and once
mixed together, the dry and wet signals combine to cre-
ate a glorious sound. Armed with this knowledge, let’s
visit the Auxiliary World:
49. AUX SENDS (MASTER)
These knobs provide overall level control of AUX
SENDS 1 and 2, just before they’re delivered to their
AUX SEND [6] outputs. This is perfect for controlling
the level of stage monitors, since you’ll be using AUX 1
and 2 for this, with their PRE [36] switches engaged.
AUX SENDS 3 and 4 have no such control — they just
send their mixes directly to their AUX SEND outputs at
unity gain.
These knobs go from off (turned fully down), to unity
gain at the center detent, with 10 dB of extra gain
(turned fully up). As with some other level controls, you
may never need the additional gain, but if you ever do,
you’ll be glad you bought a Mackie.
These are usually the knobs you turn up when the
lead singer glares at you, points at his stage monitor,
and sticks his thumb in the air. (It would follow suit
that if the singer stuck his thumb down, you’d turn the
knobs down, but that never happens.)
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