Introduction; What Is The Smartmixer; Features - Audio Technica SmartMixer AT-MX341a Installation And Operation Manual

Introduction

Please Note!
This manual assumes use of microphone-level inputs and line-level output, the most typical
SmartMixer application. However, all inputs and the output may be individually switched
internally to achieve any combination of mic- and line-level input/output. See page 7 for details.

What is the SmartMixer?

The AT-MX341a SmartMixer
automatic switching, four-channel microphone mixer.
The microphone inputs are XLRF-type balanced, with 12-volt phantom power available on
pins 2 and 3. The output is XLRM-type balanced, non-inverting.
AT-MX341a mixers can be daisy-chained via the included AT8325/1.0 Link Cable and special
connectors on the rear panel. The control bus and the audio are carried between mixers by the
link cable. The result is that all microphones on a multi-mixer system can be controlled by one
microphone connected to any mixer. Since all of the mixers are independently powered, there
is no practical limit to the number of SmartMixers that can be daisy-chained.

Features

To custom-tailor conferencing needs, the mode of each microphone channel can be indepen-
dently switched via the front panel "priority pre-select" DIP switches. The combination of
switch settings results in three different modes of priority selection/operation.
In any of the three modes of automatic operation, when everyone stops talking, the last
microphone "on" will remain "on." In a teleconferencing, recording, or broadcast application,
this feature will provide continuous room ambience. This feature is cascaded throughout all
linked mixers so that only one microphone in the entire system will remain on.
Each input channel has an independent gain control on the front panel. Substantial gain
reserve and adjustment range permits microphones of widely differing sensitivities to be used
together successfully.
When a microphone is "off," its input is only attenuated. This attenuation is factory set at
8 dB. The amount of "off" attenuation can be internally adjusted between 6 dB and 20 dB if
desired. (See page 8, "Adjusting 'Off ' Attenuation.")
A "manual" setting on the front panel bypasses the AT-MX341a's automatic switching and
attenuation functions, causing the unit to behave like a conventional 4-channel mixer. In this
mode, the relative level of each microphone is strictly a function of the position of its respective
front-panel gain control.
® Automatic Microphone Mixer is a microprocessor controlled,
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