Mackie 1202 VLZ

1202-VLZ PRO12-CHANNELMIC/LINE MIXEROWNER’S MANUAL

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HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

1

2

POWER

AUX 1 MASTER

AUXRETURN

1

2

LINE IN 1 LINE IN 2 LINE IN 3 LINE IN 4 L

MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

PHONESLINE IN 5-6

R R R R

AUX SENDTAPEINPUT

TAPEOUTPUT

L

R

1

2

1

2

RIGHT

L

R

RIGHT

MIC 1 MIC 2 MIC 3 MIC 4

LEFT

LEFT/MONO

STEREO AUX RETURN MAIN OUT

BAL/UNBAL

LINE IN 7-8 LINE IN 9-10 LINE IN 11-12

GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN MAIN MIX/SUBMIX

ALT 3-4 ALT 3-4 ALT 3-4 ALT 3-4 ALT 3-4 ALT 3-4 ALT 3-4 ALT 3-4

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

ALL BAL/UNBAL

EFX TOMONITOR

MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

NORMALLED

PREPOST

AUX 1SELECT

CTL ROOM

11 12MUTE

9 10MUTE

7 8MUTE

5 6MUTE

4MUTE

3MUTE

2MUTE

1MUTE

UU UUUUU U U U

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

RUDESOLOLIGHT

LEVELSET

CONTROLROOM

SOURCE

ALT 3–4

TAPE

MAIN MIX

CLIP

LEFT RIGHT0dB=0dBu

ASSIGNTO MAIN MIX

28

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4

2

0

2

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1202-VLZPRO12-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXER

WITH PREMIUM XDRTM MIC PREAMPLIFIERS

XDR MIC PRE XDR MIC PRE XDR MIC PRE XDR MIC PRE

POWERON

PHANTOMON

MAINLEFT

MAINOUTPUTLEVEL

MAINRIGHT

4 3R/4 L/3 2 1

CHANNEL INSERTSBAL/UNBALBALANCED BALANCED BAL/UNBAL

120 VAC 50/60 Hz 25W500mA/250V SLO-BLO

( PRE-FADER / PRE EQ TIP SEND / RING RETURN )

ALTOUTPUT

R L

CONTROLROOM

TO REDUCE THE RISK OFFIRE REPLACE WITH SAME

TYPE .5A-250V FUSE

CAUTION:

MIC+4

SERIAL NUMBER MANUFACTURING DATE

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCKDO NOT OPEN

REPLACE WITH THE SAME TYPE FUSE AND RATING.DISCONNECT SUPPLY CORD BEFORE CHANGING FUSE

UTILISE UN FUSIBLE DE RECHANGE DE MÊME TYPE.DEBRANCHER AVANT DE REMPLACER LE FUSIBLE

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

CAUTION

AVIS: RISCQUE DE CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE — NE PAS OUVRIR

XDRTM EXTENDED DYNAMIC RANGE MIC PREAMPLIFIERS ARE PROPRIETARY TO MACKIE DESIGNS, INC.

CONCEIVED, DESIGNED, AND MANUFACTURED BY MACKIE DESIGNS INC • WOODINVILLE • WA • USA •MADE IN USA • FABRIQUE AU USA • COPYRIGHT ©1998 • THE FOLLOWING ARE TRADEMARKS OR REGISTERED

TRADEMARKS OF MACKIE DESIGN INC.: "MACKIE", "VLZ","XDR" AND THE "RUNNING MAN" FIGURE • PATENT PENDING



CAUTION AVISRISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPENRISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE

NE PAS OUVRIR

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCKDO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK)

NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDEREFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

ATTENTION: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE CHOCELECTRIQUE, NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE. AUCUN

ENTRETIEN DE PIECES INTERIEURES PAR L'USAGER. CONFIERL'ENTRETIEN AU PERSONNEL QUALIFIE.

AVIS: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES D'INCENDIE OUD'ELECTROCUTION, N'EXPOSEZ PAS CET ARTICLE

A LA PLUIE OU A L'HUMIDITE

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated"dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure, that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons. Le symbole éclair avec point de flèche à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est utilisé pour alerter l'utilisateur de la présence à l'intérieur du coffret de "voltage dangereux" non isolé d'ampleur suffisante pour constituer un risque d'éléctrocution.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance. Le point d'exclamation à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est employé pour alerter les utilisateurs de la présence d'instructions importantes pour le fonctionnement et l'entretien (service) dans le livret d'instruction accompagnant l'appareil.

10. Damage Requiring Service — This Mackie product shouldbe serviced only by qualified service personnel when:

A. The power-supply cord or the plug has beendamaged; or

B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has spilled intothis Mackie product; or

C. This Mackie product has been exposed to rain;or

D. This Mackie product does not appear to operatenormally or exhibits a marked change inperformance; or

E. This Mackie product has been dropped, or itschassis damaged.

11. Servicing — The user should not attempt to service thisMackie product beyond those means described in thisoperating manual. All other servicing should be referred to theMackie Service Department.

12. To prevent electric shock, do not use this polarized plugwith an extension cord, receptacle or other outlet unless theblades can be fully inserted to prevent blade exposure.

Pour préevenir les chocs électriques ne pas utiliser cette fichepolariseé avec un prolongateur, un prise de courant ou une autresortie de courant, sauf si les lames peuvent être insérées à fondsans laisser aucune pariie à découvert.

13. Grounding or Polarization — Precautions should be takenso that the grounding or polarization means of this Mackieproduct is not defeated.

14. This apparatus does not exceed the Class A/Class B(whichever is applicable) limits for radio noise emissions fromdigital apparatus as set out in the radio interferenceregulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

ATTENTION —Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas debruits radioélectriques dépassant las limites applicables auxappareils numériques de class A/de class B (selon le cas)prescrites dans le règlement sur le brouillage radioélectriqueédicté par les ministere des communications du Canada.

15. To prevent hazard or damage, ensure that onlymicrophone cables and microphones designed to IEC 268-15Aare connected.

WARNING — To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, donot expose this appliance to rain or moisture.

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS1. Read Instructions — All the safety and operationinstructions should be read before this Mackie product isoperated.

2. Retain Instructions — The safety and operating instruc-tions should be kept for future reference.

3. Heed Warnings — All warnings on this Mackie product andin these operating instructions should be followed.

4. Follow Instructions — All operating and other instructionsshould be followed.

5. Water and Moisture — This Mackie product should not beused near water – for example, near a bathtub, washbowl,kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, near aswimming pool, swamp or salivating St. Bernard dog, etc.

6. Heat — This Mackie product should be situated awayfrom heat sources such as radiators, or other devices whichproduce heat.

7. Power Sources — This Mackie product should beconnected to a power supply only of the type described inthese operation instructions or as marked on this Mackieproduct.

8. Power Cord Protection — Power supply cords should berouted so that they are not likely to be walked upon orpinched by items placed upon or against them, payingparticular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles,and the point where they exit this Mackie product.

9. Object and Liquid Entry — Care should be taken so thatobjects do not fall into and liquids are not spilled into theinside of this Mackie product.

3

We realize that you must be dying to try outyour new 1202-VLZ PRO. Or you might be one ofthose people who never read manuals. Eitherway, all we ask is that you read this page NOW,and the rest can wait until you’re good and ready.But do read it — you’ll be glad you did.

Other Nuggets of WisdomFor optimum sonic performance, the channel

GAIN knobs and the MAIN MIX knob should beset near the “U” (unity gain) markings.

Always turn the MAIN MIX and CONTROLROOM/SUBMIX level controls down beforemaking connections to and from your1202-VLZ PRO.

If you shut down your equipment, turn offyour amplifier(s) first. When powering up, turnon your amplifier(s) last.

Save the shipping box! You may need itsomeday, and you don’t want to have to pay foranother one.

INSTANT MIXINGHere’s how to get going

right away, assuming you own amicrophone and a keyboard:

1. Plug your microphone into channel 1’s MICinput.

2. Turn on the 1202-VLZ PRO.

3. Perform the Level-Setting Procedure .4. Connect cords from the MAIN OUTS (XLR, 1⁄4" or

RCA, your choice) to your amplifier.5. Hook up speakers to the amp and turn it on.6. Turn up the 1202-VLZ PRO’s channel 1 GAIN

knob to the center detent and the MAIN MIXknob one quarter of the way up.

7. Sing like a canary!8. Plug your keyboard into stereo channel 5-6.9. Turn that channel’s GAIN knob to the center

detent.10. Play like a madman and sing like a canary!

