Patchbay Description; Ez Interface; Mic And Line Input Flexibility; Mic Ins - Mackie 1642VLZ4 Owner's Manual

Patchbay Description

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At the risk of stating the obvious, this is where you
plug everything in: microphones, line-level instruments
and effects, and the ultimate destination for your sound:
PA system, DAW, etc. Many of the features described in
this section are on top of the mixer, but some are on the
rear panel.
See Appendix B for further details and drawings of
the connectors you can use with the 1642VLZ4. Also see
the channel strip description on page 14 for details of
the signal routing from the XLR and line inputs.

EZ Interface

Concerned about levels, balancing, impedances,
polarity, or other interface goblins? Don't be. On the
1642VLZ4, you can patch anything almost anywhere,
with nary a care. Here's why:
• Every input and output is balanced (except
inserts, phones and RCA jacks).
• Every input and output will also accept
unbalanced lines (except XLR jacks).
• Every input is designed to accept virtually any
output impedance.
• The main left and right mix outputs can deliver
28 dBu into as low as a 600 ohm load.
• All the other outputs can deliver 22 dBu into
as low as a 600 ohm load.
• All the outputs are in phase with the inputs.
All we ask is that you perform the level-setting pro-
cedure on page 5, every time you patch in a new sound
source. So stop worrying and start mixing!

Mic And Line Input Flexibility

Channels 1-8 are mono channels with mic [1]
and line [2] inputs, featuring our Onyx mic preamps.
Channels 9-10 and 11-12 are stereo pairs with left and
right line inputs and a single mic input feeding each
pair. Channels 13-14 and 15-16 are stereo pairs with
line inputs only.
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1642VLZ4

1. Mic Ins

This is a female XLR connector that accepts a
balanced mic or line level input from almost any type
of source. These Onyx mic preamps feature higher
fidelity and headroom rivaling any standalone mic
preamp on the market today. These circuits are
excellent at rejecting hum and noise.
The XLR inputs are wired as follows:
Pin 1 = Shield or ground
Pin 2 = Positive (+ or hot)
Pin 3 = Negative (– or cold)
Professional ribbon, dynamic, and condenser mics all
sound excellent through these inputs. The mic/line
inputs will handle any kind of level you can toss at
them, without overloading.
Not every instrument is made to connect directly to
a mixer. Guitars commonly need a Direct Injection (DI)
box to connect to the mixer's mic inputs. These boxes
convert unbalanced line-level signals from your guitar,
into balanced mic-level outputs, and provide signal and
impedance matching. They also let you send your gifted
guitar renditions over long cables or audio snakes,
with minimum interference or high-frequency signal
loss. Ask your dealer or guitar maker about their
recommendations for a good DI box.

Phantom Power

Most modern professional condenser mics are
equipped for phantom power, which lets the mixer
send low-current DC voltage to the mic's electronics
through the same wires that carry audio. (Semi-pro
condenser mics often have batteries to accomplish the
same thing.) "Phantom" owes its name to an ability to
be "unseen" by dynamic mics (Shure SM57/SM58, for
instance), which don't need external power and aren't
affected by it anyway.
The 1642VLZ4's phantom power is globally controlled
by the phantom [22] switch on the rear panel.
(This means the phantom power for all channels
is turned on and off together.)