Owner's Manual
9
Onyx Blackbird Features - Hardware
Front Panel
1. MIC/LINE/HI-Z INPUTS (Ch. 1 and 2 only)
These dual "Super Channel" Onyx mic preamps
accept both balanced microphone inputs from an XLR
connector and balanced and unbalanced line-level
inputs from a 1/4" TRS connector. The microphone
preamps feature our Onyx design, with higher fidelity
and headroom rivaling any standalone mic preamp on
the market today.
The XLR inputs are wired as follows:
Pin 1 = Shield or ground
Pin 2 = Positive (+ or hot)
Pin 3 = Negative (– or cold)
The 1/4" jacks share circuitry (but not phantom
power) with the mic preamps, and can be driven by
balanced or unbalanced sources.
To connect balanced lines to these inputs, use a 1⁄4"
Tip-Ring-Sleeve (TRS) plug, wired as follows:
Tip = Positive (+ or hot)
Ring = Negative (– or cold)
Sleeve = Shield or ground
To connect unbalanced lines to these inputs, use a
1⁄4" mono (TS) phone plug, wired as follows:
Tip = Positive (+ or hot)
Sleeve = Shield or ground
This line-level input can also accept instrument-level
signals if the hi-z switch [4] is pressed in. This allows
you to connect guitars directly into either channel
without the need for a DI box.
PHANTOM POWER
Most modern professional condenser mics require
48V phantom power, which lets the interface send
low-current DC voltage to the mic’s electronics
through the same wires that carry audio. (Semi-pro
condenser mics often have batteries to accomplish the
same thing.) “Phantom” owes its name to an ability to
be “unseen” by dynamic mics (Shure SM57/SM58, for
instance), which don’t need external power and aren’t
affected by it anyway.
Phantom power may be selected by depressing the
interface's phantom power switch [6 (channels 1-2), 9
(channels 3-8)].
Never plug single-ended (unbalanced)
micro phones, or ribbon mics into the mic
input jacks if phantom power is on. Do not
plug instrument outputs into the mic XLR input jacks
with phantom power on, unless you are certain it is safe
to do so.
“U” like Unity gain
Mackie interfaces have a “U” symbol on the preamp
inputs. It stands for “unity gain,” meaning no change in
signal level if supplying a line-level signal. The labels
on the 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.
2. GAIN CONTROL
The gain knobs adjust the input sensitivity of the mic
and line inputs. This allows signals from the outside
world to be adjusted to run through each input at
optimal internal operating levels.
If the signal originates through the mic XLR jack,
there will be 0 dB of gain with the knob fully down,
ramping to 60 dB of gain fully up.
The 1⁄4" line inputs have 15 dB of attenuation fully
down and 45 dB of gain fully up, with unity gain "U" at
10:00.
GAIN
INPUT 1-2
DIRECT MONITOR
+
40dB
U
-
20dB
U
20
30
40
60
TO MON
GAIN
PHONES
MAX
O
O
MAX
O
O
MON
PH1
MONO
STEREO
LINE
HI-Z
LINE
HI-Z
MAX
O
O
MON
PH2
2
1
2
1-2
POWER
ON
1
ONY
X MIC PRE
3
ONY
X MIC PRE
4
ONY
X MIC PRE
5
ONY
X MIC PRE
6
ONY
X MIC PRE
7
ONY
X MIC PRE
8
INSERTS
1
2
FIREWIRE
ADAT
WORD CLOCK
IN
OUT
OUT
IN
88.2/96kHz
44.1/48kHz
1-8
1-4
5-8
SIG/OL
GAIN
+
40dB
U
-
20dB
U
20
30
40
60
SIG/OL
SIG/OL
MON OUT
MAIN OUT
ALT OUT
L
R
8
7
6
5
4
3
16X16 FIREWIRE RECORDING INTERFACE
BLACKBIRD
BLACKBIRD
+
40dB
U
-
20dB
U
20
30
40
60
GAIN
SIG/OL
+
40dB
U
-
20dB
U
20
30
40
60
GAIN
SIG/OL
+
40dB
U
-
20dB
U
20
30
40
60
GAIN
SIG/OL
+
40dB
U
-
20dB
U
20
30
40
60
GAIN
SIG/OL
+
40dB
U
-
20dB
U
20
30
40
60
GAIN
SIG/OL
+
40dB
U
-
20dB
U
20
30
40
60
MONITOR
MAX
O
O
POWER
3-8
MIC/LINE
MIC/LINE
MIC/LINE
MIC/LINE
MIC/LINE
MIC/LINE
L
R
L
R
48V
48V
ON
YX MIC PRE
ON
YX MIC PRE
2
1
2
3
4
6
2
9 10 11
16
8
3
14 15
13
12
7
5
1
