Sound Devices 442, User Manual And Technical Information, Page: 17 / 34

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Headphone Peak LED
Like the Channel Peak LEDs, the headphone circuit also has a peak overload indicator. This LED is very
useful, since headphones can often overload before the mixer overloads. Monitoring without a visual
indication of headphone clipping could mislead the operator into thinking that the output or return
feeds are distorted. The Headphone Peak LED also doubles as a clip indicator for the stereo Return A
and Return B signals. If any of the Return signals clip (after the Return gain stage), the Headphone Peak
LED illuminates.
Headphone Monitoring
Headphone Source Selection
The rotary headphone source switch sets the audio source sent to headphones. The selections available
are:
Off no signal
L left output only to both ears
R right output only to both ears
M summed (mono) left and right to both ears
ST stereo - left output to left ear and right output to right ear
A stereo Return A to headphones
B stereo Return B to headphones
A|B Return A (summed) to left ear, and Return B (summed) to right ear
MS L
decoded MS Left to both ears
MS R decoded MS Right to both ears
MS ST decoded MS Stereo to headphones
Headphone Gain
Headphone gain is controlled by a pop up knob to remove it from the mixing surface.
The 442 can drive headphones to dangerously high volumes. Turn down the headphone gain control before
selecting a headphone source to prevent accidental signal extremes.
Return A and B
The Return monitor switch has two positions, A and B. When switched to the A position, Return A
audio is sent to the headphones, taking precedence over the Headphone Source selection. Similarly,
when toggled to the B position, Return B audio is sent to the headphones. This switch can change
assignments performed in the Setup Menu.