It’s your first mix!

READ THIS PAGE!!!

Please write your serial number here forfuture reference (i.e. insurance claims,tech support, return authorization, etc.):

LEVEL-SETTING PROCEDUREMessage to seasoned pros: do not set

levels using the old “Turn the trim up untilthe clip light comes on, then back off ahair” trick. When a Mackie Designs mixerclip light comes on, you really are about toclip. We worked and slaved to come upwith a better system, one that provides lownoise and high headroom.

Adjusting input levels (Chs. 1–4 only)On the first four channels, it’s not even

necessary to hear what you’re doing to setoptimal levels. But if you’d like to: Plugheadphones into the PHONES jack, thenset the CONTROL ROOM/SUBMIX knobabout one-quarter of the way up.

The following steps must be performedone channel at a time:

1. Turn the TRIM, GAIN and AUX sendknobs fully down (counterclockwise).

2. Set the EQ knobs at the center detent.3. Connect the signal source to the input.4. Engage (push in) the SOLO switch.5. Play something into the selected input.

This could be an instrument, a singingor speaking voice, or a line input suchas a CD player or tape recorder output.Be sure that the volume of the input isthe same as it would be during normaluse. If it isn’t, you might have toreadjust these levels during the middleof the set.

6. Adjust the channel’s TRIM control sothat the display on the right LEDmeter stays around “0” and never goeshigher than “+7.”

7. If you’d like to apply some EQ, do so nowand return to step 6.

8. Disengage that channel’s SOLO switch.9. Repeat for each of channels 1

through 4.

Part No. 820-028-01 Rev. B 06/99©1999 Mackie Designs Inc., All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Purchased at:

Date of Purchase:

4

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U

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L R

11 12MUTE

9 10MUTE

7 8MUTE

5 6MUTE

4MUTE

3MUTE

2MUTE

1MUTE

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

1

2

POWER

AUX 1 MASTER

AUXRETURN

1

2


MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

PHONESLINE IN 5-6

R R R R

AUX SENDTAPEINPUT

TAPEOUTPUT

L

R

1

2

1

2

RIGHT

L

R

RIGHT


LEFT

LEFT/MONO


BAL/UNBAL


GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN MAIN MIX/SUBMIX


BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

ALL BAL/UNBAL

EFX TOMONITOR

MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

NORMALLED

PREPOST

AUX 1SELECT

CTL ROOM

UU UUUUU U U U

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

RUDESOLOLIGHT

LEVELSET

CONTROLROOM

SOURCE

ALT 3–4

TAPE

MAIN MIX

CLIP

LEFT RIGHT0dB=0dBu

ASSIGNTO MAIN MIX

28

10

7

4

2

0

2

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OUTPUTSECTION

CHANNEL STRIPS

PATCHBAY

INTRODUCTIONThank you for choosing a Mackie Designs

professional compact mixer. The 1202-VLZ PROis equipped with our new precision-engineeredXDRTM Extended Dynamic Range premiumstudio-grade mic preamp featuring:

• Full gain range from 0 to 60dB• +22 dBu line signal handling capability• 130 dB dynamic range• Distortion less than 0.0007%, 20Hz to 20kHz• Bullet-proof RF rejection using DC pulse

transformer circuitry• Made in Woodinville, Washington, USANow that you have your 1202-VLZ PRO, find

out how to get the most from it. That’s wherethis manual comes in.

HOW TO USE THIS MANUALSince many of you folks will want to hook up

your 1202-VLZ PRO immediately, the first pagesyou will encounter after the table of contentsare the ever popular hookup diagrams. Theseshow typical mixer setups for Record/Mixdown,Video, Disc Jockey and Stereo PA. After thissection is a detailed tour of the entire mixer.

Every feature of the 1202-VLZ PRO is described“geographically;” in other words, in order of whereit is physically placed on the mixer’s top or rearpanel. These descriptions are divided into the firstthree manual chapters, just as your mixer isorganized into three distinct zones:1. PATCHBAY: The patchbay along the top

and back.2. CHANNEL STRIP: The eight channel

strips on the left.3. OUTPUT SECTION: The output section on

the right.

Throughout these chapters you’ll find illus-trations, with each feature numbered. If you’recurious about a feature, simply locate it on theappropriate illustration, notice the numberattached to it, and find that number in thenearby paragraphs.

You’ll also find cross-references to thesenumbered features within a paragraph. For in-stance, if you see “To wire your own cables:

,” simply find that number in the manualand you’ve found your answer.

Finally, you’ll notice feature numbers likethis: . These numbers direct you to relevantinformation.

This icon marks infor-mation that is criticallyimportant or unique to the1202-VLZ PRO. For yourown good, read them and re-

member them. They will be on the final test.

This icon will lead you toin-depth explanations offeatures and practical tips.While not mandatory, theyusually have some valuablenugget of information.

THE GLOSSARY: A HAVEN OFNON-TECHINESS FOR THE NEOPHYTE

Appendix is a fairly comprehensivedictionary of pro-audio terms. If terms like “clip-ping,” “noise floor,” or “unbalanced” leave youblank, flip to this glossary for a quick explanation.

A PLUG FOR THE CONNECTORS SECTIONAppendix is a section on connectors:

XLR connectors, balanced connectors, unbal-anced connectors, special hybrid connectors.

ARCANE MYSTERIES ILLUMINATEDAppendix discusses some of the down ’n’

dirty practical realities of microphones, fixedinstallations, grounding, and balanced versusunbalanced lines. It’s a goldmine for the neo-phyte and even the seasoned pro might learn athing or two.

5

CONTENTSLEVEL-SETTING PROCEDURE ..................................... 3

HOOKUP DIAGRAMS .............................................. 6

PATCHBAY DESCRIPTION ...................................... 10

MIC INPUTS ................................................... 10

PHANTOM POWER ........................................ 10

LINE INPUTS .................................................. 10

LOW CUT ....................................................... 11

TRIM ............................................................. 11

STEREO LINE INPUTS ...................................... 12

EFFECTS: SERIAL OR PARALLEL? ..................... 12

INSERT ........................................................... 13

AUX RETURNS ............................................... 13

TAPE IN .......................................................... 14

XLR MAIN OUTS ............................................ 14

XLR MAIN OUTPUT LEVEL SWITCH ................. 151⁄4" MAIN OUTS ............................................. 15

TAPE OUTPUT ................................................ 15

PHONES ......................................................... 16

ALT 3-4 .......................................................... 16

CONTROL ROOM ............................................ 16

AUX SEND 1 & 2 ............................................ 16

POWER CONNECTION .................................... 17

FUSE .............................................................. 17

POWER SWITCH ............................................ 17

PHANTOM SWITCH ........................................ 17

CHANNEL STRIP DESCRIPTION .............................. 18

“U” LIKE UNITY GAIN .................................... 18

GAIN ............................................................. 18

PRE-FADER SOLO ........................................... 18

MUTE/ALT 3-4 ............................................... 18

PAN ............................................................... 19

CONSTANT LOUDNESS ! ! ! .............................. 19

3-BAND EQ .................................................... 19

AUX SEND ..................................................... 20

OUTPUT SECTION DESCRIPTION ............................ 21

MAIN MIX ..................................................... 21

VLZ MIX ARCHITECTURE ................................ 21

SOURCE MATRIX ............................................ 21

CONTROL ROOM / SUBMIX .......................... 22

PRE-FADER SOLO (PFL) .................................. 22

RUDE SOLO LIGHT .......................................... 23

ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX ................................... 23

METERS ......................................................... 23

AUX TALK ...................................................... 24

AUX 1 PRE/POST SELECT ............................... 24

AUX 1 MASTER .............................................. 24

AUX RETURNS ............................................... 25

EFX TO MONITOR .......................................... 25

JACK NORMALLING ....................................... 25

MODIFICATIONS ................................................... 26

BLOCK DIAGRAM .................................................. 29

GAIN STRUCTURE DIAGRAM ................................. 30

SPECIFICATIONS .................................................... 31

SERVICE INFO ....................................................... 32

APPENDIX: Glossary of Pro Audio Terms ................ 33

APPENDIX: Connections ......................................... 42

APPENDIX: Balanced Lines, Phantom Powering,Grounding and Other Arcane Mysteries ......................... 45

6

HOOKUP DIAGRAMS

1202-VLZ PRO 4-Tk Record/2-Tk Mix

Power Amplifier

Studio Monitors

3

4

2

12

11

10

9

8

7

4

3

2

1 1

1

2

L

R

L

R

L

R

CHAN

NEL

INSE

RTS

AUX

RETU

RNS

ALT

3/4

OUT

PHONESOUT

INPUTS

L MONO

R

R

R

R

L MONO

L MONO

L MONO

AUX

OUT

L

5

1

2

6

CHANNEL

R

L R

IN-TAPE-OUT

MAI

NOU

T

CNTRL ROOMOUTPUTS

MAI

NOU

T

L

R

Mono in / stereo outReverb

Digital Delay

out(play)

in(record)

Keyboard or other line-level input

4-track Recorder

in (record)out (play)

in

inout

out

IMPORTANT:ALL Channel Insertplugs are insertedto the SECOND click.

