Appendix: Connections - Mackie 1604-VLZ PRO Owner's Manual

APPENDIX B: CONNECTIONS
"XLR" CONNECTORS
Mackie mixers use 3-pin female "XLR"
connectors on all microphone inputs, with
pin 1 wired to the grounded (earthed) shield,
pin 2 wired to the "high" ("hot" or positive po-
larity) side of the audio signal and pin 3
wired to the "low" ("cold" or negative polar-
ity) side of the signal (Figure A). All totally
aboveboard and in full accord with the hal-
lowed standards dictated by the AES (Audio
Engineering Society).
Use a male "XLR"-type connector, usually
found on the nether end of what is called a
"mic cable," to connect to a female XLR jack.
Figure A: XLR Connectors
⁄ " TRS PHONE PLUGS AND JACKS
1
4
"TRS" stands for Tip-Ring-Sleeve, the three
connections available on a "stereo"
"balanced" phone jack or plug. See Figure B.
TRS jacks and plugs are used in several
different applications:
• Stereo Headphones, and rarely, stereo
microphones and stereo line connections.
When wired for stereo, a
plug is connected tip to left, ring to right and
RING
TIP
Figure B: 1 ⁄ " TRS Plugs
4
42
• Balanced mono circuits. When wired as a
2
SHIELD
HOT
• Unbalanced Send/Return circuits. When
1
COLD 3
SHIELD
1
COLD 3
2
HOT
SHIELD
1
1 ⁄
4
3
COLD
2
HOT
tions available on a "mono"
plug (Figure C). TS jacks and plugs are used
in many different applications, always unbal-
anced. The tip is connected to the audio signal
and the sleeve to ground (earth). Some ex-
amples:
1 ⁄ " or
4
• Unbalanced microphones
• Electric guitars and electronic instruments
• Unbalanced line-level connections
1 ⁄ " TRS jack or
4
SLEEVE SLEEVE RING TIP
RING
TIP
SLEEVE
Figure C: TS Plug
sleeve to ground (earth). Mackie mixers do
not directly accept 1-plug-type stereo
microphones. They must be separated into a
left cord and a right cord, which are plugged
into the two mic preamps.
You can cook up your own adapter for a
stereo microphone adapter. "Y" two cables
out of a female 1 ⁄ " TRS jack to two male
4
XLR plugs, one for the Right signal and one
for the Left.
balanced connector, a 1 ⁄ " TRS jack or plug
4
is connected tip to signal high (hot), ring
to signal low (cold), and sleeve to ground
(earth).
wired as send/return "Y" connector, a
TRS jack or plug is connected tip to signal
send (output from mixer), ring to signal
return (input back into mixer), and sleeve
to ground (earth).
" TS PHONE PLUGS AND JACKS
"TS" stands for Tip-Sleeve, the two connec-
1
SLEEVE
TIP
1 ⁄ "
4
⁄ " phone jack or
4
SLEEVE TIP
TIP
SLEEVE