Getting Started; Zero The Controls; Connections; Set The Levels - Mackie Onyx 400F Owner's Manual

Getting Started

READ THIS PAGE!!
Even if you're one of those people
who never reads manuals, all we ask
is that you read this page now before
you begin using the Onyx 400F. You'll
be glad you did!
The Onyx 400F can be used in standalone mode, or
connected to a computer with the FireWire connection.
Either way, you will want to install the Windows drivers
(PC only) and the Onyx 400F Console software on your
computer fi rst to get the internal routing setup. Refer to
page 18 for instructions on installing the software.
Once you've installed the software, proceed as follows:

Zero the Controls

1. Turn down the channel GAIN controls, and the
Control Room and Phones level controls.
2. Set all push button switches to their "out" positions.
3. Turn the POWER switch off.

Connections

This tutorial demonstrates how to route four input
channels to your DAW and mix them down to a 2-track
S/PDIF output to a DAT:
1. Plug a microphone into channel 1's MIC input. You
can plug additional microphones or instruments
into channels 2-4.
2. Connect the FireWire connector from the Onyx 400F
to the FireWire connector on your computer.
Note: The Onyx 400F is equipped with two 6-pin
FireWire connectors and comes with a 6-pin to
6-pin FireWire cable. If your computer has a 4-pin
FireWire connector, you can purchase a 6-pin to
4-pin FireWire adapter cable at many computer
supply stores or online.
3. Plug in the detachable linecord, connect it to an AC
outlet, and turn on the Onyx 400F's POWER switch.
4. If the microphone is a dynamic microphone, leave
the 48V switch out. If it's a condenser microphone,
push in the 48V phantom power button to turn on
the phantom power for channels 1-4.
5. Open the Onyx 400F FireWire Conole software
application.
6. Connect the S/PDIF output to the S/PDIF input on
a DAT or other S/PDIF-compatible recorder.
6
ONYX 400F

Set the Levels

To set the channel GAIN controls (on channels 1-4),
it's not even necessary to hear what you're doing at the
outputs of the preamplifi er. The following steps must be
performed one channel at a time.
1. Play something into the selected input. This could
be an instrument, a singing or speaking voice, or
a line input such as a CD player or tape recorder
output. Be sure that the volume of the input source
is the same as it would be during normal use. If it
isn't, you might have to readjust these levels later.
2. Adjust the channel's GAIN control so that the
"–20" and "–10" LEDs light frequently or continu-
ously, and the "OL" LED doesn't light at all (or only
fl ashes occasionally).
3. Repeat for each channel.
4. Since channels 5-8 and the S/PDIF inputs (chan-
nels 9-10) don't have an input GAIN control, their
input levels must be adjusted at the source. You can
monitor the input level either with the Onyx 400F
Console (with the DSP Mixer turned on in the Set-
tings tab), or with the input metering of your DAW
software application.
5. Adjust the source level control so the meter
indicates between –20 and –10. You want to avoid
having the OL (Overload) LED light.

Set the Console Control Panel

1. Select the "Settings" tab in the Console control
panel. Select 44.1 kHz sample rate, DSP Mixer On,
and Headphones Mirror Outputs 1/2.
2. Select the "Outputs 1/2" tab. Make sure the MUTE
buttons for Inputs 1-4 and the Master fader are
deselected and the faders are all the way up (0 dB).
Set the Pan for Input 1 full left, for Input 2 full right,
Input 3 full left, and Input 4 full right (or adjust the
Pan controls to your preference).
3. Select the "Outputs 9/10" tab (this is for the S/PDIF
outputs). Set it the same way you did for Outputs
1/2 in step 2 above.
4. Connect a pair of headphones to one of the Phones
outputs. Slowly turn up the Phones Level control
while music is playing. You will be monitoring Out-
puts 1/2. This should be the same mix as Outputs
9/10 if you set them up the same way, which goes to
the DAT recorder.