Mono Processorout

in

Guitar Effects

2-track Mixdown Deck2-track Mixdown Deck

CH

1CH

2

FULL SYMMETRY DUAL DIFFERENTIAL HIGH CURRENT DESIGN

7

1202-VLZ PRO Video Setup

Power Amplifier

Compressor

Multi Effect Processor

in

in

L

R

L

R

L

R

L

LR

R

L

R

V/O Mic

Audio out

Audio out

Audio out out

out

Video Deck #3

Master Video Deck

Video Deck #2

Video Deck #1

Mackie Designs: Video Setupscene #1 _ 23:94:10 Time Base

*Note: Aux Return #2 can be used as anextra stereo input

Multi - VCR Video Switcherwith time code interface(optional)

Keyboard or other line-level input

outin

3

4

2

12

11

10

9

8

7

4

3

2

1 11

1

2

L

R

L

R

L

R

CHAN

NEL

INSE

RTS

AUX

RETU

RNS

ALT

3/4

OUT

PHONESOUT

INPUTSL

MONO

R

R

R

R

L MONO

L MONO

L MONO

AUX

OUT

L

5

1

2

6

CHANNEL

R

L R

IN-TAPE-OUT

MAI

NOU

T

CNTRL ROOMOUTPUTS

MAI

NOU

T

L

R

Time Code DAT

Studio Monitors

CD Player

SMPT

E Co

ntro

l

CH

1CH

2


8

1202-VLZ PRO DJ Setup

MORE HOOKUP DIAGRAMS

People Dancing

org

Power Amplifier

out(play)

in(record)

Stereo Compressor


Left PA Speaker Right PA Speaker

2-Track Deck

Triggered Lights

Stereo EQ

Note: Aux Return #2 can be used as an extra stereo input

3

4

2

12

11

10

9

8

7

4

3

2

1 11

1

2

L

R

L

R

L

R

CHAN

NEL

INSE

RTS

AUX

RETU

RNS

ALT

3/4

OUT

PHONESOUT

INPUTS

L MONO

R

R

R

R

L MONO

L MONO

L MONO

AUX

OUT

L

5

1

2

6CHANNEL

R

L R

IN-TAPE-OUT

MAI

NOU

T

CNTRL ROOMOUTPUTS

MAI

NOU

T

L

R

CD Player

CD Player

Sampler

Turntable

PhonoPreamps

outin

outin

out

out

out

inL

R

L

R

L

R

RIAA

RIAA

CH

1CH

2


9

1202-VLZ PRO Stereo PA

org

org

red

redPower

Amplifier

Keyboard or other line level input

Stereo Guitar Effects

out(play)

in(record)

Drum Machine

Stereo Compressor

Mono CompressorLine outfrom

Bass Amp

Vocal Mics


Power AmpStage Monitors

Left PA Speaker Right PA Speaker

2-Track Deck

Stereo EQ

This setup can be easily reconfigured to becomea Mono PA setup.

A. Stereo sources should feed the left monoside of channel input only.

B. Pan each channel hard left.C. Connect Mono PA system to

Left main output.

Mono EQ

Bass Effects

CH

1CH

2


CH

1CH

2


3

4

2

12

11

10

9

8

7

4

3

2

3

1 11

1

2

L

R

L

R

L

R

CHAN

NEL

INSE

RTS

AUX

RETU

RNS

ALT

3/4

OUT

PHONESOUT

INPUTS

L MONO

R

R

R

R

L MONO

L MONO

L MONO

AUX

OUT

L

5

1

2

6

CHANNEL

R

L R

IN-TAPE-OUT

MAI

NOU

T

CNTRL ROOMOUTPUTS

MAI

NOU

T

L

R

outin

outin

outin

10

1202-VLZ PRO PATCHBAY DESCRIPTIONAt the risk of stating the obvious, this is

where you plug everything in: microphones,line-level instruments and effects, head-phones, and the ultimate destination for yoursound: a tape recorder, PA system, etc.

MIC INPUTS (Channels 1–4)We use phantom-powered, balanced

microphone inputs just like the big studiomega-consoles, for exactly the same reason:This kind of circuit is excellent at rejectinghum and noise. You can plug in almost anykind of mic that has a standard XLR-type malemic connector. To learn how signals arerouted from these inputs: . If you wire yourown, connect them like this:

Pin 1 = Ground or shieldPin 2 = Positive (+ or hot)Pin 3 = Negative (– or cold)

Professional ribbon, dynamic, and con-denser mics will all sound excellent throughthese inputs. The 1202-VLZ PRO’s mic inputswill handle any kind of mic level you can tossat them, without overloading. Be sure to per-form the Level-Setting Procedure: .

PHANTOM POWERMost modern professional condenser mics

are equipped for Phantom Power, which letsthe mixer send low-current DC voltage to themic’s electronics through the same wires thatcarry audio. (Semipro condenser mics oftenhave batteries to accomplish the same thing.)“Phantom” owes its name to an ability to be“unseen” by dynamic mics (Shure SM57/SM58,for instance), which don’t need external powerand aren’t affected by it anyway.

The 1202-VLZ PRO’s phantom power is glo-bally controlled by the PHANTOM switch on therear panel . (This means the phantom powerfor channels 1-4 is turned on and off together.)

Never plug single-ended(unbalanced) micro-phones or instruments intothe MIC input jacks if thePHANTOM power is on.

Do not plug instrument outputs into theMIC input jacks with PHANTOM power onunless you know for certain it is safe to do so.

LINE INPUTS (Channels 1–4)These four line inputs share circuitry (but

not phantom power) with the mic preamps,and can be driven by balanced or unbalancedsources at almost any level. You can use theseinputs for virtually any signal you’ll comeacross, from instrument levels as low as –40dBto operating levels of –10dBV to +4dBu, sincethere is 40dB more gain available than onchannels 5–12. To learn how signals arerouted from these inputs: .


MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

LINE IN 5-6

R R R R

AUX SENDTAPEINPUT

TAPEOUTPUT

L

R

1

2

1

2

RIGHT

L

R

RIGHT


LEFT

LEFT/MONO


BAL/UNBAL


BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

ALL BAL/UNBAL

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV


2

2

3 1

1

SHIELD

COLD

HOT

SHIELD

COLD

HOT

3

SHIELD

COLDHOT

3

2

1

11

Another way to considerLOW CUT’s function is that itactually adds flexibility duringlive performances. With theaddition of LOW CUT, you cansafely use LOW equalization onvocals. Many times, bassshelving EQ can really benefitvoices. Trouble is, adding LOW EQ also boostsstage rumble, mic handling clunks and breathpops. LOW CUT removes all those problems soyou can add low EQ without losing a woofer.

Here’s what the combination of LOW EQ and LOW CUT looks like in terms of

frequency curves.

TRIM (Channels 1–4)If you haven’t already, please read the Level-

Setting Procedure .TRIM adjusts the input sensitivity of the mic

and line inputs connected to channels 1through 4. This allows signals from the outsideworld to be adjusted to optimal internal oper-ating levels.

If the signal originates through the XLRjack, there will be 0dB of gain with the knobfully down, ramping to 60dB of gain fully up.

Through the 1⁄4" input, there is 15dB ofattenuation fully down and 45dB of gain fullyup, with a “U” (unity gain) mark at 10:00. This15dB of attenuation can be very handy whenyou are inserting a signal that is very hot, orwhen you want to add a lot of EQ gain, or both.Without this “virtual pad,” a scenario like thatmight lead to channel clipping.

