Channel Strip Description; Channel Fader; Assign (1-2, 3-4, L/R); Solo - Mackie 1642VLZ4 Owner's Manual

Channel Strip Description

There are eight mono, and four stereo channel strips.
Many of the functions are identical for the mono and
stereo channels. We'll start at the bottom and work our
way up, pointing out the differences as we go along.
"U" Like Unity Gain
VLZ4 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 performed the
level-setting procedure , 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 controls are
measured in decibels (dB), so you'll know what you're
doing level-wise if you choose to change a control's set-
tings.

25. Channel Fader

The fader is almost the last control
in a channel's signal path. It's placed
after the EQ [32] and mute [30]
controls (post-EQ /post-mute) and
before the pan [31]control (pre-pan).
The "U" mark, about three-quarters of
the way up, indicates unity gain,
meaning no increase or decrease of
signal level. All the way up provides
an additional 10 dB, should you need
to boost a section of a song. If you
find that the overall level is too quiet
or too loud with a fader near unity,
you'll want to confirm the setting by
performing the level-setting procedure
on page 5.
A Clean Fade
Faders are not rocket science — they
operate by dragging a metal pin (the
wiper) across a carbon-based strip
(the track). It is possible for airborne
31
crud to land on the track. Should
that happen, you may hear scratchy
30
noises or signal dropouts as the wiper
29
stumbles over the crud. Do all you
can to keep airborne crud out of your
28
profession. Use air conditioned rooms
25
27
whenever possible, avoid smoking near
the mixer, keep food and drink away
from the mixer, and for pity's sake,
26
never put the mixer in your kitchen!
We also recommend "exercising" the
faders — give them a walk up and
down once a week or so, and that will
help scare the crud away. We do not
recommend spray cleaners.
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1642VLZ4
26. Assign (1–2, 3–4, L–R)
Alongside each channel fader are four buttons,
labeled solo, 1–2, 3–4 and L/R. The latter three are
collectively referred to as channel assignment switches.
1, 3 and L are the left sides of these stereo pairs, and
2, 4 and R are the right sides. Used in conjunction with
the channel's pan [31] knob, these switches determine
the destination of a channel's signal: With pan set at
the center detent, the left and right sides receive equal
signal levels. To feed only one side or the other, just turn
the pan knob accordingly.
If you're doing a mixdown to a 2-track, simply engage
the L/R switch on each channel that you want to hear,
and they'll be sent to the main mix. If you want to create
a subgroup of certain channels, engage either the 1–2
or 3–4 switches instead of the L/R, and they'll be sent
to the appropriate subgroup faders. From there, the
subgroups can be sent back to the main mix, allowing
you to use the subgroup faders as a master control for
those channels.
If you're printing new tracks or bouncing existing
ones, you'll also use the 1–2 and 3–4 switches, but
not the L/R switch. Here, you don't want the subgroups
sent back into the main mix, but sent out, via the
sub outs [8] jacks, to your multitrack inputs.
However, if you're printing tracks via the direct
out [5] jacks, all the channel assignment switches
should be disengaged (up).
The 1642VLZ4 is what we call a "true 4-bus mixer."
Each channel may be assigned or unassigned to any of
the subgroups without affecting the other subgroups
or settings within the channel, and each subgroup has
its own master fader and dedicated output. In fact,
since there are 4 subgroups and the main L/R mix,
it's actually a true 6-bus mixer.

27. Solo

This lovable switch allows you to check signals in
the phones or control room without having to assign
them to the L/R, 1-2 or 3-4 mixes. You can solo as
many channels as you like. Solo does not interrupt
any of the other channels, buses or outputs — that's
called nondestructive solo.
Using the mode [44] switch, the 1642VLZ4's solo
system comes in two flavors: AFL (sometimes called SIP,
or solo-in-place) and PFL (pre-fader-listen). The mode
switch is described in tender loving detail on page 21.