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HM-54

HM-54

Appendix B: Connections

Unbalancing a Line

In most studio, stage, and sound reinforcement situations, 
there is a combination of balanced and unbalanced inputs 
and outputs on the various pieces of equipment. This 
usually will not be a problem in making connections.

•  When connecting a balanced output to an 

unbalanced input, use a 1/4" TRS plug on the 
balanced end and a 1/4" TS plug on the unbalanced 
end. Be sure the signal high (hot) connections 
are wired to each other (tip to tip), and that the 
balanced signal low (cold, ring) goes to the ground 
(earth, shield) connection at the unbalanced 
input. In most cases, the balanced ground (earth) 
will also be connected to the ground (earth) at 
the unbalanced input. If there are ground-loop 
problems, this connection may be left disconnected 
at the balanced end.

•  When connecting an unbalanced output to 

a balanced input, use a 1/4" TS plug on the 
unbalanced end and a 1/4" TRS plug on the 
balanced end. Be sure that the signal high (hot) 
connections are wired to each other (tip to tip). 
The unbalanced ground (earth) connection should 
be wired to the low (cold, ring) and the ground 
(earth, shield) connections of the balanced 
input. If there are ground-loop problems, try 
disconnecting the unbalanced ground (earth) 
connection from the balanced input ground 
(earth) connection, leaving the unbalanced 
ground connected to the balanced input low (cold) 
connection only.

In some cases, you may have to make up special 

adapters to interconnect your equipment. For example, 
you may need a balanced XLR female connected to an 
unbalanced 1/4" TS phone plug. Many common adapters 
can be found at your local electronics supply store.

Mults and “Y”s

A mult or “Y” connector allows you to route one output 

to two or more inputs by simply providing parallel 
wiring connections. You can make “Y”s and mults for the 
outputs of both unbalanced and balanced circuits.

1/4" TRS Phone Plugs and Jacks

“TRS” stands for Tip-Ring-Sleeve, the three connection 
points available on a stereo 1/4" or balanced phone 
jack or plug. TRS jacks and plugs are used for balanced 
signals and stereo headphones.

Balanced Mono

SLEEVE

TIP

SLEEVE

TIP

RING

RING

TIP

SLEEVE

RING

1/4" TRS Balanced Mono Wiring:
Sleeve = Shield 
Tip = Hot (+) 
Ring = Cold (–)

Stereo Headphones

SLEEVE

TIP

SLEEVE

TIP

RING

RING

TIP

SLEEVE

RING

1/4" TRS Stereo Unbalanced Wiring:
Sleeve = Shield 
Tip = Left 
Ring = Right

1/4" TS Phone Plugs and Jacks

“TS” stands for Tip-Sleeve, the two connection points 
available on a mono 1/4" phone jack or plug. They are 
used for unbalanced signals like the high-impedance 
instrument inputs on the Onyx 400F.

SLEEVE

TIP

TIP

SLEEVE

TIP

SLEEVE

1/4" TS Unbalanced Wiring:
Sleeve = Shield 
Tip = Hot (+)

Y-Cord Splitter

Summary of Contents for HM-54

Page 1: ... ...

Page 2: ...ed hearing loss but nearly everyone will lose some hearing if exposed to sufficiently intense noise for a period of time The U S Government s Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA has specified the permissible noise level exposures shown in the following chart According to OSHA any exposure in excess of these permissible limits could result in some hearing loss To ensure against potenti...

Page 3: ...nnections 5 SettheLevels 5 HookupDiagrams 6 HM 54Features 8 FrontPanel 8 1 MAININPUTLEVEL 8 2 PHONESJack 8 3 SOURCESelectSwitch 8 4 LEVELControl 8 5 PowerSwitch 8 RearPanel 9 6 IECPowerReceptacle 9 7 LEFTandRIGHTPHONESINPUT 9 8 PHONESOUTPUT 9 9 LEFTandRIGHTMAININPUT 9 10 MAINPHONESINPUT 9 AppendixA ServiceInformation 10 WarrantyService 10 Troubleshooting 10 Repair 11 AppendixB Connections 12 Appen...

Page 4: ...ight away Right after that are the ever popular hook up diagrams that show typical setups for live sound and recording Then when you have time read the Features Description section This describes every knob button and connection point on the HM 54 Throughout this section you ll find illustrations with each feature numbered If you want to know more about a feature simply locate it on the appropriate...

