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8

MONO INPUT CHANNEL SECTION - continued
Auxiliary Busses ( 4 - 6 )

The MDR series include two auxiliary signal paths, or 

buses, that can be used to create independent mixes for 

sending to the internal or external effects processors, or 

to an external monitor system. The flow of these buses 

start by sending the signal from each individual channel, 

which is set with one of the auxiliary control knobs. Then, 

the mix of all the channels auxiliary level is ultimately sent 

to either an internal effects processors, or to an output 

jack to connect to an external effect or monitor system. To 

help you control your effects and monitor mixes, the MDR 

mixers have two auxiliary buses. Plus, for added flexabil-

ity, AUX1 can be configured as a Pre or Post fader send.

PRE….? POST….? What’s That?

In order to operate your mixer correctly, it is important 

to understand the concept of PRE and POST Fader Aux 

sends.  An auxiliary bus that is set up as PRE Fader routes, 

or sends, the signal to its output from a point in the chan-

nels’ circuit that is electronically before the channel Fader. 

That means the channel Fader has no effect on the PRE 

aux level. A Pre Fader send is what you want to use for a 

monitor mix, so when the level is changed for the mix in 

the main PA speakers using the channel Fader, the level 

in the monitor set by the aux control knob remains the 

same. An auxiliary bus that is set up as POST Fader routes, 

or sends, the signal to its output from a point in the chan-

nels’ circuit that is electronically after the channel Fader. 

That means that the channel Fader also affects the level of 

a POST aux send. A POST Aux bus is what you want to use 

(almost always) for sending to an effects processor, either 

internal or external.  When using the POST aux sends, 

(while turning the channel Fader up or down) the level of 

effects will track the channel level correctly.

4 - AUX 1

The MDR1248 and MDR1688 have two auxiliary sends 

which can be used for sending signals to external effects 

devices or for creating a monitor mix. The AUX1 section 

is often used for a monitor mix in a live sound mixing, or 

for a headphone mix in a recording application. AUX 1 

can also be used as a Pre Fader effect send by setting the 

Pre/Post switch to the Post postion. Each input channel 

includes an AUX 1 send which controls the amount of that 

channel’s signal that is sent to the AUX bus. 

 NOTE:

 If the AUX1Pre/Post switch is set to Pre, the Aux 

controls are "PRE-FADER SENDS" which means they are 

not affected by the FADER level settings of each channel. 

This allows you to create a mix for the monitors that is 

independent of the main LEFT and RIGHT MIX.     

5 - PRE/POST - switch  

The PRE/POST switch is used to select the point that the 

AUX 1 bus uses to send the signal. When the PRE/POST 

switch is set to PRE, the signal feeding AUX 1 is sent 

before the fader, so the channel Fader has no effect on 

that level. This is the normal setting when using AUX 1 as 

Controls and Functions

a monitor send. When the PRE/POST switch is set to POST, 

the signal feeding AUX 1 is sent after the fader, so the 

channel Fader has an effect on that level, meaning the 

Aux level tracks up and down with the channel Fader. This 

is the  normal setting for using AUX 1 as an effects send, 

since when you set the channel louder, you normally 

want the effect to get louder.
NOTE: The channel’s effects signal is sent to the AUX 1 

bus from a location in the signal path after the VOLUME 

control. 

6 - AUX 2/DSP

The channel’s AUX 2/DSP knob controls the amount of 

signal that is sent to the AUX 2 bus.  The AUX 2 signal can 

be sent to an external effects device connected to the 

AUX 2 OUT jack located in the MASTER SECTION jack field.    

NOTE: The channel’s AUX 2 signal is sent to the AUX 2 

bus from a location in the signal path after the channel’s 

LEVEL control.  This is commonly referred to as a POST 

FADER send.  This means that the amount of signal that is 

sent to the AUX 2 bus will be affected not only by the set-

ting of the AUX 2 knob control, but it will also be affected 

by the setting of the LEVEL control.

