Digital 8•Bus Unique Features; D8B Console; V-Pots; Fat Channel - Mackie Digital 8 Bus Owner's Manual

Digital 8•Bus Unique Features
The Digital 8•Bus has a number of unique
features that distinguish it from other
affordable digital consoles. Here's a short
rundown.

D8B Console

V-Pots™

V-Pot is short for "Virtual Potentiometer." It
is similar to, but uniquely different from, the
rotary pots found on analog mixers. A V-Pot
rotates continuously, without physical stops.
Because it is actually an infinitely variable
digital controller, it can emulate any analog
"knob" function, and you can change its
function at the push of a button. The relative
position of the V-Pot is represented by a ring of
LEDs around the V-Pot. Depending on the
function of the V-Pot, the actual values may be
displayed in the vacuum fluorescent display
(VFD) located in the upper-right corner of the
console, in the meter bridge, or on an optional
SVGA monitor. The V-Pots in each channel
strip represent Aux Send 1–12 levels, Send To
Tape levels, Digital Trim levels, and Pan
settings. The Fat Channel's V-Pots represent
the EQ, compression, gate, and internal effects
settings for each selected channel.

Fat Channel

Yes, Fat Channel. Instead of 24 vertical
channel strips, each with an assortment of
analog rotary pots, the D8B's Fat Channel is
made up of four V-Pots, laid out horizontally
underneath the VFD. All digital signal
processing is controlled from there. Select the
channel you want to work with, then use the
Fat Channel V-Pots to set EQ, compression,
gate, and internal stereo effects for that
channel. This knob-saving marvel is one reason
the Digital 8•Bus has such a small footprint.
Because we're in the digital domain, and
because Mackie's job is to make you more
creative, we've set up the Fat Channel with
two memories per channel. You can store and
easily recall one of two different groups of EQ/
compression/gate settings, either manually or
via real-time dynamic automation. You can also
use this feature to compare two different
settings and determine which sounds best.
The Fat Channel also contains a Library for
storing frequently used EQ and internal effects
settings, which can be recalled and used by any
channel.

DSP Plug-ins

The Digital 8•Bus has a built-in board with
two digital effects processors, and card-cage
slots for adding up to three more DSP effects
boards. Each board contains two digital effect
processors, for a total of eight internal digital
effects (which can run simultaneously). The
D8B comes with the Mackie Standard Effects
package and the IVL ™ Vocal Studio. Optional
software packages from Mackie and third-party
plug-ins from your favorite digital effects
manufacturers designed specifically for the
Digital 8•Bus are on the way.

Motorized 100mm Faders

All 25 faders are motorized, allowing you to
see what's happening when you're in automation
mode. When you recall a scene, the faders
automatically move to their stored positions. In
Touch mode, you can grab a moving fader on the
fly and update a move automatically. If you
choose, the fader motors can be globally shut off
with the push of a button.

Automation

The Digital 8•Bus has Mackie Real Time OS
Automation software built-in. This powerful
automation engine provides a method of
storing fader moves, pans, EQ changes, and
mutes, all synced to time code for dynamic
automation. In addition, it can store and recall
up to 100 snapshots of fader, EQ, effects, pan,
and mute parameters (and an unlimited
number of snapshots when using the optional
screen/keyboard/mouse combination).

The Remote CPU

Built-in Hard Drive and Floppy Drive

All automation information is stored on the
internal hard drive, and you can back up the
information on 3.5" floppy disks with the built-
in floppy drive.

SVGA Monitor, Keyboard and Mouse

These items are optional, but can greatly
enhance the operation of the Digital 8•Bus.
Since a monitor, keyboard, and mouse are
natural extensions of a computer, you might
feel more comfortable using them to perform
the more computer-like functions built into the
console, like saving files, cutting/pasting/
copying, etc.
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Introduction