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2.2: PARTS OF THE CONSOLE

GETTING STARTED > PARTS OF THE CONSOLE

2.2: Parts Of The Console

NOTEPAD    

5, 8FX, 12FX

 

User Manual

FX Return (Notepad 12FX only)

The FX return channel takes its input from the output of the internal Lexicon FX processor. 

•  It is a stereo input channel but without input trim control or EQ. 

•  Two jack inputs are provided which, when a jack is plugged in replace the internal effects routing to the 

FX return channel.

Refer to Sections 4.3 and 5.1.3 for more detail.

Aux Output (Notepad 8FX and 12FX)

The Aux output signal is derived frovm a mix of all the contributing channel Aux/FX send controls.

Refer to Sections 4.4 and 5.2 for more detail.

Monitor Output (Notepad 5 only)

Aux (Auxiliary) Master output channels control the output level of the auxiliary bus and global pre-fade/

post-fader switching. AFL switching allows aux master solos. 

Refer to Sections 4.5 and 5.4 for more detail.

Master Stereo Output

Controls the output level of the Master Stereo bus. 

Refer to Sections 4.6 and 5.4 for more detail.

Metering

The meters on the Notepad show Master Left/Right output level. 

Refer to section 5.4 and 6.0 for more detail.

Lexicon FX Control

Notepad-8FX and -12FX consoles have an internal Lexicon FX processor and send bus for adding effects 

such as reverb, chorus and delay. Each effect has a parameter adjustment affecting one or more features 

of the effect. 

Refer to section 8.0 for more detail.

Global Phantom Power

48V phantom power is always active on each of the console microphone inputs so you can use Condens-

er/Capacitor microphones, active DI boxes, and other devices requiring phantom power. See section 5.1.1 

for more detail.

Headphone Level Control

Level control for the monitoring output - either the Master Stereo Output, or the Aux Bus. See section 6.0 

for more detail.

Summary of Contents for Notepad 12FX

Page 1: ... User Guide For Soundcraft Notepad 5 8FX 12FX NOTEPAD ...

Page 2: ...l interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the rece...

Page 3: ... Return Routing 4 4 Aux Master Routing 4 5 Master Stereo Output Routing 5 0 CHANNEL CONTROLS 5 1 Input Controls 5 1 1 Mono Input Controls 5 1 2 Stereo Input Controls 5 1 3 FX Return Controls 5 2 Aux Send Output 5 3 Master Stereo Output 6 0 SOLO AND MONITORING 7 0 USB OPERATION 7 1 Notepad USB 8 0 LEXICON FX 8 1 FX Control 8 2 Processing APPENDIX 01 NO SOUND A Troubleshooting Guide For clarity this...

Page 4: ...h headroom wide dynamic range and superb signal to noise ratio Hi Z instrument inputs Switchable input stage optimised for acoustic guitars electric guitars and basses Soundcraft British EQ Famed for its musical sound and unmistakable British quality Soundcraft audio routing Flexible routing onAux and FX with powerful switching options as well as dedicated outputs Award winning Lexicon effects Stu...

Page 5: ...ch is coloured Brown must be connected to the terminal in the plug which is marked with the letter L Ensure that these colour codings are followed carefully in the event of the plug being changed This unit is capable of operating over a range of mains voltages as marked on the rear panel The internal power supply unit contains no user serviceable parts Refer all servicing to a qualified service en...

Page 6: ...the apparatus has been damaged in any way such as power supply cord or plug is damaged liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture does not operate normally or has been dropped Use only with the cart stand tripod bracket or table specified by the manufacturer or sold with the apparatus When the cart is used use caution when m...

Page 7: ...product and must be retained for future use NOTE This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy an...

Page 8: ... in transit both to and from the Dealer or Soundcraft and postage must be prepaid 4 This warranty shall only be available if a The Equipment has been properly installed in accordance with instructions contained in Soundcraft s manual b The End User has notified Soundcraft or the Dealer within 14 days of the defect appearing and c No persons other than authorised representatives of Soundcraft or th...

