Channel Strip Description; U" Like Unity Gain; Channel Fader; Solo - Mackie 1402-VLZ3 Owner's Manual

Channel Strip Description

The ten channel strips look alike, and function identi-
cally. The only difference is that the six on the left are
for individual mics or mono instruments, and have more
gain available, while the next four are for either stereo
or mono line-level sources. (Each of the stereo channel
strips is actually two complete circuits. 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 travel through the mixer at
optimal levels. What's more, all the labels on our level
controls are measured in decibels (dB), so you'll know
what you're doing level-wise if you choose to change a
control's settings.
You won't have to check it here and
AUX
check it there, as you would with some
U
other mixers. In fact, some don't even
have any reference to actual dB levels
+15
O O
at all! Ever seen those "0–10" fader
U
markings? We call these AUMs (Arbi-
trary Units of Measurement), and they
+15
O O
mean nothing in the real world. You
U EQ
were smart — you bought a Mackie.
HI
12kHz

23. CHANNEL FADER

-15 +15
U
These faders control the channel's
MID
2.5kHz
level... from off, to unity gain, on up
-15 +15
to 10 dB of additional gain. Channels 1
U
through 6 use mono faders, and chan-
LOW
80Hz
nels 7 through 14 use stereo faders,
-15 +15
and may feel slightly different. Not a
PAN
problem.
L R

24. SOLO

25 1
This lovable switch allows you to
MUTE
ALT 3 – 4
hear signals through your headphones
24
or control room without having to
dB
10
SOLO route them to the main mix or ALT 3-4
mix. You don't even have to have the
5
23
channel's fader turned up. Folks use
U
solo in live work to preview channels
5
before they are let into the mix, or to
just check out what a particular chan-
10
nel is up to anytime during a session.
20
You can solo as many channels at a
30
time as you like.
40
Solo is also the key player in the
50
60
Level- Setting Procedure on page 3.
O O
The 1402-VLZ3 has "dual-mode solo." The SOLO
MODE [35] switch in the Master section determines
which mode you'll be hearing. With the switch up, you'll
get "AFL" (After-Fader-Listen), which is post-FADER,
post-PAN, making it ideal for mixdown soloing. With the
switch down, you're in "PFL" (Pre-Fader-Listen), used
in the Level Setting Procedure.
Soloed channels are sent to the SOURCE mix, which
ultimately feeds your control room, phones and meters.
Whenever 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!
25. MUTE/ALT 3–4
The dual-purpose MUTE/ALT 3–4 bus is a Mackie sig-
nature. When Greg was designing our fi rst 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 else useful... like a sepa-
rate stereo bus?" So MUTE/ALT 3–4 really serves two
functions — muting (often used during a mixdown or
live show), and signal routing (for multitrack and live
work) where it acts as an extra stereo bus.
To use this as a MUTE switch, all you have to do is
not use the ALT 3–4 [16] outputs. Then, whenever you
assign a channel to these unused outputs, you'll also be
disconnecting it from the main mix, effectively muting
the channel.
To use this as an ALT 3–4 switch, all you have to do
is connect the ALT 3–4 outputs to whatever destination
you desire. Two popular examples:
When doing multitrack recording, use the ALT 3–4
outputs to feed your multitrack. With most decks, you
can mult the ALT 3–4 outputs, using Y-cords or mults, to
feed multiple tracks. So, take ALT OUTPUT L and send
it to tracks 1, 3, 5 and 7, and ALT OUTPUT R and send it
to tracks 2, 4, 6 and 8. Now, tracks that are in Record or
Input modes will hear the ALT 3–4 signals, and tracks in
Playback or Safe modes will ignore them.
When doing live sound or mixdown, it's often handy
to control the level of several channels with one knob.
That's called subgrouping. Simply assign these channels
to the ALT 3–4 mix, engage ALT 3–4 in the SOURCE
[33] matrix, and the signals will appear in the control
room and headphones. If you want the ALT 3–4 signals
to go back into the main mix, engage the ASSIGN TO
MAIN MIX [37] switch, and the CONTROL ROOM/
SUBMIX fader [34] controls the levels of all channels
assigned to ALT 3–4.
Owner's Manual
13