Mackie 1642-VLZ3 Owner's Manual download pdf (Page 14)

164-VLZ3

1642-VLZ3

Channel Strip Description

26. ASSIGN (1–2, 3–4, L/R)

Alongside each channel fader are four buttons,

labeled SOLO, 1–2, 3–4 and L/R. The bottom three are

collectively referred to as channel assignment switches.

1, 3 and L are the left sides of these stereo pairs, and

2, 4 and R are the right sides. Used in conjunction with

the channel’s PAN [31] knob, these switches determine

the destination of a channel’s signal: With the PAN knob

set at the center detent, the left and right sides receive

equal signal levels. To feed only one side or the other,

just turn the PAN knob accordingly.

If you’re doing a mixdown to a 2-track, simply engage

the L/R switch on each channel that you want to hear,

and they’ll be sent to the main mix. If you want to create

a su/jointfilesconvert/264915/bgroup of certain channels, engage either the 1–2

or 3–4 switches instead of the L/R, and they’ll be sent

to the appropriate su/jointfilesconvert/264915/bgroup faders. From there, the

su/jointfilesconvert/264915/bgroups can be sent back to the main mix, allowing

you to use the su/jointfilesconvert/264915/bgroup faders as a master control for

those channels.

If you’re printing new tracks or bouncing existing

ones, you’ll also use the 1–2 and 3–4 switches, but not

the L/R switch. Here, you don’t want the su/jointfilesconvert/264915/bgroups sent

back into the main mix, but sent out, via the SUB OUT

[8] jacks, to your multitrack inputs. However, if you’re

printing tracks via the DIRECT OUT [5] jacks, all the

channel assign switches should be disengaged (up).

The 1642-VLZ3 is what we call a “true 4-bus mixer.”

Each channel can be assigned or unassigned to any of

the su/jointfilesconvert/264915/bgroups without affecting the other su/jointfilesconvert/264915/bgroups or

settings within the channel, and each su/jointfilesconvert/264915/bgroup has its

own master fader and dedicated output. In fact, since

there are 4 su/jointfilesconvert/264915/bgroups and the main L/R mix, it’s actually

a true 6-bus mixer.

27. SOLO

This lovable switch allows you to check signals in your

headphones and control room without having to assign

them to the L/R, 1-2 or 3-4 mixes.

You can solo as many channels as you like. SOLO does

not interrupt any of the other channels, buses or out-

puts — that’s called nondestructive solo. When SOLO is

pressed, that channel's -20 (SOLO) LED [28] will light

constantly, so you can easily catch any channels which

have been soloed by those naughty SOLO pixies.

Using the MODE [44] switch, the 1642-VLZ3’s solo

system comes in two ﬂavors: NORMAL (AFL) (some-

times called SIP, or solo-in-place) and LEVEL SET

(PFL) (sometimes called PFL, or pre-fader-listen). The

MODE switch is described on page 20.

There are eight mono, and four stereo channel strips.

Many of the functions are identical for the mono and

stereo channels. We’ll start at the bottom and work our

way up, pointing out the differences as we go along.

“U” LIKE UNITY GAIN

Mackie mixers have a “U” symbol on almost

every level control. This “U” stands for “unity

gain,” meaning no change in signal level. Once you have

performed the Level-Setting Procedure, you can set

every control at “U” and your signals will travel through

the mixer at optimal levels. Also, the

labels on our controls are measured

in decibels (dB), so you’ll know what

you’re doing level-wise if you choose to

change a control’s settings.

25. CHANNEL FADER

The fader is almost the last control in

a channel’s signal path. It’s placed after

the EQ [32] and MUTE [30] (post-EQ

/post-MUTE), and before PAN [31]

(pre-PAN). The “U” mark, about three-

quarters of the way up, indicates unity

gain, meaning no increase or decrease

of signal level. All the way up provides

an additional 10 dB, should you need to

boost a section of a song. If you ﬁnd that

the overall level is too quiet or too loud

with a fader near unity, you’ll want to

conﬁrm the GAIN setting by performing

the Level-Setting Procedure.

A Clean Fade

Faders are not rocket science

— they operate by dragging a

metal pin (the wiper) across

a carbon-based strip (the track). It is

possible for airborne crud to land on

the track. Should that happen, you may

hear scratchy noises or signal dropouts

as the wiper stumbles over the crud. Do

all you can to keep airborne crud out

of your profession. Use air conditioned

rooms whenever possible, avoid smok-

ing near the mixer, keep food and drink

away from the mixer, and for pity’s sake,

never put the mixer in your kitchen! We

also recommend “exercising” the faders

— give them a walk up and down once

a week or so, and that will help scare

the crud away. We do not recommend

spray cleaners.

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Mackie 1642-VLZ3 Owner's Manual Page 14

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