7 - PAN 

The MDR1248 and MDR1688’s PAN control is used to 

place or position the mono signal into the stereo main 

Left and Right MIX bus. You can create a stereo image 

by panning some input signals to the left and others to 

the right. The MDR1248 and MDR1688’s PAN control is a 

Power-Pan circuit, which includes a 3dB dip in the center 

position.  This is desirable since there’s a 3dB increase in 

gain when the mono input signal is heard in both the Left 

and Right MIX bus. 

8 - 3/4 MUTE switch  

The Mono Input channels feature a 3/4 MUTE switch 

allowing you to easily turn that channel on or off. When 

3/4 MUTE LED is illuminated, the channel is off, converse-

ly, when the backlight is off, the channel is on. The switch 

also has a second purpose. When the switch is pressed 

down, signal from the selected channels is sent to the 

3/4 Outputs. This lets you use 3/4 as a second stereo bus 

which can be mixed in with the main left and right mix 

bus or sent out the 3/4 outputs without being heard in 

the main Left and Right mix. 

9 – 3/4 MUTE LED  

The MDR1248 and MDR1688’s has a 3/4 Mute LED indica-

tor allowing you to easily see if the channel is muted or 

assigned to the 3/4 mix bus. When 3/4 MUTE LED is illu-

minated, the channel is off and assigned to the 3/4 bus, 

conversely, when the backlight is off, the channel is on 

and not assigned to the 3/4 mix bus. 

10 - Solo switch 

The Mono Input channel’s Solo switch allows you to 

listen, or “solo” a channel or group of channels in the 

headphones. When the SOLO switch is pressed down, the 

channel is assigned to the solo bus and can be heard

Summary of Contents for MDR1248

Page 1: ...MDR Series Mixers TWELVE AND SIXTEEN CHANNEL MIXER WITH 24 bit DSP EFFECTS ...

Page 2: ...rtant Safety Instructions 1 Please read all instructions before operating the unit 2 Keep these instructions for future reference 3 Please heed all safety warnings 4 Follow manufacturers instructions 5 Do not use this unit near water or moisture 6 Clean only with a damp cloth 7 Do not block any of the ventilation openings Install in accordance with the manufacturers instructions 8 Do not install n...

Page 3: ...almente o si ha caído al suelo Instrucciones de seguridad Istruzioni di Sicurezza ATTENZIONE per ridurre il rischio di incendio o di scariche elettriche non esponete questo apparecchio a pioggia o umidità Per ridurre il pericolo di scariche elettriche evitate di rimuoverne il coperchio o il pannello posteriore Non esistono all interno dell apparecchio parti la cui regolazione è a cura dell utente ...

Page 4: ...ight 2006 Samson Technologies Corp Printed September 2006 v1 1 Samson Technologies Corp 45 Gilpin Avenue Hauppauge New York 11788 8816 Phone 1 800 3 SAMSON 1 800 372 6766 Fax 631 784 2201 www samsontech com ...

Page 5: ...ION 15 Operating the MDR1248 and MDR1688 16 USING THE DIGITAL EFFECTS 16 SENDING AN INDEPENDENT MIX TO THE MONITOR SPEAKERS 17 USING THE CHANNEL INSERT JACKS 17 USING AN EXTERNAL EFFECT 18 PLAYING BACK A CD USING 2T TO MIX 18 RECORDING A MIX FROM THE MDR1248 and MDR1688 18 MDR1248 and MDR1688 System Set Ups 19 MDR1248 and MDR1688 LIVE SOUND SET UP 19 MDR1248 and MDR1688 RECORDING SET UP 20 MDR1248...

Page 6: ...cement and commercial installations the MDR1248 and MDR1688 are ideal mixer solutions offering big sound in a compact package Introduction In these pages you ll find a detailed description of the features of the MDR1248 and MDR1688 mixers as well as a description of their front and rear panels step by step instructions for their setup and use and full specifications You ll also find a warranty car...