To connect balanced lines to these inputs,use a 1⁄4" Tip-Ring-Sleeve (TRS) plug, the typefound on stereo headphones:

Tip = Positive (+ or hot)Ring = Negative (– or cold)Sleeve = Shield or ground

To connect unbalanced lines to theseinputs, use a 1⁄4" mono (TS) phone plug orstandard instrument cable:

Tip = SignalSleeve = Ground

LINE IN inputs 1–4 are a good place to con-nect older instruments that need more gain.You can correct weak levels by adjusting thecorresponding channel’s TRIM control .

LOW CUT (Channels 1–4)The LOW CUT switch, often referred to as a

High Pass Filter (all depends on how you lookat it), cuts bass frequencies below 75Hz at arate of 18dB per octave.

We recommend that you use LOW CUT onevery microphone application except kickdrum, bass guitar, bassy synth patches, orrecordings of earthquakes. These aside, thereisn’t much down there that you want to hear,and filtering it out makes the low stuff you dowant much more crisp and tasty. Not only that,but LOW CUT can help reduce the possibilityof feedback in live situations and it helps toconserve the amplifier power.

SLEEVE

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

RING

RING

TIP

SLEEVERING

SLEEVE

TIP

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

SLEEVE

Low Cut with Low EQ20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz

–15

–10

–5

0

+5

+10

+15

20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz

–15

–10

–5

0

+5

+10

+15

Low Cut

12


MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

PHONESLINE IN 5-6

R R R R

AUX SENDTAPEINPUT

TAPEOUTPUT

L

R

1

2

1

2

RIGHT

L

R

RIGHT


LEFT

LEFT/MONO


BAL/UNBAL


BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

ALL BAL/UNBAL

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV


STEREO LINE INPUTS(Channels 5–6, 7–8, 9–10 and 11–12)

These fully balanced inputs are designed forstereo or mono, balanced or unbalanced sig-nals, from –10dBV to +4dBu. They can be usedwith just about any professional or semiproinstrument, effect or tape player. To learn howsignals are routed from these inputs: . Towire your own cables: .

In the stereo audio world, an odd-numberedchannel usually receives the “left signal.” Forexample, you would feed the 1202-VLZ PRO’s lineinputs 5-6 a stereo signal by inserting the device’sleft output plug into the channel 5 jack, and itsright output plug into the channel 6 jack.

When connecting a mono device (just onecord), always use the LEFT (MONO) input(LINE IN jacks 5, 7, 9 or 11) and plug nothinginto the RIGHT input (LINE IN jacks 6, 8, 10 or12)— this way the signal will appear on bothsides. This trick is called “jack normalling” .

EFFECTS: SERIAL ORPARALLEL?

The next two sections tossthe terms “serial” and “paral-lel” around like hacky sacks.

Here’s what we mean by them.“Serial” means that the entire signal is

routed through the effects device. Examples:compressor/limiters, graphic equalizers. Line-level sources can be patched through a serialeffects device before or after the mixer, or pref-erably through the insert jacks located on therear panel (CHANNEL INSERT send/return).

“Parallel” means that a portion of the signalin the mixer is tapped off to the device (AUXSEND), processed and returned to the mixer(STEREO AUX RETURN) to be mixed with theoriginal “dry” signal. This way, multiple chan-nels can all make use of the same effectsdevice. Examples: reverb, digital delay. (Seediagrams below.)

Dry Signal ProcessedSignal

InsertSend

InsertReturn

Dry Signal(s) Dry Signal(s)

AuxSend

AuxReturn

Wet Signal

Channel PathMix

Stage

OutputSection

ProcessedSignal

Signal Processor(e.g., Compressor)

Signal Processor(e.g., Reverb)

Parallel device

Serial device

13

AUX RETURNSThis is where you connect the outputs of

your parallel effects devices (or extra audiosources). These balanced inputs are similar tothe stereo LINE IN inputs (without EQ, AuxSends, Pan, Mute, and Solo). The circuits willhandle stereo or mono, balanced or unbalancedsignals, either instrument level, –10dBV or+4dBu. They can be used with just about anypro or semipro effects device on the market.To learn how signals are routed from theseinputs, see .

One Device: If you havejust one parallel effectsdevice, use STEREO AUXRETURN 1 and leave STE-REO AUX RETURN 2

unplugged. That way, the unused AUX RE-TURN 2 level control can be used to feedAUX RETURN 1 to your stage monitors, viathe EFX TO MONITOR switch .

Mono Device: If you have an effects de-vice with a mono output (one cord), plugthat into STEREO AUX RETURN 1, LEFT/MONO, and leave AUX RETURN 1, RIGHT,unplugged. That way the signal will be sentto both sides, magically appearing in thecenter as a mono signal. This won’t workwith AUX RETURN 2 — you’ll need a Y-cord.

CHANNEL INSERT(Channels 1–4 )

These jacks, on the backof the 1202-VLZ PRO, arewhere you connect serial ef-

fects such as compressors, equalizers,de-essers, or filters . Since most people don’thave more than a few of these gadgets, we’veincluded inserts for just the first four chan-nels. If you want to use this kind of processingon channels 5 through 12, simply patchthrough the processor before you plug into the1202-VLZ PRO.

The CHANNEL INSERT points are after theTRIM and LOW CUT controls, but before thechannel’s EQ and GAIN controls. The send(tip) is low-impedance (120 ohms), capable ofdriving any line-level device. The return (ring)is high-impedance (over 2.5k ohms) and canbe driven by almost any device.

Insert cables must be wired thusly:

“tip”

This plug connects to one of the mixer’s Channel Insert jacks. “ring”

tipring

sleeve

SEND to processor

RETURN from processor

(TRS plug)

Tip = Send (output to effects device)Ring = Return (input from effects device)Sleeve = Common ground (connect shield to

all three sleeves)Besides being used for inserting external

devices, these jacks can also be used as chan-nel direct outputs; post-TRIM, post-LOW CUT,and pre EQ. In fact, Mackie mic preamps havebecome so famous that people buy these mix-ers just to have four of these preamps in theirarsenal. Here’s three ways you can use theCHANNEL INSERT jacks:

Direct out with no signal interruption to master.Insert only to first “click.”

Channel Insert jack

Channel Insert jack

Channel Insert jack

Direct out with signal interruption to master.Insert all the way in to the second “click.”

For use as an effects loop.(TIP = SEND to effect, RING = RETURN from effect.)

MONO PLUG

MONO PLUG

STEREO PLUG

4 3 2 1

CHANNEL INSERTS( PRE-FADER / PRE EQ TIP SEND / RING RETURN )


CHANGE DE MÊME TYPE.EMPLACER LE FUSIBLE

R ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT OT REMOVE COVER.

G TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

OUVRIR

MIC RANGE MIC PREAMPLIFIERS ARE PROPRIETARY TO MACKIE DESIGNS, INC.

MACKIE DESIGNS INC • WOODINVILLE • WA • USA •• THE FOLLOWING ARE TRADEMARKS OR REGISTERED

DR" AND THE "RUNNING MAN" FIGURE • PATENT PENDING

14

TAPE INPUTThese RCA jacks are designed to work with

semipro as well as pro recorders. To compen-sate for typically low levels, signals coming inhere will be automatically boosted by 6dB.

Connect your tape recorder’s outputs here,using standard hi-fi (RCA) cables. To learn howsignals are routed from these inputs, see .

Outputs? The 1202-VLZ PRO has plenty of’em: XLR main outputs, 1⁄4" MAIN OUTS, RCATAPE OUTPUT, PHONES, CONTROL ROOMand AUX SEND 1 and 2. Let’s take a peek.

XLR MAIN OUTSThese low-impedance outputs are fully bal-

anced and capable of driving +4dBu lines withup to 28dB of headroom. This output is 6dBhotter than other outputs. To learn how sig-nals are routed to these outputs: .

To use these outputs, wire the XLR(balanced only) connectors like this:


MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

PHONESLINE IN 5-6

R R R R

AUX SENDTAPEINPUT

TAPEOUTPUT

L

R

1

2

1

2

RIGHT

L

R

RIGHT


LEFT

LEFT/MONO


BAL/UNBAL


BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

ALL BAL/UNBAL

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV


TIPSLEEVETIPSLEEVE

Use these jacks for convenient tape play-back of your mixes. You’ll be able to review amix and then rewind and try another passwithout repatching or disturbing the mixer lev-els. You can also use these jacks with aportable tape or CD player to feed music to aPA system between sets.