Page 5: ...s for headphone amp 1 and S L O W L Y turn up the LEVEL control on the front panel for the corresponding headphone amp Adjust for a comfortable listening level Note If the volume gets really loud really fast turn down the MAIN INPUT LEVEL control until you can turn up the headphone amp LEVEL control at least halfway Conversely if you have to turn the headphone amp LEVEL control all the way up turn...

Page 6: ...studio preamp in a recording application The microphones and instruments are connected to the 400F and tracked to the DAW via the FireWire connection Separate stereo headphone mixes are returned from the DAW over the FireWire connection using the DAW s stereo auxes and connected to the Phones Inputs on the HM 54 via the eight analog outputs on the 400F ...

Page 7: ...o headphone mixes to the HM 54 The Phones output from the 1640 is connected to the Main Phones Input on the HM 54 allowing the talent to listen to either the same mix as the engineer in the control room i e stereo return from the DAW for overdubbing or to their own individual headphone mix tracking If the talent and engineer are in the same room each musician can adjust their own headphone mix on ...

Page 8: ...l from the rear panel PHONES jack WARNING The headphone amps are designed to drive any standard headphones to a very loud level We re not kidding They can cause permanent hearing damage Even intermediate levels may be painfully loud with some headphones BE CAREFUL Always start with the PHONES level turned all the way down before connecting headphones to the PHONES jack Keep it down until you ve pu...

Page 9: ...hard wiring the headphone outputs to a patch panel in the rack Note Plugging headphones into the front panel PHONES jack automatically disconnects the signal from the rear panel PHONES jack 9 LEFTandRIGHTMAININPUT These 1 4 TRS jacks accept a balanced or unbalanced line level input signal This is the signal that you select when you leave the SOURCE select switch 3 on the front panel in the out pos...

Page 10: ...nel Is the input LEVEL control 4 for the channel turned up Is the signal source turned up Make sure the signal level from the selected input source is high enough to drive the line level inputs on the HM 54 Try the same source signal in another channel set up exactly like the suspect channel Bad Output If you are listening to a PHONES OUTPUT 8 on the rear panel make sure that nothing is plugged in...

Page 11: ...ory packaging 5 Include a legible note stating your name shipping address no P O boxes daytime phone number Service Request Number and a detailed description of the problem including how we can duplicate it 6 Write the Service Request Number in BIG PRINT on top of the box Units sent to us without the Service Request Number will be refused 7 Tech Support will tell you where to ship the preamplifier ...

Page 12: ... ground earth connection from the balanced input ground earth connection leaving the unbalanced ground connected to the balanced input low cold connection only In some cases you may have to make up special adapters to interconnect your equipment For example you may need a balanced XLR female connected to an unbalanced 1 4 TS phone plug Many common adapters can be found at your local electronics su...

Page 13: ...hnical Info HM 54 Specifications Frequency Response Main Input to any Output Level 12 o clock 0 1 dB 20 Hz to 20 kHz Distortion THD IMD Main Input to any Output 4 dBu output THD N 0 01 20 Hz to 20 kHz BW 1 kHz input 4 dBu Level 12 o clock Noise Residual Output Noise 103 dBu all outputs off 600Ω load 97 dBu all outputs 12 o clock 600Ω load Input Sensitivity 0 dBu 1 5 mW 600Ω Level 12 o clock Input G...

Page 14: ...CT MAIN Main Input Level Phones 1 Front Phones Level Phones 1 Rear Left Right Phones 2 Input DIRECT MAIN Phones 2 Front Phones Level Phones 2 Rear Left Right Phones 3 Input DIRECT MAIN Phones 3 Front Phones Level Phones 3 Rear Left Right Phones 4 Input DIRECT MAIN Phones 4 Front Phones Level Phones 4 Rear ...

Page 15: ... of the LOUD Technologies factory authorized service centers and deemed eligible for repair or replacement under the terms of this warranty will be repaired or replaced within thirty days of receipt LOUD Technologies and its authorized service centers may use refurbished parts for repair or replacement of any product Products returned to LOUD Technologies that do not meet the terms of this Warrant...

Page 16: ... Road NE Woodinville WA 98072 USA United States and Canada 800 898 3211 Europe Asia Central and South America 425 487 4333 Middle East and Africa 31 20 654 4000 Fax 425 487 4337 www mackie com E mail sales mackie com ...

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