Page 7: ...hannel equalizer with sweepable mids on the mono input channels along with four band fixed equalizer on the stereo channels provide precise and musical results in contour ing the tone of any signal Two Auxiliary Sends for built in or external effects on stage monitor mix or headphone mixing For added flexibility AUX 1 can be con figured as a Pre or Post fader send High quality low noise discrete m...

Page 8: ... 38 37 39 21 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 49 59 Front Panel Layout ...

Page 9: ...ensitiv ity from 10dB when the switch is pressed in to 4dB when this switch is out 21 RIGHT LINE 1 4 inch phone input connector for the right line input for the stereo channels 22 LEFT MONO LINE 1 4 inch phone input connec tor for the Left Line input for the stereo channels or a mono input 23 ALT 3 4 OUTPUTS jacks Balanced 1 4 inch phone connectors carrying the signal from the ALT 3 4 bus 24 CONTR...

Page 10: ...Controls the channel s position between left and right of the stereo inputs REAR PANEL A POWER Switches on the MDR1248 and MDR1688 s main power B PHANTOM Engages the 48 Volt Phantom power supply to microphone pre amps C AC ADAPTOR INLET Connect External AC power supply here 50 AUX RETURN 1 Used to mix in the level of AUX Return 1 51 AUX RETURN 2 Used to mix in the level of AUX Return 2 52 AUX RETU...

Page 11: ...st the high mid range and low frequencies independently on each channel The fre quency centers range of boost or cut and equalizer type for each band are described in the following section HF HIGH FREQUENCY 12kHz 15dB Shelving type The channel s HIGH frequency response is flat when the knob is in the 12 00 position Rotating the knob towards the right will boost the channel s high frequency respons...

Page 12: ...uses to send the signal When the PRE POST switch is set to PRE the signal feeding AUX 1 is sent before the fader so the channel Fader has no effect on that level This is the normal setting when using AUX 1 as Controls and Functions a monitor send When the PRE POST switch is set to POST the signal feeding AUX 1 is sent after the fader so the channel Fader has an effect on that level meaning the Aux...

Page 13: ...ls for connected stereo line level devices like keyboards and drum machines as well as the outputs from effects processors and digital guitar modelers The MDR1248 has four sets of stereo inputs which make up channels 5 6 7 8 9 10 and 11 12 while the MDR1688 has four sets of stereo inputs which make up channels 9 10 11 12 13 14 and 15 16 The Stereo input channels have a four band fixed equalizer an...

Page 14: ...l Controls and Functions Auxiliary Busses 16 18 The MDR series include two auxiliary signal paths or buses that can be used to create independent mixes for sending to the internal or external effects processors or to an external monitor system The signal flow from these buses start by sending the signal from each individual channel which is set with one of the auxiliary control knobs Then the mix ...

Page 15: ...ack 32 ALT 3 4 Level control knob Use this control knob to set the level of the mix created from the channels assigned to the 3 4 bus The ALT 3 4 level control will control the level of the signal being sent to the 3 4 Output jacks When the Master ALT 3 4 switch 43 is switched in the ALT 3 4 level control will con trol the level of the ALT 3 4 mix that is heard in the Main Left and Right mix Remem...

Page 16: ...d MAIN LEVEL fader Control Room and Headphone Assign Switches The next three switch functions are used to select addi tional sources that can be heard in the headphones and sent to the Left and Right Control Room Outputs 42 MAIN MIX switch The MAIN MIX switch routes the Left Right MAIN mix bus to the CONTROL ROOM PHONES outputs Use the Left Right MAIN MIX Level faders 48 and PHONES level fader 49 ...

Page 17: ...a 1 4 inch connector for line level signals and an XLR connector for the MIC signals Channels 5 6 through 11 12 on the MDR1248 and channels 9 10 through 15 16 on the MDR1688 are stereo inputs providing a pair of 1 4 inch connectors for line level inputs By using the GAIN control on the mono channels you can connect a variety of signal sources from microphones to line level devices such as synthesi...

