Mackie 1604-VLS PRO Owner'S Manual Download Page 25

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METERS

The 1604-VLZ PRO’s peak metering system is

made up of two columns of twelve LEDs. Decep-
tively simple, considering the multitude of signals
that can be monitored by it. If nothing is selected
in the

SOURCE

matrix

and no channels are in

SOLO

, the meter display will just sit there. To

put them to work, you must make a selection in
the

SOURCE

matrix (or engage a

SOLO

switch).

Why? You want the meter display to reflect

what the engineer is listening to, and as we’ve
covered, the engineer is listening either to the

C-R OUTS

or the

PHONES

output. The only

difference is that while the listening levels are
controlled by the

CTL ROOM/PHONES

knob,

the meter display reads the

SOURCE

mix be-

fore that control, giving you the real facts at all
times, even if you’re not listening at all.

When the solo

MODE

switch is set to

LEVEL

SET (PFL)

(down)

, all soloed signals will be

sent to the left meter only. That, combined
with

LEVEL SET

LED

, are along the path of

enlightenment known as the

Level-Setting

Procedure

. During

NORMAL (AFL)

mode,

the meters will behave normally.

Meters vs. Reality

You may already be an

expert at the world of “+4”
(+4dBu=1.23V) and “–10”
(–10dBV=0.32V) operating

levels. Basically, what makes a mixer one or
the other is the relative 0dB VU (or 0VU) cho-
sen for the meter

display. A “+4” mixer, with a

+4dBu signal pouring out the back will actu-
ally read 0VU on its meter

display. A “–10”

mixer, with a –10dBV signal trickling out, will
read, you guessed it, 0VU on its meter

display.

So when is 0VU actually 0dBu? Right now!

At the risk of creating another standard,

Mackie’s compact mixers address the need of
both crowds by calling things as they are: 0dBu
(0.775V) at the output shows as 0VU on the
meter

display. What could be easier? By the

way, the most wonderful thing about standards
is that there are so many to choose from.

Thanks to the 1604-VLZ PRO’s wide dy-

namic range, you can get a good mix with
peaks flashing anywhere between –20 and
+10dB on the

meter

display. Most amplifiers

clip at about +10dB, and some recorders aren’t
so forgiving either. For best real-world results,
try to keep your peaks between “0” and “+7.”

Please remember: Audio meter displays are

just tools to help assure you that your levels
are “in the ballpark.” You don’t have to stare at
them (unless you want to).

AUX TALK

First of all, there is no particular alliance

between

AUX SEND 1

and

AUX RETURN 1

They’re just numbers. They’re like two com-
plete strangers, both named Fred.

Sends

are outputs,

returns

are inputs. The

AUX

knob

taps the signal off the channel

and sends it to the

AUX SEND

outputs

AUX 1

and

are sent to the

AUX SENDS 1

and

master knobs before the

AUX SEND

outputs and

AUX 3

through

are sent directly.

These outputs are fed to the inputs of a re-

verb or other device. From there, the outputs of
the external device are fed back to the mixer’s

AUX RETURN

inputs

. Then these signals are

sent through the

AUX RETURN

level controls,

and finally delivered to the

MAIN MIX

So, the original “dry” signals come from the

channels to the

MAIN MIX

and the affected

“wet” signals come from the

AUX RETURNS

the

MAIN MIX

, and once mixed together, the

dry and wet signals combine to create a glori-
ous sound. Armed with this knowledge, let’s
visit the Auxiliary World:

AUX SENDS (MASTER)

These knobs provide overall level control of

AUX

SENDS 1

and

, just before they’re delivered to their

AUX SEND

outputs

. This is perfect for control-

ling the level of stage monitors, since you’ll be using

AUX 1

and

for this, with their

PRE

switches en-

gaged

AUX SENDS 3

through

have no such control — they’ll

just send their mixes directly to
their respective

AUX SEND

out-

puts at unity gain.

This knob goes from off (turned

fully down), to unity gain at the
center detent, with 10dB of extra
gain (turned fully up). As with
some other level controls, you may
never need the additional gain, but
if you ever do, you’ll be glad you
bought a Mackie.

This is usually the knob you

turn up when the lead singer
glares at you, points at his stage
monitor, and sticks his thumb in
the air. (It would follow suit that if
the singer stuck his thumb down,
you’d turn the knob down, but
that never happens.)

AUX

SEND

STEREO AUX RETURN

EFFECTS TO

MONITORS

TO AUX

SEND 2

TO AUX

SEND 1

PWR

PHAN

SOLO