WARNING: Engagingboth the TAPE andASSIGN TO MAIN MIXbuttons in the CONTROLROOM SOURCE matrix

can create a feedback path between TAPEINPUT and TAPE OUTPUT. Make sure yourtape deck is not in record, record-pause, orinput monitor mode when you engage theseswitches, or make sure the CONTROLROOM / SUBMIX level knob is fully counter-clockwise (off).

2

2

3 1

1

SHIELD

COLD

HOT

SHIELD

COLD

HOT

3

SHIELD

COLDHOT

3

2

1

Pin 1 = GroundPin 2 = Positive (+ or hot)Pin 3 = Negative (– or cold)

15

POWERON

PHANTOMON

MAINLEFT

MAINOUTPUTLEVEL

MAINRIGHT

BALANCED BALANCED



TYPE .5A-250V FUSE

CAUTION:

MIC+4



XLR MAIN OUTPUT LEVEL SWITCHEngaging the MAIN OUTPUT LEVEL switch

pads the balanced XLR main outputs by 30dB,so you can feed the microphone input of, say,another mixer.

You can safely connect this output into aninput that provides 48V phantom power.

1⁄4" MAIN OUTSThese 1⁄4" jacks are balanced outputs ca-

pable of delivering 22dBu into a 600 ohmbalanced or unbalanced load. (Okay, we admitit, that was a pretty technical sentence. Seethe Glossary and Connections appendices ifyou want to decode it.)

To learn how signals are routed to these 1⁄4"outputs: .

To use these outputs to drive balanced in-puts, connect 1⁄4" TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve)phone plugs like this:

SLEEVE

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

RING

RING

TIP

SLEEVERING

Tip = + (hot)Ring = – (cold)Sleeve = Ground

For most music recording and PA applica-tions, unbalanced lines are perfectlyacceptable. To use these outputs to drive un-balanced inputs, connect 1⁄4" TS (Tip-Sleeve)phone plugs like this:

SLEEVE

TIP

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

SLEEVE

Tip = + (hot)Sleeve = Ground

TAPE OUTPUTThese unbalanced RCA connections tap the

main output to make simultaneous recordingand PA work more convenient. Connect theseto your recorder’s inputs. To learn how signalsare routed to these outputs: .

Mono Out: If you want to feed a mono signalto your tape deck or other device, simply usean RCA Y-cord to combine these outputs(Radio Shack® #274-511, for instance). Do notattempt this with any other outputs on the1202-VLZ PRO.

TIPSLEEVETIPSLEEVE

16


MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

PHONESLINE IN 5-6

R R R R

AUX SENDTAPEINPUT

TAPEOUTPUT

L

R

1

2

1

2

RIGHT

L

R

RIGHT


LEFT

LEFT/MONO


BAL/UNBAL


BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

ALL BAL/UNBAL

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV


ALT 3/4These 1⁄4" jacks are balanced outputs capable

of delivering 22dBu into a balanced or unbal-anced load. To learn how signals are routed tothese outputs: . To wire your own cables: .

CONTROL ROOMThese 1⁄4" jacks are balanced outputs

capable of delivering 22dBu into a 600 ohmbalanced or unbalanced load. To learn howsignals are routed to these outputs: . Towire your own cables: .

AUX SEND 1&2These 1⁄4" jacks are also balanced outputs

capable of delivering 22dBu into a 600 ohmbalanced or unbalanced load. To learn howsignals are routed to these outputs: . Towire your own cables: .

PHONESThe 1202-VLZ PRO’s stereo PHONES jack

will drive any standard headphone to very loudlevels. Walkperson-type phones can also beused with an appropriate adapter. To learnhow signals are routed to these outputs: . Ifyou’re wiring your own cable for the PHONESoutput, follow standard conventions:

SLEEVE

LEFTSLEEVE

LEFT

RIGHT

RIGHT

TIP

SLEEVERING

Tip = Left channelRing = Right channelSleeve = Common ground

WARNING: When we saythe headphone amp isloud, we’re not kidding. Itcan cause permanent eardamage. Even intermedi-

ate levels may be painfully loud with someearphones. BE CAREFUL!

Always turn the CTL ROOM/ SUBMIX knoball the way down before connecting head-phones. Keep it down until you’ve put thephones on. Then turn it up slowly. Why? “Engi-neers who fry their ears find themselves withshort careers.”

17

POWER CONNECTIONJust in case you lose the cord provided with

the 1202-VLZ PRO, its power jack accepts astandard 3-prong IEC cord like those found onmost professional recorders, musical instru-ments, and computers.

At the other end of our cord is — get this— a plug! Not a black cube or, as we’re fond ofcalling them, a “wall wart.” We did this forsome very good reasons:

The 1202-VLZ PRO has sophisticated powerrequirements that a wall wart cannot provide.Wall warts are inconvenient, fragile, radiatehuge hum fields, hog extra jacks on yourpower strip and get in the way. If you lose awall wart, you’re in trouble, but if you lose the1202-VLZ PRO’s power cord, you can get a newone at any electronics, music, or computerstore. You can even buy them at Radio Shack®

(part # 278-1257). Can you tell that we hatewall warts?

Plug the 1202-VLZ PRO into any standardgrounded AC outlet or into a power strip ofproper voltage.

WARNING: Disconnectingthe plug’s ground pin canbe dangerous. Pleasedon’t do it.

FUSEThe 1202-VLZ PRO is fused for your (and its

own) protection. If you suspect a blown fuse,disconnect the cord, pull the fuse drawer out(located just below the cord receptacle) andreplace the fuse with a 500mA (0.5 amps) SLOBLO 5x20mm, available at electronics stores oryour dealer (or a 250mA SLO BLO 5x20mm ifyour 1202-VLZ PRO is a 220V–240V unit).

If two fuses blow in a row, something is verywrong. Please call our toll-free number1-800-258-6883 from within the U.S. (or the dis-tributor in your country) and find out what to do.

POWER SWITCHIf this one isn’t self-explanatory, we give up.

You can leave this switch on all the time; the1202-VLZ PRO is conservatively designed, soheat buildup isn’t a problem even in 24-hour-a-day operation. There’s nothing that will burnout or get used up.

You may notice that the 1202-VLZ PRO feelsquite warm in the upper-right corner. This isperfectly normal.

(“Perfectly normal.” Is that redundant?)

PHANTOM SWITCHThe PHANTOM power switch controls the

phantom power supply for condenser micro-phones plugged into channels 1-4 MIC inputs as discussed at the start of this section .When turned on (or off), the phantom powercircuitry takes a few moments for voltage toramp up (or down). This is also perfectly normal.For an even closer look, refer to Appendix C.

POWERON

PHANTOMON

MAINLEFT

MAINOUTPUTLEVEL

MAINRIGHT

4 3R/4 L/3 2 1

CHANNEL INSERTSBAL/UNBALBALANCED BALANCED BAL/UNBAL


( PRE-FADER / PRE EQ TIP SEND / RING RETURN )

ALTOUTPUT

R L

CONTROLROOM


TYPE .5A-250V FUSE

CAUTION:

MIC+4


RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCKDO NOT OPEN

REPLACE WITH THE SAME TYPE FUSE AND RATING.DISCONNECT SUPPLY CORD BEFORE CHANGING FUSE

UTILISE UN FUSIBLE DE RECHANGE DE MÊME TYPE.DEBRANCHER AVANT DE REMPLACER LE FUSIBLE

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

CAUTION

AVIS: RISCQUE DE CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE — NE PAS OUVRIR

XDRTM EXTENDED DYNAMIC RANGE MIC PREAMPLIFIERS ARE PROPRIETARY TO MACKIE DESIGNS, INC.

CONCEIVED, DESIGNED, AND MANUFACTURED BY MACKIE DESIGNS INC • WOODINVILLE • WA • USA •MADE IN USA • FABRIQUE AU USA • COPYRIGHT ©1998 • THE FOLLOWING ARE TRADEMARKS OR REGISTERED

TRADEMARKS OF MACKIE DESIGN INC.: "MACKIE", "VLZ","XDR" AND THE "RUNNING MAN" FIGURE • PATENT PENDING



18

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+12-12

U

+15-15

L R

U

+20dBOO

1MUTE

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

PRE FADERSOLO

1

2

GAIN

ALT 3-4

MON/EFX

EFX

CHANNEL STRIP DESCRIPTIONThe eight channel strips look alike, and

function identically. The only difference is thatthe four on the left are for individual mics ormono instruments and have more gain avail-able, while the next four are for either stereoor mono line-level sources. (Each of the stereochannel strips is actually two complete cir-cuits. The controls are linked together topreserve stereo.) We’ll start at the bottom andwork our way up…

“U” LIKE UNITY GAINMackie mixers have a

“U” symbol on almost everylevel control. This “U”stands for “unity gain,”

meaning no change in signal level. Once youhave adjusted the input signal to line-level ,

you can set every control at“U” and your signals willtravel through the mixer atoptimal levels. What’smore, all the labels on ourlevel controls are measuredin decibels (dB), so you’llknow what you’re doinglevel-wise if you choose tochange a control’s settings.

