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13

Owner’s Manual

Owner

’s Manual

When doing live sound or mixdown, it’s often handy 

to control the level of several channels with one knob. 
That’s called subgrouping. Simply assign these channels 
to the ALT 3-4 mix, engage ALT 3-4 in the CONTROL 
ROOM/PHONES SOURCE matrix (20), and the signals 
will appear at the CONTROL ROOM (48) and PHONES 
(42) outputs. If you want the ALT 3-4 signals to go back 
into the MAIN MIX, engage the ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX 
switch (21) and the CONTROL ROOM knob (22) controls 
the levels of all the channels assigned to ALT 3-4.

Another way to do the same thing is to assign the 

channels to the ALT 3-4 mix, then patch out of the ALT 
3-4 OUT (LEFT/3 and RIGHT/4) back into an unused 
stereo channel (5-6, 7-8, 9-10, or 11-12). If that’s your 
choice, don’t ever engage the MUTE/ALT 3-4 switch 
on that stereo channel, or you’ll have every dog in the 
neighborhood howling at your feedback loop.

Another benefi t of the ALT 3-4 feature is that it can act 

as an “AFL” (After Fader Listen). Just engage a channel’s 
MUTE/ALT 3-4 switch and the ALT 3-4 switch in the 
SOURCE matrix (20) and you’ll get that channel, all by 
itself, in the CONTROL ROOM (48) and PHONES (42).

MUTE/ALT 3-4 is one of those features that can 

bewilder newcomers, so take your time and play around 
with it. Once you’ve got it down, you’ll probably think of 
a hundred uses for it!

17. Channel Fader

The fader controls the channel’s level…from off to 

unity gain at the “U” marking, on up to 10 dB of addi-
tional gain.

“U” Like Unity Gain

Mackie mixers have a “U” symbol on 
almost every level control. This “U” 
stands for “unity gain,” meaning no 
change in signal level. Once you have 

adjusted the input signal to line-level, you can set every 
control at “U” and your signals will travel through the 
mixer at optimal levels. What’s more, all the labels on 
our level controls are measured in decibels (dB), so 
you’ll know what you’re doing level-wise if you choose to 
change a control’s settings.

18. Signal Level LEDs

These LEDs indicate the chan-

nel’s signal level after the GAIN 
and EQ controls, but just prior to 
the channel’s fader. So even if the 
fader is turned down, you can see 
if a signal is present.

If you’ve followed the “Set the 

Levels” procedure, the –20 and 0 
LEDs should light frequently, the 
+10 LED should light occasion-
ally, and the OL (Overload) LED 
should not light at all. If the OL 
LED is blinking frequently, the 
signal is probably distorted from 
overdriving the input. Either turn 
down the GAIN control or turn 
down the signal at its source.

19. SOLO Switch

This handy switch allows you to 

hear signals through your head-
phones or control room outputs 
without having to route them to 
the MAIN or ALT 3-4 mixes. Folks 
use solo in live work to preview 
channels before they are let into 
the mix, or just to check out what 
a particular channel is up to 
anytime during a session. You can 
solo as many channels at a time 
as you like.

Soloed channels are sent to the 

SOURCE mix, which ultimately 
feeds your CONTROL ROOM, 
PHONES, and Meters. Whenever 
SOLO is engaged, all SOURCE 
(20) selections (MAIN MIX, ALT 
3-4, TAPE, and FIREWIRE) are 
defeated, to allow the soloed 
signal to do just that—solo!

Note:

 The solo signal is pre-

fader, so you can hear it even 
when the channel’s fader is 
turned down.

ALT 3/4

AUX

2

1

O

O

MAX

O

O

MAX

EQ

OUT
IN

L R

PAN

L

(MONO)

R

BAL/

UNBAL

LINE IN 5-6

GAIN

+

20dB

-

20dB

MID

2.5kHz

U

+15

-15

U

+15

-15

LOW

80Hz

U

+15

-15

HIGH

12kHz

U

OL

+

10

0

-20

dB

30

20

10

40
50

5

5

U

60

10

O

O

5

6

MUTE

SOLO

Stereo Channel

Summary of Contents for Onyx 1220

Page 1: ...O W N E R S M A N U A L...

Page 2: ...posed 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 follow...

Page 3: ...5 ZerotheControls 5 Connections 5 SettheLevels 5 InstantMixing 5 HookupDiagrams 6 Onyx1220Features 10 ChannelStrips 10 ControlRoomMatrix Metering andPhones 14 AuxiliarySection 15 TALKBACKSection 16 Fr...

Page 4: ...p and you re probably not going to read the manual first sigh So the first section after the table of contents is a Quick Start Guide to help you get the mixer set up fast so you can start using it ri...

Page 5: ...ure that the volume of the input source is the same as it would be during normal use If it isn t you might have to readjust these levels during the middle of the set 3 Adjust the channel s GAIN contro...

Page 6: ...3 4 2 12 11 10 9 8 7 4 4 3 2 3 1 2 1 1 1 2 L R L R L R CHANNEL INSERTS AUX RETURNS ALT 3 4 OUT PHONES OUT INPUTS L MONO R R R R L MONO L MONO L MONO AUX SEND L 5 1 2 6 CHANNEL R L R IN TAPE OUT MAIN...

Page 7: ...tudio Monitors for Studio Digital Multitrack Recorder Headphone Distribution Amp Headphones for Studio 3 4 2 12 11 10 9 8 7 4 4 3 2 3 1 2 1 1 1 2 L R L R L R CHANNEL INSERTS AUX RETURNS ALT 3 4 OUT PH...

