Unbalancing A Line - Mackie Onyx 1200F Owner's Manual

Unbalancing a Line

In most studio, stage, and sound reinforcement situ-
ations, there is a combination of balanced and unbal-
anced inputs and outputs on the various pieces of
equipment. This usually will not be a problem in making
connections.
• When connecting a balanced output to an unbal-
anced input, be sure the signal high (hot) connec-
tions are wired to each other, and that the balanced
signal low (cold) goes to the ground (earth)
connection at the unbalanced input. In most cases,
the balanced ground (earth) will also be connected
to the ground (earth) at the unbalanced input. If
there are ground-loop problems, this connection
may be left disconnected at the balanced end.
• When connecting an unbalanced output to a bal-
anced input, be sure that the signal high (hot)
connections are wired to each other. The unbal-
anced ground (earth) connection should be wired
to the low (cold) and the ground (earth) connec-
tions of the balanced input. If there are ground-loop
problems, try disconnecting the unbalanced ground
(earth) connection from the balanced input ground
(earth) connection, leaving the unbalanced ground
connected to the balanced input low (cold) con-
nection only.
In some cases, you may have to make up special
adapters to interconnect your equipment. For example,
you may need a balanced XLR female connected to an
unbalanced 1/4" TS phone plug. Many common adapters
can be found at your local electronics supply store.
Mults and "Y"s
A mult or "Y" connector allows you to route one output
to two or more inputs by simply providing parallel wir-
ing connections. You can make "Y"s and mults for the
outputs of both unbalanced and balanced circuits.
Remember: Only mult or "Y" an output into several
inputs. If you need to combine several outputs into one
input, you must use a mixer, not a mult or a "Y."
Y-Cord Splitter
FireWire Connection
The Onyx 1200F is equipped with two 6-pin FireWire
connectors and comes with a 6-pin to 6-pin FireWire
cable. This works with Macintosh laptops and desktops,
and most PC desktops with a built-in FireWire connec-
tor or with a PCI or PCMCIA FireWire card added.
Many laptops have a 4-pin FireWire connector. If this
is the case, you will need to purchase a 6-pin to 4-pin
FireWire adapter cable. These are readily available at
computer stores or online.
2 4 6
1 3 5
6-pin Male FireWire
6-pin FireWire Wiring:
Pin 1 = Power
Pin 2 = Ground
Pin 3 = TPB–
Pin 4 = TPB+
Pin 5 = TPA–
Pin 6 = TPA+
1 2 3 4
4-pin Male FireWire
4-pin FireWire Wiring:
Pin 1 = TPB–
Pin 2 = TPB+
Pin 3 = TPA–
Pin 4 = TPA+
Owner's Manual
33