Page 18: ...by connecting the output to an external effects device MDR1248 and MDR1688 Input and Output Connections L AUX RETURN 2 LEFT RIGHT The AUX RETURN 2 LEFT RIGHT are stereo inputs that are generally used to connect the outputs of an effects proces sor but can also accept the signal from any line level source like a keyboard recorder and even another mixer The signal connected to the AUX RETURN 2 LEFT ...

Page 19: ... the LEVEL SET function When the PFL is switched on you ll see the LEVEL SET LED is illuminated and the channel s input level will now be displayed on the Main VU meter 3 Switch on the power of any peripheral devices and then power up the MDR1248 and MDR1688 NOTE It is important to remember the Golden Rule of audio LAST ON FIRST OFF Translated this means that when turning on your system you should...

Page 20: ... are set up in groups by the types of effects 3 Once you have selected the desired effects preset raise the AUX 2 DSP control on the channels you wish to apply the digital effect to Operating the MDR1248 and MDR1688 4 Next locate the AUX SEND 2 knob and turn it about to a little past 5 or half way 5 Now use the AUX RETURN 2 control knob to adjust the effects return level The AUX RETURN 2 control k...

Page 21: ...nnel AUX1 levels to achieve a cleaner mix In order to get the most gain from your monitor mix use an exter nal graphic equalizer like a Samson S curve 131or D2500 digital EQ with feedback control to cut out any frequen cies that cause feedback 6 If you want to add effects from the internal effect processor or the effects from an external proces sor connected to the AUX RETURN 2 inputs engage the A...

Page 22: ...n to the 0 position 2 Set a clean signal using the recorder s input level controls and meters 3 Press RECORD 4 Play back using as described in the previous section PLAYING BACK A CD USING 2T TO MIX NOTE To avoid feedback be sure to keep the 2TK LEVEL control knob all the way down while recording with the 2TK outputs Operating the MDR1248 and MDR1688 USING AN EXTERNAL EFFECT If you prefer to use an...

Page 23: ... which is driving 2 monitor speakers For inputs two microphones are con nected to channels 1 and 2 s low impedance inputs and the output of the Bass Direct Box is also connect ed to the low impedance input on channel 4 The Keyboards as well as the Lead and Rhythm Guitar signal processor s out puts are connected to the MDR1248 and MDR1688 s line inputs MDR1248 and MDR1688 s AUX SEND 1 connected to ...

Page 24: ...eadphone mix sent to a Samson S phone head phone amp For inputs two microphones are connected to channel 1 and 2 s low imped ance inputs and the output of the Bass Direct Box is also connected to the low imped ance input on channel 4 The Keyboards as well as the Lead and Rhythm Guitar signal processor s outputs are con nected to the MDR1248 and MDR1688 s line inputs MDR1248 and MDR1688 RECORDING S...

Page 25: ...HE MDR1248 and MDR1688 The are several ways to interface the MDR1248 and MDR1688 to support a variety of applications The MDR1248 and MDR1688 features balanced inputs and outputs so connecting balanced and unbalanced signals is possible Balanced TRS 1 4 Connector 1 4 inch TRS Y Insert Cable Wiring Guide ...

Page 26: ...l 15dB 3kHz Low Mid bell 15dB 500Hz Low shelving 15dB 80Hz Main Mix Section Noise Bus noise Levels full down 100dBr ref 4dBu Level set to 0 dB 90dBr ref 4dBu Max output 28dBu balanced XLR 22dBu impedance balanced 1 4 jacks 3 4 Output Section Noise Bus noise Levels full down 100dBr ref 4dBu Level set to 0 dB 90dBr ref 4dBu Max output 22dBu impedance balanced 1 4 jacks Control Room Output Section No...

Page 27: ......

Page 28: ...Samson Technologies Corp 45 Gilpin Avenue Hauppauge New York 11788 8816 Phone 1 800 3 SAMSON 1 800 372 6766 Fax 631 784 2201 www samsontech com ...

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