Page 8: ...4 4 3 2 3 1 2 1 1 1 2 L R L R L R CHANNEL INSERTS AUX RETURNS ALT 3 4 OUT PHONES OUT INPUTS L MONO R R R R L MONO L MONO L MONO AUX SEND L 5 1 2 6 CHANNEL R L R IN TAPE OUT MAIN OUT CONTROL RM OUTPUTS...

Page 9: ...4 2 12 11 10 9 8 7 4 4 3 2 3 1 2 1 1 1 2 L R L R L R CHANNEL INSERTS AUX RETURNS ALT 3 4 OUT PHONES OUT INPUTS L MONO R R R R L MONO L MONO L MONO AUX SEND L 5 1 2 6 CHANNEL R L R IN TAPE OUT MAIN OU...

Page 10: ...broken and the LEFT and RIGHT inputs become stereo inputs LEFT goes to the LEFT MAIN OUT and RIGHT goes to the RIGHT MAIN OUT 4 MIC HI ZSwitch Channels 1 and 2 have an extra button for switching betwe...

Page 11: ...ain fully up with a U unity gain mark at about 10 00 On the stereo channels the GAIN range is 20 dB to 20 dB with unity in the center 8 EQIN OUTSwitch This is a true hardware bypass of the Perkins EQ...

Page 12: ...ur home stereo panning left turns down the right channel and panning right turns down the left channel With the PAN knob hard left the signal feeds either the MAIN LEFT bus 1 or ALT LEFT bus 3 depend...

Page 13: ...djusted the input signal to line level you can set every control at U and your signals will travel through the mixer at optimal levels What s more all the labels on our level controls are measured in...

Page 14: ...ALT 3 4 TAPE and FIREWIRE optional By now you probably know what the MAIN MIX is ALT 3 4 is that additional stereo mix bus TAPE is the stereo signal coming in from the TAPE IN RCA jacks FIREWIRE is a...

Page 15: ...shows as 0 dB VU on the meters 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 Onyx 1220 s wide dynamic range you can g...

Page 16: ...EVEL control turned down and then slowly turn it up until you get confir mation from whoever is listening to headphones or monitors that they can hear you Once you have set the level you can leave it...

Page 17: ...you hold the switch down As long as you hold this switch down the talkback signal is routed to the outputs determined by the destination switches 33 34 Release the switch and the talkback circuit is t...

Page 18: ...CONTROL ROOM PHONES SOURCE matrix 20 Push in the TAPE button to route the tape input to the CONTROL ROOM and PHONES outputs 48 42 This allows you to playback recordings of your mixes Push in the ASSI...

Page 19: ...ar Panel There are just a few more connectors and switches to talk about and you ll have completed your tour of the Onyx 1220 Hang in there 43 POWERSwitch This one is self explanatory When the POWER s...

Page 20: ...ith more than 30 times the bandwidth of USB 1 1 You can install the optional Onyx FireWire interface card in this slot which provides three FireWire connectors for transferring digital audio to and fr...

Page 21: ...imes it helps to plug all the audio equipment into the same AC circuit so they share a common ground Warranty Service Details concerning Warranty Service are spelled out in the Warranty section on pag...

Page 22: ...to non factory packaging 5 Include a legible note stating your name shipping address no P O boxes daytime phone number RA number and a detailed description of the problem including how we can duplicat...

Page 23: ...ot connec tions are wired to each other and that the balanced signal low cold goes to the ground earth connection at the unbalanced input In most cases the balanced ground earth will also be connected...

Page 24: ...e external unit is carried on the tip and the return from the unit to the mixer is on the ring tip this plug connects to one of the mixer s Channel Insert jacks ring tip ring sleeve SEND to processor...

Page 25: ...Ch10 Pin 6 N C Ch 9 Pin 7 Ch 4 Ch 8 Pin 8 shield Ch 4 Ch 8 Pin 9 Ch 3 Ch 7 Pin 10 Ch 2 Ch 6 Pin 11 shield Ch 2 Ch 6 Pin 12 Ch 1 Ch 5 Pin 13 N C Signal Description REC OUTS 1 4 REC OUTS 5 12 REC OUTS 1...

Page 26: ...d Stereo Channel Line Input 20 k balanced 10 k unbalanced Stereo Aux Returns 20 k balanced 10 k unbalanced Tape In 20 k unbalanced Onyx 1220 Specifications Frequency Response Mic Input to Main Output...

Page 27: ...9 in 15 0 cm WEIGHT 16 0 lb 7 3 kg Physical Dimensions and Weight Height 17 3 in 439 mm Width 13 9 in 353 mm Depth 5 9 in 150 mm Weight 16 0 lb 7 3 kg Options Onyx FireWire Interface Card Rack Mount K...

Page 28: ...3 Band EQ Phones Level Aux 2 pre Aux 2 pre Aux 2 Level Aux 2 to CR Phones to Aux 1 2 Ext TB Talkback Mic Internal External Firewire I O 12 C R DIM From Channel Recording Outs To Firewire Out optional...

Page 29: ...B GAIN 20dB 20dB GAIN 20dB 20dB GAIN 20dB 20dB PHONES RIGHT LEFT MONO BAL UNBAL BAL UNBAL BAL UNBAL AUX RETURN 2 1 RIGHT LEFT MONO 2 1 BAL UNBAL AUX SEND RIGHT LEFT MAIN OUT ALT 3 4 TAPE CONTROL ROOM...

Page 30: ...S R I G H T L E F T M O N O B A L U N B A L B A L U N B A L B A L U N B A L A U X R E T U R N 2 1 R I G H T L E F T M O N O 2 1 B A L U N B A L A U X S E N D R I G H T L E F T M A I N O U T A L T 3 4...

Page 31: ...on on packing can be found in the Service section of this manual 5 Contact the Authorized Mackie Service Center to arrange service or bring the Mackie product to them F LOUD Technologies and Authorize...

Page 32: ...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 s...

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