Channel Strip Description; U" Like Unity Gain; Gain; Pre-Fader Solo - Mackie 1202 VLZ Owner's Manual

CHANNEL STRIP DESCRIPTION

The eight channel strips look alike, and
function identically. The only difference is that
the four on the left are for individual mics or
mono instruments and have more gain avail-
able, while the next four are for either stereo
or mono line-level sources. (Each of the stereo
channel strips is actually two complete cir-
cuits. The controls are linked together to
preserve stereo.) We'll start at the bottom and
work our way up...

"U" LIKE UNITY GAIN

Mackie mixers have a
"U" symbol on almost every
level control. This "U"
stands for "unity gain,"
meaning no change in signal level. Once you
have adjusted the input signal to line-level
you can set every control at
"U" and your signals will
U AUX
travel through the mixer at
1
MON/
optimal levels. What's
EFX
+15
O O more, all the labels on our
U
level controls are measured
2
in decibels (dB), so you'll
EFX
know what you're doing
+15
O O
level-wise if you choose to
EQ
U
change a control's settings.
HI
You won't have to check
12kHz
it here and check it there,
-15 +15
as you would with some
U
other mixers. In fact, some
MID
don't even have any refer-
2.5kHz
ence to actual dB levels at
-12 +12
U all! Ever seen those "0–10"
fader markings? We call
LOW
80Hz
these AUMs (Arbitrary
-15 +15
Units of Measurement),
PAN
and they mean nothing in
the real world. You were
smart — you bought a
L R
Mackie.
1
MUTE
ALT 3 - 4
PRE FADER
SOLO
U
+20dB
O O

GAIN

18
GAIN
The rotary GAIN knob controls the channel's
level... from off to unity gain at the detent, on
up to 20dB of additional gain. The GAIN knob is
the equivalent of a channel fader. Channels 1
through 4 use mono controls, and channels 5
through 12 use stereo controls, and may feel
slightly different. Not a problem.

PRE-FADER SOLO

This lovable switch allows you to hear sig-
nals through your headphones or control room
without having to route them to the MAIN
MIX or ALT 3-4 mix. You don't even have to
have the channel's GAIN knob turned up.
Folks use solo in live work to preview channels
before they are let into the mix, or to just
,
check out what a particular channel is up to
anytime during a session. You can solo as many
channels at a time as you like.
Solo is also the key player in the Level-
Setting Procedure .
Soloed channels are sent to the SOURCE
, which ultimately feeds your CONTROL
mix
ROOM, PHONES and meter display. When-
ever SOLO is engaged, all SOURCE selections
(MAIN MIX, ALT 3-4 and TAPE) are defeated,
to allow the soloed signal to do just that — solo!
WARNING: PRE-FADER
SOLO taps the channel
signal before the GAIN
knob. If you have a
channel's GAIN knob set
below "U" (unity gain), SOLO won't know
that and will send a unity gain signal to the
CONTROL ROOM, PHONES and meter dis-
play. That may result in a startling level
boost at these outputs.

MUTE/ALT 3-4

The dual-purpose MUTE/ALT 3-4 bus is a
Mackie signature. When Greg was designing
our first product, he had to include a MUTE
switch for each channel. MUTE switches do
just what they sound like they do. They turn
off the signal by "routing" it into oblivion. "Gee,
what a waste," Greg reasoned. "Why not have
the mute button route the signal somewhere