Page 9: ...put 30dBu Hi Z Input 17dBu Stereo Input 22dBu Output Level Mix Output 22dBu max Headphones 150Ω 165mW Dynamic Range Frequency response 1 5dB 20Hz 20kHz THD 0 01 1kHz OUTPUT 21 5dBu THD 0 012 1kHz OUTPUT 14dBu THD 0 019 1kHz USB Sample rate 44 1kHz 48kHz Frequency response 20Hz 20kHz 1 5dB 8FX Mic input 1 2 to USB with 10dBu input signal Line input 3 4 5 6 to USB with 20dBu input signal THD N 0 004...

Page 10: ...will familiarise you with all of the main possibilities facilities and functions Please note Most of the illustrations in this manual are based on the Notepad 12FX console Where there are differences between operation of Notepad 8FX and Notepad 5 it is noted in the relevant section PDF If you re reading the PDF version of the manual you can use the thumbnail view and links from the contents page t...

Page 11: ...e input source channels into one Master Stereo output you can send particular channels into additional outputs or create different auxiliary mixes of all channels to send to an effects processor or a stage mon itor for example The headphone output allows the operator to listen to the whole Master Mix or to a selection of channels via the aux send system Internal FX FX Effects processing such as re...

Page 12: ...ut channels control the levels routing and EQ on single channel audio inputs All mono input channels have both microphone and line level capability In addition specific channels feature Hi Z inputs for high impedance sources such as guitar pick ups Refer to Sections 4 2 and 5 1 1 for more detail Stereo Input Channels Notepad consoles have two types of stereo inputs Stereo Jacks Connect left and ri...

Page 13: ...t fader switching AFL switching allows aux master solos Refer to Sections 4 5 and 5 4 for more detail Master Stereo Output Controls the output level of the Master Stereo bus Refer to Sections 4 6 and 5 4 for more detail Metering The meters on the Notepad show Master Left Right output level Refer to section 5 4 and 6 0 for more detail Lexicon FX Control Notepad 8FX and 12FX consoles have an interna...

Page 14: ...with the mic preamps and Hi Z input control provide a flexible scheme for any sources you might encounter To get the most out of the Notepad I O read this chapter carefully Console inputs can be used for a wide variety of sources For best results always use the appropriate input connection NOTEPAD 5 8FX 12FX User Manual Analog Inputs USB I O Analog Outputs ...

Page 15: ...e this On the Notepad console selected inputs have Hi Z input switches to accommodate Hi Z sources Jack This is the long quarter inch connection most commonly used on the Notepad console for line level inputs and outputs such as keyboards external FX processors playback and record ing devices and so on All Notepad series Jack sockets are Tip Ring Sleeve 3 pole types Jack outputs are impedance bala...

Page 16: ... out of the Notepad mixer Line Input RCA Unbalanced input for line level consumer playback equipment and instruments Console inputs can be used for a wide variety of sources For best results always use the appropriate input connection NOTEPAD 5 8FX 12FX User Manual Line Input Jack Balanced line level connection for all other inputs Unbalanced signals can also be connected to these inputs by using ...

Page 17: ...is is a mono sum of the Auxiliary bus Pressing the OUTPUT TYPE switch changes the mode of the output for the con nection of stereo headphones On Notepad 8FX and 12FX with this output it is therefore possible to have a second headphone output HEADPHONES Stereo headphone output quarter inch Jack The headphone signal is always the Master Stereo Output unless the USB RTN 3 4 function is activated on t...

Page 18: ...r cord restraint make a small loop in the power lead and push the loop up through the restraint hook it over the plastic anchor then pull back softly on the cable until loop is securely held in place 3 4 OTHER I O INPUTS OUTPUTS OTHER I O 3 4 OTHER I O USB USB data connection for audio input and output The Notepad outputs offer a range of connection options depending on the application Always cons...

Page 19: ...se options before you use the console in a critical application In simple terms audio signals generally move through a mixing console from the back to the front and from the left to the right Output signals then leave the mixing console from the back right of the surface Signals generally flow through the console in multiple paths simultaneously On the most basic level signals flow from an input c...

Page 20: ...om power is provided for condenser type microphones and DI boxes on the XLR input GAIN Increase decrease the signal level HPF High Pass Filter filter out frequen cies below 100Hz EQ Three band equaliser ROTARY LEVEL Level control to mix the source Peak light indicates near clip AUX FX SEND Send an independent signal level to the effects module and aux bus Pre fade aux send To USB audio routing To ...

