Fader; A Clean Fade; Pan; Constant Loudness - Mackie SR40.8 Owner's Manual

FADER

Point Before: MUTE
Point After: PAN
DIRECT OUT
U
EQ
The Fader is almost the last control in a
HI
Channel's signal path. It's placed after the EQ
12k
-15 +15
and the MUTE controls but before the PAN
U
control. The "U" mark, about three-quarters of
HI
MID
the way up, indicates unity gain, meaning no
-15 +15
increase or decrease of signal level. All the way
2.5k
up provides an additional 10dB, should you
700 6k FREQ
need to boost a section of a song. If you find
500 15k
U
that the overall level is too quiet or too loud
LOW
with a Fader near unity, you'll want to confirm
MID
-15 +15
the trim setting by keeping an eye on the
250
Channel Meter
70 700 FREQ
INPUT SECTION PFL/AFL switch
45 3k
"up" position), or performing the Level-Setting
U
Procedure
LOW
80Hz
-15 +15

A CLEAN FADE

HPF
150
EQ IN
220
75
45 350 FREQ
30 800
track). Despite the elaborate dust barriers
L R built into the SR40•8's Faders, it is still remotely

PAN

possible for airborne crud to land on the track.
40
Should that happen, you may hear scratchy
MUTE
noises or signal dropouts as the wiper stumbles
over the crud. Do all you can to keep airborne
dB
crud out of your profession. Avoid smoking
near the mixer, keep food and drink away from
the mixer, and for pity's sake, never put the
5 1-2
mixer in the kitchen! We also recommend
"exercising" the Faders — give them a few
3-4
U
full-travel excursions once a week or so, and
5-6
that will help scare the crud away. We do not
5
recommend spray cleaners.
7-8
PAN
Point Before: Channel Fader
CENTER
Point After: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 (assignment
switches)
L-R
PAN adjusts the amount of Channel signal
sent to the left versus the right outputs. PAN
50
determines the fate of the LEFT/RIGHT mix,
60
Subgroups, and SOLO (in AFL mode). With the
O O
PAN knob hard left, the signal feeds the LEFT
mix, SUBs 1, 3, 5 and 7, and the left AFL SOLO
(assuming their assignment switches are en-
gaged). With the PAN knob hard right, the signal
SOLO
24
.
, CENTER (ASSIGN)
, AUX (with PRE switch
up), AFL CHANNEL METER
(with the METERING:
.
Fader mechanics are not
rocket science — a Fader
operates by dragging a metal
pin (the wiper) across a
carbon-based strip (the
, SOLO (in AFL mode)
feeds the RIGHT mix, SUBs 2, 4, 6, and 8, and the
right AFL SOLO. With the PAN knob set some-
where in between left and right, the signal is
,
divided between the left and right buses.
Be aware: Since CENTER
.
occurs before the PAN control, it will receive
the same level as the Fader output, regardless
of the PAN position.
With stereo sources your life will be easier if
you follow this standard convention: When
patching stereo sound sources into Channels,
always plug the left signal into an "odd" Chan-
nel (1, 3, 5, etc.) and the right signal into the
adjacent "even" Channel (2, 4, 6, etc.). Then
PAN the odd Channel hard left and the even
Channel hard right.

CONSTANT LOUDNESS

in the
turn the PAN knob from left to right (thereby
causing the sound to move from left to center
to right), you want the sound to move, but the
volume (loudness) must stay the same. To ac-
complish this trick, the SR40•8 has a constant
loudness pan circuit, meaning the signal level
dips down about 4dB on each side when
panned center. Without this trick, the sound
would appear louder when panned center.
1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, L-R (assignment switches)
Point Before: PAN
Point After: LEFT/RIGHT mixes
1–8 mixes
Alongside each Channel Fader are five but-
tons labeled 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, and L-R. These
are collectively referred to as stereo assign-
ment switches. 1, 3, 5, 7, and L are the left
sides of these stereo pairs, and 2, 4, 6, 8, and R
are the right sides. Used in conjunction with
the Channel's PAN
.
determine the destination of a Channel's sig-
nal: With the PAN knob set at the center
.
detent, the left and right sides receive equal
signal levels. To feed only one side or the other,
turn the PAN knob accordingly.
If you're doing a conventional stereo mix
(with no center Channel), simply engage the
L-R switch on each Channel that you want to
hear and they'll be sent to the main
assignment
The SR40•8's PAN controls
employ a design called
"constant loudness". It has
nothing to do with living
next to a freeway. As you
.
and SUB
.
control, these switches