Mackie 1202 VLZ Owner's Manual page 48

Many "authorities" tell you that shields
should only be connected at one end. Some-
times this can be true, but for most (99%)
audio systems, it is unnecessary. If you do ev-
erything else correctly, you should be able to
connect every component of your audio system
using standard, off-the-shelf connecting cables
that 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 be
impedance balanced. Remember that you can
balance a line by inserting a piece of equip-
ment in-line that has a balanced output.
2. Run your own AC power wiring from the
stage for the mixer and related equipment.
Don't use the "conveniently located"
receptacle thoughtfully provided by the
management for your use. You have no idea
how it's wired or grounded.
3. Carry an outlet tester, available at any well-
stocked hardware store. Use it to tell you if
the outlet you're about to plug into is wired
correctly. Consider it cheap insurance.
4. If you carry enough equipment that you
need to wire directly into the electrical
service, then use a voltmeter to ensure that
the line voltage is correct, then use the
outlet tester mentioned in #3, above. Do
this before you connect any of your audio
equipment. Chances are that your 120V
gear won't be too happy if it sees 220V for
any length of time.
5. Cables that are too long are less likely to
pick up hum if you uncoil them in their
entirety, and then find a place to stow the
excess. Leaving the excess coiled only helps
the cable pick up hum more efficiently.
6. Don't run unbalanced lines to or from the
stage. It's not the impedance, it's the fact
that they're unbalanced. It's a good idea to
use a direct box to make the unbalanced
source look like a microphone.
7. For really extreme cases, you may need to
insert 1:1 or isolation transformers into
each return line from the front-of-house
location to your amp racks.
48
8. Don't cut the third pin off of the power
cord. Carry some ground-lifter adapters
and use them only when you have to plug
into an ancient two-wire outlet.
9. If you bundle your cables together, don't
bundle 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.
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We love to hear what folks have created
using our mixers. If you use your MS1202-VLZ
to track and/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 be-
ing sold out the back door of a local Karaoke
joint. No hand-lettered covers, please and
thank you. Furthermore, if you send us an
interesting story or photograph about your
production we might just include it in our
monthly newsletter! To get your genuine 100%
cotton Mackie Celebrity T-shirt, send your CD
(and optional story or photo) to:
Mackie Designs
FREE T-SHIRT OFFER
attn: Communications Department
16220 Wood-Red Rd. NE
Woodinville , WA 98072
(Roll credits please) Manual written by Jeff
Gilbert, based on a vignette by Ron Koliha,
with tidbits borrowed from almost everywhere.
Manual then defaced with proofreading pens
in the hands of Mackie's legendary Tech Sup-
port staff. Manual composed on a rinky-dink
PC using a low-budget word processor, then
converted to this amazing piece of work using
a 13-story 1000 gigawhopper Macintosh oper-
ated by Mackie's notorious Advertising staff
(most notably Becky Priebe). Please, feel free
to let us know if you find an error or stumble
over a confusing paragraph. Thank you for
reading the entire manual (we know you have,
or you wouldn't be here).