Page 21: ...m or EQ on this channel Stereo FX Return Channel Notepad 12FX only See next section FX Return NOTEPAD 5 8FX 12FX User Manual Microphone Input MIC INPUT 48V Phantom power is provided for condenser type microphones and DI boxes on the XLR input GAIN Increase decrease the signal level 100Hz HPF High Pass Filter filter out frequen cies below 100Hz LF MF HF EQ Three band equaliser LEVEL ROTARY Level co...

Page 22: ...y this channel takes a return from an external effects processor into the TRS jacks When jacks are plugged into the External FX sockets the routing from the built in Lexicon effects is disconnected The FX Return channel can not contribute to the Aux FX busses as this would cause a positive feedback loop There is no trim or EQ on this channel The output of this channel feeds the Master fader NOTEPA...

Page 23: ...hannel fader and are not affected by the input channel fader levels The Aux Master Channel can also be used to feed monitors such as headphones or a stage monitor Notepad 8FX The Aux bus is additionally sent to the built in Lexicon effects processing after the bus master control Notepad 12FX The Aux bus is additionally sent to the built in Lexicon effects processing before the bus master control S...

Page 24: ...REO OUTPUT CONSOLE ROUTING MASTER STEREO OUTPUT 4 5 MASTER STEREO OUTPUT ROUTING The Master Stereo output is derived from contributions from all input channels to the Master Stereo Bus NOTEPAD 5 8FX 12FX User Manual ...

Page 25: ...NNEL CONTROL There are four types of Notepad console input channels Mono Input with Mic Line Combi jack Stereo Input with Stereo TRS jacks Playback input with Stereo RCA and USB Return 11 12 FX RTN FX Return Channel NOTEPAD 5 8FX 12FX User Manual ...

Page 26: ...nnel strip from top to bottom This is not necessarily signal path order Please refer to the relevant signal path dia gram section 4 Controls common to all input channel types are documented in the Mono Input Channel controls section 5 1 1 Controls or explanations specific to Stereo input channels Playback channels and the FX Return Channels are documented in those sections 5 1 2 and 5 1 3 respecti...

Page 27: ...re using them with Notepad or any other mixers with 48v Phantom power HI Z Switch the line Jack input to Hi Z high impedance mode Activating Hi Z by pressing the Hi Z button presents a much higher load impedance to the source in order to match high impedance sources such as guitar bass and other instrument pick ups that are connected directly to the console Using the standard impedance mode with t...

Page 28: ...2kHz Frequencies above this will be boosted or attenuated depend ing on the control setting See section 1 02 for more detail MF Level Adjust the boost attenuation of the mid frequency bell filter This will adjust the gain or attenuation of the audio band centred according to the MF Frequency This is an asym metric EQ so boost has a wide bandwidth low Q and cut has a narrow bandwidth High Q See sec...

Page 29: ...or The Aux and FX are independent but share the same send level rotary control The source for the FX bus send is always post fader so that a source s contribution to an effect is proportional to its contribution to the mix The source for the Auxiliary bus send is pre fader level for each channel PAN Adjust a mono channel s stereo position in the mix Pan affects only the signal s position on the Ma...

Page 30: ...The 0dB line indicates unity or no level change Rotary level knobs are the primary mixing tools during performance the relative levels of the input channels across the console determine the Master Stereo mix MASTER All mix channels are routed to the Master left right bus Each input channel s output is always routed to the Master left right bus The Pan Balance controls the proportion of the signal ...

Page 31: ...ow for the output mode when headphones are attached to the Aux socket The effects input however is a mono sum BAL Adjust a stereo channel s stereo weighting in the mix Balance affects only the signal s position on the Master MST Left Right output The control adjusts the relative levels of the left and right signals effectively adjusting the left right position of the overall stereo image This allo...

Page 32: ...s allows unbalanced stereo signals to be re balanced to give the stereo signal desired Stereo Playback input channels that sum the stereo RCA input and USB return signals function simi lar to mono input channels with the following differences Aux FX Adjust the level of this channel s contribution to the Aux FX send bus The Aux FX controls on a stereo input channel work in the same way as for a mon...