You won’t have to checkit here and check it there,as you would with someother mixers. In fact, somedon’t even have any refer-ence to actual dB levels atall! Ever seen those “0–10”fader markings? We callthese AUMs (ArbitraryUnits of Measurement),and they mean nothing inthe real world. You weresmart — you bought aMackie.

GAINThe rotary GAIN knob controls the channel’s

level… from off to unity gain at the detent, onup to 20dB of additional gain. The GAIN knob isthe equivalent of a channel fader. Channels 1through 4 use mono controls, and channels 5through 12 use stereo controls, and may feelslightly different. Not a problem.

PRE-FADER SOLOThis lovable switch allows you to hear sig-

nals through your headphones or control room without having to route them to the MAIN

MIX or ALT 3-4 mix. You don’t even have tohave the channel’s GAIN knob turned up.Folks use solo in live work to preview channelsbefore they are let into the mix, or to justcheck out what a particular channel is up toanytime during a session. You can solo as manychannels at a time as you like.

Solo is also the key player in the Level-Setting Procedure .

Soloed channels are sent to the SOURCEmix , which ultimately feeds your CONTROLROOM, PHONES and meter display. When-ever SOLO is engaged, all SOURCE selections(MAIN MIX, ALT 3-4 and TAPE) are defeated,to allow the soloed signal to do just that — solo!

WARNING: PRE-FADERSOLO taps the channelsignal before the GAINknob. If you have achannel’s GAIN knob set

below “U” (unity gain), SOLO won’t knowthat and will send a unity gain signal to theCONTROL ROOM, PHONES and meter dis-play. That may result in a startling levelboost at these outputs.

MUTE/ALT 3-4The dual-purpose MUTE/ALT 3-4 bus is a

Mackie signature. When Greg was designingour first product, he had to include a MUTEswitch for each channel. MUTE switches dojust what they sound like they do. They turnoff the signal by “routing” it into oblivion. “Gee,what a waste,” Greg reasoned. “Why not havethe mute button route the signal somewhereelse useful… like a separate stereo bus?” SoMUTE/ALT 3-4 really serves two functions —muting (often used during a mixdown or liveshow), and signal routing (for multitrack and

19

live work) where it acts as an extra stereo bus.To use this as a MUTE switch, all you have to

do is not use the ALT 3-4 outputs. Then, when-ever you assign a channel to these unusedoutputs, you’ll also be disconnecting it from theMAIN MIX, effectively muting the channel.

To use this as an ALT 3-4 switch, all youhave to do is connect the ALT 3-4 outputs towhatever destination you desire. Two popularexamples:

When doing multitrack recording, use theALT 3-4 outputs to feed your multitrack. Withmost decks, you can mult the ALT 3-4 outputs,using Y-cords or mults, to feed multiple tracks.So, take ALT OUTPUT L and send it to tracks1, 3, 5 and 7, and ALT OUTPUT R and send itto tracks 2, 4, 6 and 8. Now, tracks that are inRecord or Input modes will hear the ALT 3-4signals, and tracks in Playback or Safe modeswill ignore them.

When doing live sound or mixdown, it’s oftenhandy to control the level of several channelswith one knob. That’s called subgrouping. Sim-ply assign these channels to the ALT 3-4 mix,engage ALT 3-4 in the SOURCE matrix, and thesignals will appear at the CONTROL ROOMand PHONES outputs. If you want the ALT 3-4signals to go back into the MAIN MIX, engagethe ASSIGN TO MAIN MIX switch , and theCONTROL ROOM/SUBMIX level control be-comes the one knob to control the levels of allchannels assigned to ALT 3-4.

Another way to do the same thing is assignthe channels to the ALT 3-4 mix, then patchout of the ALT OUTPUT L and R back into anunused stereo channel (5–6, 7–8, 9–10 or11–12). If that’s your choice, don’t ever engagethe MUTE/ALT 3-4 switch on that stereo chan-nel, or you’ll have every dog in theneighborhood howling at your feedback loop.

Another benefit of the ALT 3-4 feature isthat it can act as a “SIP” (Solo-In-Place): justengage a channel's MUTE/ALT 3-4 switch andthe ALT 3-4 switch in the SOURCE matrix and you’ll get that channel, all by itself, in theCONTROL ROOM and PHONES.

MUTE/ALT 3-4 is one of those controls thatcan bewilder newcomers, so take your time andplay around with it. Once you’ve got it down,you’ll probably think of a hundred uses for it!

PANPAN adjusts the amount of channel signal

sent to the left versus the right outputs. Onmono channels (ch. 1–4 or 5–12 with con-nections to the L input only) these controlsact as pan pots. On stereo channels (5–12)with stereo connections to L and R inputs, thePAN knob works like the balance control onyour home stereo.

PAN determines the fate of the MAIN MIX(1–2) and ALT 3-4 mix. With the PAN knobhard left, the signal will feed either MAIN OUTL (bus 1) or ALT OUTPUT L (bus 3), dependingon the position of the ALT 3-4 switch. With theknob hard right, the signal feeds MAIN OUT R(bus 2) or ALT OUTPUT R (bus 4).

CONSTANTLOUDNESS ! ! !

The 1202-VLZ PRO’sPAN controls employ a de-sign called “Constant

Loudness.” It has nothing to do with livingnext to a freeway. As you turn the PAN knobfrom left to right (thereby causing the soundto move from the left to the center to theright), the sound will appear to remain at thesame volume (or loudness).

If you have a channel panned hard left (orright) and reading 0dB, it must dip downabout 4dB on the left (or right) when pannedcenter. To do otherwise (the way Brand X com-pact mixers do) would make the sound appearmuch louder when panned center.

3-BAND EQThe 1202-VLZ PRO has 3-

band equalization at carefullyselected points — LOW

shelving at 80Hz, MID peaking at 2.5kHz, and HIshelving at 12kHz. “Shelving” means that thecircuitry boosts or cuts all frequencies past thespecified frequency. For example, rotating the1202-VLZ PRO’s LOW EQ knob 15dB to theright boosts bass starting at 80Hz and continu-ing down to the lowest note you never heard.“Peaking” means that certain frequencies form a“hill” around the center frequency — 2.5kHz inthe case of the MID EQ.

20

more than about 3dB of EQ. If you need morethan that, there’s usually a better way to get it,such as placing a mic differently (or using adifferent kind of mic entirely).

AUX SENDThese tap a portion of each channel signal

out to another source for parallel effects pro-cessing or stage monitoring. AUX send levelsare controlled by the channel’s AUX 1 and AUX2 knobs and by the AUX 1 MASTER .

These are more than just effects and moni-tor sends. They can be used to generateseparate mixes for recording or “mix-minuses”for broadcast. By using AUX 1 in the PREmode , these mix levels can be obtained in-dependently of the channel’s GAIN control.

AUX 1 in post mode and AUX 2 are post-LOW CUT, post-EQ and post-GAIN. That is,the sends obey the settings of these controls.AUX 1 in PRE mode follows the EQ and LOWCUT settings only. PAN and GAIN have no ef-fect on the PRE send (see diagram below).

Each AUX send level ranges from off throughunity (the center detent position) on up to15dB of extra gain (when turned fully clock-wise). Chances are you’ll never need this extragain, but it’s nice to know it’s there if you do.

Channel 5–12 AUX pots control the monosum of the channel’s stereo signals for eachAUX send. For instance, channel 5 (L) and 6(R) mix together to feed that channel’s AUXsend knobs.

We recommend going into a stereo reverbin mono and returning in stereo. We havefound that on most “stereo” reverbs the sec-ond input just ties up an extra AUX send andadds nothing to the sound. There are excep-tions, so feel free to try it both ways. If youreffects device is true stereo all the waythrough, use AUX 1 to feed its left input andAUX 2 to feed the right input.

