MULTI-CHANNEL ANALOG MIXERS WITH ENHANCED FX, USB RECORDING MODES, AND BLUETOOTH®
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48V Phantom Power Switch
Most modern professional condenser mics require 48V phantom power which lets the mixer 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.
Press this switch in if your microphone requires phantom power. (Always check the position of this switch before connecting
microphones.) The accompanying LED will illuminate red to indicate that phantom power is active. This is a global switch that
affects all mic channels’ XLR jacks at once.
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 know
for certain it is safe to do so. Be sure the main mix fader is turned down when connecting microphones
to the mic inputs when phantom power is turned on to prevent pops from getting through to the speakers.
Power LED
This LED will illuminate green when the mixer is turned on, as a reminder of how on it really is. If it is not on, then it is off,
and the mixer becomes a rather nice weight for keeping your morning newspaper from blowing away in the wind.
If it does not turn on, make sure the power cord is correctly inserted at both ends, the local AC mains supply is active,
and the power switch is on.
Main Meters
These peak meters are made up of two columns of twelve LEDs, with three colors to indicate different ranges of signal level,
traffic light style. They range from –30 at the bottom, to 0 in the middle, to OL at the top.
When a channel is soloed [Pr], the right meter shows no reading, and the left meter shows the level of that channel’s
signal level, pre-fader.
You can get a good mix with peaks flashing anywhere between –20 and +10 dB on the meters. Most amplifiers clip at about
+10 dBu, and some recorders aren’t so forgiving either. For best real-world results, try to keep your peaks between “0” and “+6.”
Remember, audio meters 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).
The meters on the P are slightly different. It has only eight LEDs and they range from –24 to OL.
Here you can get a good mix with peaks flashing anywhere between –12 and +8 dB on the meters.