Master Section - SoundCraft M-SERIES User Manual

USER GUIDE

MASTER SECTION

PHANTOM POWER
1
Many professional condenser mics need PHANTOM POWER, which is a method of sending a powering
voltage down the same wires as the mic signal. Press the switch to enable the +48V power to all of the
MIC inputs. The adjacent LED illuminates when the power is active.
WARNING: TAKE CARE when using unbalanced mics which may be damaged by the phantom
power voltage. Balanced dynamic mics can normally be used with phantom power switched
on (contact your microphone manufacturer for guidance)
Mics should always be plugged in, and all output faders set to minimum before switching
the Phantom Power ON to avoid damage to external equipment
POWER INDICATOR
2
This LED lights to show when power is connected to the console.
BARGRAPH METERS
3
The three-colour peak reading BARGRAPH METERS normally show the level of the MIX RIGHT and MIX LEFT
outputs, giving you a constant warning of excessive peaks in the signal which might cause overloading. Aim
to keep the signal just touching the red segments at peak levels for best performance.
Similarly, if the output level is too low and hardly registering at all on the meters, the level of background
noise may become significant. Take care to set up the input levels for best performance.
When any PFL switch is pressed, the meters switch to show the selected PFL signal on both meters, in
mono.
PLAYBACK
4
The rotary control sets the level of the 2 Track Tape input, which is routed to the headphones, monitor
outputs and meters. These inputs, on RCA phono connectors are an ideal way to connect the playback of a
tape machine for monitoring.
PLAYBACK REPLACES MIX
5
Press this switch to replace the MIX Left/Right signal at the MIX outputs with the Playback signal connected
r
to the Left and Right RCA sockets
PLAYBACK PFL
6
Press this switch to route the Playback signal to the monitor and phones, over-riding the default monitor/
Phones signal. This listening point is before the PB LEVEL control, so material can be previewed before being
routed.
MONITOR LEVEL
7
This control sets the level to the MONITOR LEFT & RIGHT outputs. If headphones are plugged into the
PHONES jack, the headphone level will track the Monitor Level.
PHONES LEVEL
8
This control sets the output level to the Headphone outputs. If headphones are plugged into the PHNS jack,
then the knob sets a comfortable headphone listening level without affecting the Monitor output levels.
AUX MASTERS
9
Each Aux output has a master output level control and associated AFL switch.
AUX AFLS
Just like the PFL switches on the channels, you can monitor each AUX output by pressing the AFL switch.
This routes the AUX output signal to the MONITOR or PHONES, replacing the MIX signal. The METERS also
switch from the MIX to display the PFL/AFL signal and the PFL/AFL LED lights to warn that a PFL or AFL
switch is pressed. When you release the switch, the Monitor swaps back to the MIX.
(see also p.22).
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