Still with us? Good for you. Here come thetricky parts, where the mixing is really done.

LOW EQ

This control gives you up to 15dB boost orcut at 80Hz. The circuit is flat (no boost orcut) at the center detent position. This fre-quency represents the punch in bass drums,bass guitar, fat synth patches, and some reallyserious male singers.

Used in conjunction with theLOW CUT switch , you can boostthe LOW EQ without injecting aton of subsonic debris into the mix.

MID EQ

Short for “midrange,” this knobprovides 12dB of boost or cut, cen-tered at 2.5kHz, also flat at thecenter detent. Midrange EQ isoften thought of as the most dy-namic, because the frequenciesthat define any particular soundare almost always found in thisrange. You can create many inter-esting and useful EQ changes byturning this knob down as well asup.

HI EQ

This control gives you up to 15dBboost or cut at 12kHz, and it is alsoflat at the detent. Use it to addsizzle to cymbals, and an overallsense of transparency, or edge tokeyboards, vocals, guitar and baconfrying. Turn it down a little to re-duce sibilance, or to hide tape hiss.

Moderation during EQ

With EQ, you can also screwthings up royally. We’ve designed alot of boost and cut into each

equalizer circuit, because we know everyonewill occasionally need that. But if you max theEQs on every channel, you’ll get mix mush.Equalize subtly and use the left sides of theknobs (cut), as well as the right (boost). Veryfew gold-record-album engineers ever use

TRIM INSERTLO CUT EQ

GAIN(FADER) PAN MAIN / ALT

AUX 2 KNOB

"POST" SIGNAL

"PRE" SIGNAL

AUX 1 KNOB

"POST" SIGNAL OBEYSMUTE STATUS

INPUT

AUX SEND 1 PRE/POST SWITCH(IN MASTER SECTION)

TO AUX SEND 2 LEVEL

TO AUX SEND 1 LEVEL


–15

–10

–5

0

+5

+10

+15


–15

–10

–5

0

+5

+10

+15


–15

–10

–5

0

+5

+10

+15


–15

–10

–5

0

+5

+10

+15

“Pre vs. Post”Signal Flow Diagram

Low EQ with Low Cut

Mid EQ

Low EQ

Hi EQ

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MAIN MIXAs the name implies, this knob controls the

levels of signals sent to the main outputs: XLRLEFT and RIGHT , 1⁄4" MAIN OUTS and RCATAPE OUTPUT . All channels and AUX RE-TURNS that are not muted or turned fully downwill wind up in the MAIN MIX.

Fully counterclockwise is off, the center detentis unity gain, and fully clockwise provides 10dBadditional gain. This additional gain will typicallynever be needed, but once again, it’s nice to knowit’s there. This is the knob to turn down at the endof the song when you want The Great Fade-Out.

VLZ MIX ARCHITECTUREWhen designing a mixing cir-

cuit, the lowest noise and bestcrosstalk specs are achieved byusing Very Low Impedance

(VLZ). To implement VLZ in a mixer, the power sup-ply must be able to deliver plenty of current to thecircuitry. That’s why those “wall wart” mixers are of-ten noisy–they can’t power a VLZ circuit.

At Mackie, audio quality is much more importantthan the price of wall warts. All of our mixers employVLZ and built-in power supplies that deliver morethan enough current, resulting in sonic specificationsthat rival consoles upwards of $50,000!

SOURCE MATRIXTypically, the engineer sends the MAIN MIX to

an audience (if live) or a mixdown deck (if record-ing). But what if the engineer needs to hearsomething other than the MAIN MIX? With theNew Improved 1202-VLZ PRO, the engineer hasseveral choices of what to listen to. This is one ofthose tricky parts, so buckle up.

Via the SOURCE switches, you can choose tolisten to any combination of MAIN MIX, ALT 3-4and TAPE. By now, you probably know what theMAIN MIX is. ALT 3-4 is that additional stereo mixbus . TAPE is the stereo signal coming in fromthe TAPE INPUT RCA jacks .

Selections made in the SOURCE matrix deliverstereo signals to the CONTROL ROOM, PHONESand meter display. With no switches engaged,there will be no signal at these outputs and nometer indication.

The exception to that is the SOLO function .Regardless of the SOURCE matrix selection,engaging a channel’s SOLO switch will replacethat selection with the SOLO signal, also sentto the CONTROL ROOM, PHONES and rightmeter (the left meter becomes inactive). Thisis what makes the Level-Setting Procedure so easy to do.

WARNING: Engagingboth the TAPE andASSIGN TO MAIN MIXbuttons in the SOURCEmatrix can create a feed-

back path between TAPE INPUT and TAPEOUTPUT. Make sure your tape deck is notin record, record-pause, or input monitormode when you engage these switches, ormake sure the CONTROL ROOM / SUBMIXlevel knob is fully counterclockwise (off).

OUTPUT SECTION DESCRIPTION

U

OO +10

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

MAXOO +10dBOO

POWER

AUX 1 MASTER

AUXRETURN

1

2

MAIN MIX/SUBMIX

EFX TOMONITOR

NORMALLED

PREPOST

AUX 1SELECT

CTL ROOM

U U

RUDESOLOLIGHT

LEVELSET

CONTROLROOM

SOURCE

ALT 3–4

TAPE

MAIN MIX

CLIP

LEFT RIGHT0dB=0dBu

ASSIGNTO MAIN MIX

28

10

7

4

2

0

2

4

7

10

20

30

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Now you know how to select the signals youwant to send to the engineer’s control room orphones. From there, these signals all passthrough the same level control:

CONTROL ROOM/SUBMIXThis knob controls the levels of both the

stereo CONTROL ROOM outputs andPHONES outputs . The control range is fromoff through unity gain at the detent, with 10dBof extra gain (when turned fully clockwise).

When MAIN MIX is your SOURCE selec-tion, those signals will now pass through twolevel controls on the way to your control roomamp and phones — the MAIN MIX knob andthis CONTROL ROOM / SUBMIX knob. Thisway, you can send a nice healthy level to theMAIN OUTS (MAIN MIX knob at “U”), and aquiet level to the control room or phones(CONTROL ROOM / SUBMIX knob whereveryou like it).

When ALT 3-4 or TAPE is selected, or SOLOis engaged, CONTROL ROOM / SUBMIX knobwill be the only one controlling these levels(channel controls not withstanding).

Whatever your selection, you can also usethe CONTROL ROOM outputs for other appli-cations. Its sound quality is just as impeccableas the MAIN OUTS. It can be used as addi-tional MAIN MIX output, which may soundsilly since there are already three, but this onehas its own level control. However, should youdo something like this, be sure that you do notengage a SOLO switch, as that will interruptyour SOURCE selection.

PRE-FADER SOLO (PFL)Engaging a channel’s SOLO switch will

cause this dramatic turn of events: Any exist-ing SOURCE matrix selections will be replacedby the SOLO signal, appearing at the CON-TROL ROOM outputs, PHONES outputs, andat the right meter. The audible SOLO levelsare then controlled by the CONTROL ROOM /SUBMIX knob. The SOLO levels appearing on

the right meter display are not controlled byanything — you wouldn’t want that. You wantto see the actual channel level on the meterdisplay regardless of how loud you’re listening.

“PRE-FADER” SOLO means that the channelsignal is being tapped before the channel’sGAIN knob (not really a fader in this case, butwe were afraid you’d laugh if we called it Pre-Knob Solo). It does, however, obey TRIM, LOWCUT and EQ settings, making it the perfect toolfor quick inspections of suspect channels. Thechannel’s PAN and MUTE/ALT 3-4 settings haveno effect on the SOLO signal.

Note: For stereo channels 5-12, the solo signalis the mono sum of the left (odd-numbered)and right (even-numbered) signals for thatchannel strip.

WARNING: PRE-FADERSOLO taps the channelsignal before the GAINknob. If you have achannel’s GAIN knob set

below “U” (unity gain), SOLO won’t knowthat, and will send a unity gain signal tothe CONTROL ROOM, PHONES and meterdisplay. That may result in a startling levelboost at these outputs.

