17
Owner’s Manual
Owner’
s Manual
signal trickling out will read, you guessed it, 0 VU on its
meters. So when is 0 VU actually 0 dBu? Right now!
Mackie mixers show things as they really are. When 0
dBu (0.775 V) is at the outputs, it shows as 0 dB VU on
the meters. What could be easier? By the way, the most
wonderful thing about standards is that there are so
many to choose from.
Thanks to the Onyx 4•Bus’ wide dynamic range,
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 “+10.”
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).
Note:
The L/R meters indicate solo levels whenever
an AFL or PFL solo switch is pushed in.
43. RUDE SOLO Lights
These LEDs flash on and off when a channel’s solo is
active, as an additional reminder beyond the indicating
LEDs next to each PFL or AFL button. The green LED
indicates PFL solo mode, and the amber LED indicates
AFL solo mode. If you work on a mixer that has a solo
function with no indicator lights and you happen to
forget you’re in solo mode, you can easily be tricked
into thinking that something is wrong with your mixer.
Hence, the RUDE SOLO lights. It’s especially handy at
about 3 am when no sound is coming out of your moni-
tors but your multitrack is playing back like mad.
44. POWER Indicator
This LED indicates when power is applied to the Onyx
mixer and the POWER switch is on.
45. LAMP Connector
This female BNC connector pr12 volts DC for
gooseneck lamps. See your Mackie dealer for gooseneck
lamp recommendations (12 V lamp with BNC connector).
46. PHONES Jack
This is where you plug in your stereo headphones. It is
a 1/4" TRS stereo jack and provides the same signal that
is routed to the MONITOR outputs [78]. The volume is
controlled with the PHONES knob [47].
WARNING:
The headphone amp is designed to drive
any standard headphones to a very loud level. We’re
not kidding! It can cause permanent hearing damage.
Even intermediate levels may be painfully loud with
some headphones. BE CAREFUL! Always start with the
PHONES level turned all the way down before connect-
ing headphones to the PHONES jack. Keep it down until
you’ve put on the headphones. Then turn it up slowly.
Why? Always remember:
“Engineers who fry their
ears, find themselves with short careers.”
Phones/Monitor, Solo, Mono,
and Talkback Section
47. PHONES Level Control
This controls the signal level at the stereo headphone
output [46].
48. MONITOR Level Control
This controls the signal level at the MONITOR output
[78].
49. SOLO LEVEL Control
The SOLO LEVEL control is used to adjust the volume of
the solo’ed signal as it is routed to the MONITOR [78] and
PHONES [46] outputs. This control is independent of, and
prior to, the MONITOR and PHONES level controls.
This controls the solo signal level for both PFL and
AFL solo modes. You can use the SOLO LEVEL control
to balance the solo levels with the main or tape levels at
the MONITOR or PHONES out.
50. MONO Level Control
In addition to the Left and Right Main Mix outputs,
the Onyx 4•Bus provides an independent monophonic
output. The Left and Right Main Mix signals are
summed and sent to the MONO OUT [84]. This controls
the signal level at the MONO output.
51. MAIN TO MON Switch
This switch routes the stereo L/R Main Mix signal
(post-fader) to both the Monitor and Phones outputs
when there are no solo switches engaged. The L/R Main
Mix signal is overridden in the Monitor and Phones
outputs by any PFL or AFL solo.
Note:
If a PFL solo switch is engaged, it overrides the
AFL solo mode, including MAIN TO MON/PHONES.
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