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ONYX 4•Bus
ONYX 4•Bus
Introduction
Thank you for choosing a Mackie Onyx 4•Bus profes-
sional live mixing console. The Onyx 4•Bus mixers fea-
ture all-new analog circuitry and the latest technologies
for live sound reinforcement in a durable, road-worthy
package.
The Onyx 4•Bus mixing consoles replace the legend-
ary SR24•4 and SR32•4 VLZ PRO mixers. The new Onyx
versions of these mixers maintain the same physical
size, channel count and features of the originals, while
adding a variety of new and improved features.
The Onyx 4•Bus consoles are equipped with our new
premium precision-engineered, studio-grade Onyx mic
preamps. Mackie is renowned for the high-quality mic
preamps used in our mixers, and the Onyx mic pre’s are
better than ever, with specifications rivaling expensive
stand-alone boutique mic preamplifiers.
Each mono channel strip features an individual phan-
tom power switch, low-cut filter, mic input pad, pre-EQ
channel insert, and an all new four-band EQ design with
sweepable mids and EQ bypass switch.
All mono channels have six Aux sends, Pan, Mute, PFL
Solo, 100 mm Fader, Group and Main Mix assign, and
four signal-level indicators. In addition, balanced direct
outputs are provided on DB-25 connectors (eight chan-
nels per connector) for multitrack recording.
The master section features two Stereo Returns, six
Master Aux sends, four Group Masters, a 6x2 Matrix, a
Phones/Monitor section, and a Talkback section with
routing switches that allow you to communicate through
the Aux Sends and the L/R mix.
A new feature with the Onyx 4•Bus mixers is an analog
stereo compressor/limiter that can be inserted at the out-
put of the L/R main mix, or the Group 1/2 or 3/4 outputs.
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
We know that many of you can’t wait to get your new
mixing console hooked up, and you’re probably not going
to read the manual first (sigh!). So the next section is a
Quick-Start Guide to help you get the mixer set up fast
so you can start using it right away. Right after that are
the ever popular hook-up diagrams that show typical
mixer setups for live sound, recording and mixdown.
Then, when you have time, read the Features Descrip-
tion section. This describes every knob, button, and
connection point on the Onyx 4•Bus, roughly following
the signal flow through the mixer.
Throughout this section you’ll find illustrations with
each feature numbered. If you want to know more about
a feature, simply locate it on the appropriate illustra-
tion, notice the number attached to it, and find that
number in the nearby paragraphs.
This icon marks information that is
critically important or unique to the
Onyx 4•Bus. For your own good, read
them and remember them. They will
be on the final test.
This icon leads you to in-depth
explanations of features and practi-
cal tips. While not mandatory, they
usually have some valuable nugget of
information.
A PLUG FOR THE CONNECTOR SECTION
Appendix B is a section on connectors: XLR connec-
tors, balanced connectors, unbalanced connectors, and
special hybrid connectors.
More resources on our website at www.mackie.com.
Click on Support to find answers to many of your ques-
tions. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section is
filled with answers to many of the questions our Techni-
cal Support staff has fielded over the years.
Check out the glossary for explanations of many of the
pro-audio terms used in our manuals.
Visit our forums to seek help from our online commu-
nity of Mackie users.
Please write your serial number here for future
reference (i.e., insurance claims, tech support,
return authorization, etc.)
Purchased at:
Date of purchase:
