5
Owner’s Manual
Owner’
s Manual
Introduction
Thank you for choosing a Mackie Onyx 400F ten-
channel professional audio interface for studio digital
audio recording. The Onyx Series microphone preamps
are designed for the digital era and offer the newest fea-
tures and latest technologies for digital studio recording
in a durable, road-worthy package.
The Onyx 400F is equipped with four of 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 specifi cations rivaling other
stand-alone mic preamplifi ers at twice the price.
The Onyx 400F is designed to be a transparent audio
interface for direct tracking and mixdown. It works with
virtually any ASIO/Core Audio compliant DAW software
application on a PC or Mac as a 10x10 audio interface
and 1x1 MIDI interface.
Channels 1 and 2 feature an instrument select switch,
which lets you connect an acoustic, electric, or bass
guitar directly to the preamp, eliminating the need for
an external direct box.
Channels 1-4 have a Neutrik™ Combo input connector,
which allows you to use either a 1/4" TRS connector or
an XLR connector. A global 48V switch applies phantom
power to all four XLR input connectors. Insert jacks are
provided for channels 1-4 to send and return the signal
to an external processor. These are pre-A/D so they work
great for compressors and other dynamic processors.
Channels 5-8 each have a 1/4" TRS input connector and
accept line-level signals. Eight channels of analog bal-
anced line outputs are provided on 1/4" TRS connectors.
Two channels of digital inputs and outputs are provided
on two S/PDIF RCA-type connectors. A FireWire connec-
tor provides a simple connection to a laptop or desktop
computer and allows all 10 channels (eight analog and
two S/PDIF) to be streamed to and from your software of
choice. There are two FireWire connectors so the Onyx
400F can be placed in a daisy-chain FireWire connection.
The Onyx 400F uses the Texas Instruments
TMS320C6713 DSP, which is capable of 1800 million
instructions per second (MIPS) and can operate with
32-bit or 64-bit word instructions. This refl ects the same
64-bit quality found in the latest generation of DAWs, in-
cluding Tracktion 2, and is why the Onyx 400F is capable
of zero-latency recording (and why it sounds so good!).
The Onyx 400F Console software is a control panel that
allows you to choose the sample rate (44.1, 48, 88.2, 96,
176.4, or 192 kHz) for the internal A/D and D/A convert-
ers, and the clock source (from an external clock con-
nected to the external word clock input connector on the
rear panel, from the S/PDIF input, or from the internal
clock). You can turn the DSP Mixer on and off, which
is a matrix mixer that allows you to provide a separate
mix for each pair of outputs. You can choose whether
the headphone and control room outputs mirror the
ASIO/Core Audio Outputs 1 and 2 or the ASIO/Core Audio
Outputs 7 and 8. You can also select whether the S/PDIF
I/O is formatted for consumer or professional status.
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
We know that many of you can’t wait to get your
new preamp/FireWire interface hooked up, and you’re
probably not going to read the manual fi rst (sigh!). So
the fi rst section after this introduction is a Quick-Start
Guide called “Getting Started” to help you get the Onyx
400F set up fast so you can start using it right away.
Right after that are the ever popular hook-up diagrams
that show typical setups for recording.
Then, when you have time, read the Features Descrip-
tion section. This describes every knob, button, and con-
nection point on the Onyx 400F, as well as the software
settings and controls.
Throughout this section you’ll fi nd 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 fi nd that
number in the nearby paragraphs.
This icon marks information that is
critically important or unique to the
Onyx 400F. For your own good, read
them and remember them. They will
be on the fi nal test.
This icon leads you to in-depth expla-
nations of features and practical 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
the insert connectors used on the Onyx 400F.
More resources on our website at www.mackie.com.
THE GLOSSARY: A Haven of Non-Techiness for
the Neophyte
The “Glossary of Terms” is a fairly comprehensive
dictionary of pro-audio terms. If terms like “clipping,”
“noise fl oor,” or “unbalanced” leave you blank, refer to
this glossary for a quick explanation.
ARCANE MYSTERIES ILLUMINATED
“Arcane Mysteries” discusses some of the down ‘n’ dirty
practical realities of microphones, fi xed installations,
grounding, and balanced versus unbalanced lines. It’s a
goldmine for the neophyte, and even the seasoned pro
might learn a thing or two.