Page 33: ...control adjusts the relative lev els of the left and right signals effectively adjusting the left right position of the overall stereo image This allows unbalanced stereo signals to be re balanced to give the stereo signal desired Stereo Playback input channel 11 12 FX RTN that sum the stereo TRS inputs and Lexicon effects return signals function similar to mono input channels with the following d...

Page 34: ... to mix at unity Notepad 12FX stereo FX Return channel is a cut down version of the normal stereo channel without trim EQ or Aux sends An example in use might be running a Reverb algorithm in the processor Each individual channel s Aux FX rotary knob will control how much of that source is summed with others then pre sented in the reverberant field generated by the processor the FX return Level kn...

Page 35: ...e overall level of the two destinations aux output and effects processing are independent When the OUTPUT TYPE of the aux output is set to STEREO PHONES this control additionally serves as a headphone level control Notepad 8FX Aux Bus On Notepad 8FX this control is in the signal path before the Lexicon effects processing so serves as a master effect send control and therefore an effects wet dry co...

Page 36: ... determines the out put level of the main stereo bus left and right mix from the Master L and Master R physical outputs FADER Notepad 8FX and 12FX only Adjust the overall level of the Master Stereo output SIGNAL METERING A bargraph displays the Master Stereo bus level post fader level output NOTEPAD 5 8FX 12FX User Manual ...

Page 37: ...t unpressed state of the switch is intended for connection to a powered monitor speaker and provides a mono sum of the channels routed to it The signal is impedance balanced so may be used with a balanced 3 pole jack lead or an unbalanced 2 pole jack lead When the OUTPUT TYPE switch is pressed the mode of the jack changes for headphone use In this mode a stereo signal is provided for direct connec...

Page 38: ...t USB recording channels 2 track USB functionality could be used for recording a mix to a computer or tablet for example USB channels 1 and 2 sent from the Notepad mixer allow direct selection via the driver control panel from a vari ety of input channel pairs or the Master Stereo output The Notepad input channel signals are sent post gain pre EQ signal to their respective USB recording channel Th...

Page 39: ...nt in the console feeding the USB bus to computer For Inputs 1 2 users can select from Mic Inputs 1 2 Stereo Input 3 4 Stereo Input 5 6 Mix L R USB return will come into the input channel 7 8 which is the channel where the USB B connector is attached This signal is summed with signal coming in the RCA 7 8 jacks before proceeding down the input channel strip Notepad 12FX Using the Soundcraft USB Au...

Page 40: ...d console has an internal Lexicon Effects processor with dedicated internal send and return routing The user may select from combinations of Delay Chorus or Reverb audio processing Audio effects are often also referred to as FX NOTEPAD 5 8FX 12FX User Manual ...

Page 41: ...aster mix so the Aux master acts as the overall wet dry control Notepad 12FX Aux FX Sends control input channel contributions to both the FX processor and the Aux output The effects routing is direct from the bus without passing through the Aux master control The FX Return channel is a stereo return channel for the output of the Lexicon FX processor The signal on this channel can be replaced with ...

Page 42: ... but the pitch variation is wide On the maximum setting the rate is a factor of 10 faster but the pitch variation is small Reverb Reverberation or reverb for short is the complex effect created by the way we perceive sound in an enclosed space When sound waves encounter an object or boundary they don t just stop Some of the sound is absorbed by the object but most of the sound is reflected or is d...

Page 43: ...ats The chorus effect is fixed at a mid range setting Tap tempo is also active in this mode to set the repeat time Reverb Chorus In this mode the parameter control is mapped as it would be for Reverb on its own the reverb time and the room size The chorus effect is fixed at a mid range setting and a small amount of this combined effect is particularly effective on vocals and acoustic guitars Karao...

Page 44: ... signal is always routed to the Stereo master but the Stereo Master rotary fader is down you won t hear anything No FX The internal FX routing has three stages send processor and return All three must be set correctly for the FX to be heard For an internal FX to be heard there must be a source contribution from a valid input Increase the level to the Aux FX bus using the Aux FX control For Aux and...

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