U

OO +10

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

MAXOO +10dBOO

POWER

AUX 1 MASTER

AUXRETURN

1

2

MAIN MIX/SUBMIX

EFX TOMONITOR

NORMALLED

PREPOST

AUX 1SELECT

CTL ROOM

U U

RUDESOLOLIGHT

LEVELSET

CONTROLROOM

SOURCE

ALT 3–4

TAPE

MAIN MIX

CLIP

LEFT RIGHT0dB=0dBu

ASSIGNTO MAIN MIX

28

10

7

4

2

0

2

4

7

10

20

30

23

METERS – MANY DISPLAYS IN ONE!The 1202-VLZ PRO’s peak metering system

is made up of two columns of twelve LEDs. De-ceptively simple, considering the multitude ofsignals that can be monitored by it.

If nothing is selected in the SOURCEmatrix and no channels are in SOLO, theMETERS will just sit there and do nothing. Toput them to work, you must make a selec-tion in the SOURCE matrix (or engage aSOLO switch).

Why? You want the meter display to reflectwhat the engineer is listening to, and as we’vecovered, the engineer is listening either to theCONTROL ROOM outputs or the PHONESoutputs. The only difference is that while thelistening levels are controlled by the CONTROLROOM / SUBMIX knob, the meters read theSOURCE mix before that control, giving youthe real facts at all times, even if you’re notlistening at all.

Thanks to the 1202-VLZ PRO’s wide dy-namic range, you can get a good mix withpeaks flashing anywhere between –20 and+10dB on the METERS. Most amplifiers clip atabout +10dB, and some recorders aren’t so for-giving either. For best real-world results, try tokeep your peaks between “0” and “+7”.

You may already be anexpert at the world of “+4”(+4dBu=1.23V) and “–10”(–10dBV=0.32V) operatinglevels. Basically, what makes

a mixer one or the other is the relative 0dB VU(or 0VU) chosen for the meters. A “+4” mixer,with a +4dBu signal pouring out the back willactually read 0VU on its meters. A “–10” mixer,with a –10dBV signal trickling out, will read,you guessed it, 0VU on its meters. So when is0VU actually 0dBu? Right now!

At the risk of creating another standard,Mackie’s compact mixers address the need ofboth crowds by calling things as they are —0dBu (0.775V) at the output shows as 0dB VUon the METERS. What could be easier? By theway, the most wonderful thing about standardsis that there are so many to choose from.

Remember, audio meters are just tools tohelp assure you that your levels are “in theballpark.” You don’t have to stare at them(unless you want to).

RUDE SOLO LIGHTThis flashing Light Emitting Diode serves

two purposes — to remind you that at least onechannel is in SOLO, and to let you know thatyou’re mixing on a Mackie. No other companyis so concerned about your level of SOLO aware-ness. If you work on a mixer that has a solofunction with no indicator lights, and you happento forget you’re in solo, you can easily betricked into thinking that something is wrongwith your mixer. Hence the RUDE SOLOLIGHT. It’s especially handy at about 3AMwhen no sound is coming out of your monitorsbut your multitrack is playing back like mad.

ASSIGN TO MAIN MIXLet’s say you’re doing a live show. Intermis-

sion is nearing and you’ll want to play asoothing CD for the crowd to prevent themfrom becoming antsy. Then you think, “But Ihave the CD player plugged into the TAPEinputs, and that never gets to the MAINOUTS!” Oh, but it does. Simply engage thisswitch and your SOURCE matrix selection,after going through the CONTROL ROOM /SUBMIX knob, will feed into the MAIN MIX,just as if it were another stereo channel.

Another handy use for this switch is to en-able the ALT 3-4 mix to become a submix ofthe MAIN MIX , using the CONTROLROOM/SUBMIX knob as its level control.

Side effects: (1) Engaging this switch willalso feed any soloed channels into the MAINMIX, which may be the last thing you want. (2)If you have MAIN MIX as your SOURCE matrixselection and then engage ASSIGN TO MAINMIX, the MAIN MIX lines to the SOURCE ma-trix will be interrupted to prevent feedback.Then again, why on earth would anyone wantto assign the MAIN MIX to the MAIN MIX?

24

U

OO +10

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

MAXOO +10dBOO

POWER

AUX 1 MASTER

AUXRETURN

1

2

MAIN MIX/SUBMIX

EFX TOMONITOR

NORMALLED

PREPOST

AUX 1SELECT

CTL ROOM

U U

RUDESOLOLIGHT

LEVELSET

CONTROLROOM

SOURCE

ALT 3–4

TAPE

MAIN MIX

CLIP

LEFT RIGHT0dB=0dBu

ASSIGNTO MAIN MIX

28

10

7

4

2

0

2

4

7

10

20

30

AUX 1 SELECT (MON/PRE or POST)Besides being used to work effects into your

mix, Aux Sends serve another critical role —that of delivering cue mixes to stage monitors,so musicians can hear what they’re doing. Onthe 1202-VLZ PRO, AUX SEND 1 can play ei-ther role, depending on the position of thisswitch.

With the AUX 1 SELECT switch up (disen-gaged), AUX SEND 1 will tap a channelpre-fader (GAIN) and pre-MUTE/ALT 3-4,meaning that no matter how you manipulatethose controls as they feed the MAIN MIX, theAUX SEND will continue to belt out thatchannel’s signal. This is the preferred methodfor setting up stage monitor feeds. EQ settingswill affect all AUX SENDs.

With the switch down, the AUX SEND 1becomes an ordinary effects send — post-fader (GAIN) and post-MUTE/ALT 3-4. Thisis a must for effects sends, since you want thelevels of your “wet” signals to follow the levelof the “dry.”

AUX 1 MASTERThe AUX 1 MASTER provides overall level

control of AUX SEND 1, just before it’s deliv-ered to the AUX SEND 1 output. (AUX SEND2 has no such control.) This knob goes from off(turned fully down), to unity gain at the cen-ter detent, with 10dB of extra gain (turnedfully up). As with some other level controls,you may never need the additional gain, but ifyou ever do, you’ll be glad you bought a Mackie.

This is usually the knob you turn up whenthe lead singer glares at you, points at hisstage monitor, and sticks his thumb up in theair. (It would follow suit that if the singerstuck his thumb down, you’d turn the knobdown… but that never happens.)

AUX TALKFirst of all, there is no

particular alliance betweenAUX SEND 1 (or 2) and AUXRETURN 1 (or 2). They’re

just numbers. They’re like two completestrangers, both named Fred.

Sends are outputs, returns are inputs. TheAUX knob taps the signal off the channeland sends it to the AUX SEND outputs . TheAUX 1 signal is sent to the AUX 1 MASTERknob before going to the AUX SEND 1 outputand the AUX 2 signal goes directly to the AUXSEND 2 output.

These outputs are fed to the inputs of a re-verb or other device. From there, the outputs ofthis external device are fed back to the mixer’sAUX RETURN jacks . Then these signals aresent through the AUX RETURN level controls,and finally delivered to the MAIN MIX.

So, the original “dry” signals go from thechannels to the MAIN MIX and the affected“wet” signals go from the AUX RETURN to theMAIN MIX, and once mixed together, the dryand wet signals combine to create a glorioussound. So, armed with this knowledge, let’svisit the Auxiliary World:

25

AUX RETURNSThese two controls set the overall level of

effects received from STEREO AUX RETURN in-puts 1 and 2 . These controls are designed tohandle a wide range of signal levels, from off, tounity gain at the detent, with 20dB gain fullyclockwise, to compensate for low-level effects.

Typically, these knobs can just live at thecenter detent, and the effects device’s outputcontrol should be set at whatever they callunity gain (check their manual). If that turnsout to be too loud or too quiet, adjust the ef-fects device’s outputs, not the mixer. That way,the mixer’s knobs are easy to relocate at thecenter detent.

Signals passing through the AUX RETURNlevel controls will proceed directly to MAINMIX , with one exception (see next para-graph). The AUX RETURNs do not haveMUTE/ALT 3-4 switches, so if you want thesesignals to get to the ALT 3-4 mix, you’ll have topatch the effects device’s outputs into one ofthe stereo channels , and MUTE/ALT thosechannels.

EFX TO MONITORThe idea behind the EFX TO MONITOR

switch is simple. If you want to add reverb ordelay to the stage monitor mixes, this is theswitch for you. The implementation leading upto the switch is the tricky part:

With the switch up, AUX RETURN 1 and 2behave normally — they deliver their signalsinto the MAIN MIX. With the switch down,AUX RETURN 1 still behaves normally, butAUX RETURN 2 will feed AUX SEND 1 instead of the MAIN MIX.

Still with us? Good. So far, with the switchdown, we have AUX RETURN 1 feeding theMAIN MIX and AUX RETURN 2 feeding AUXSEND 1. Now, suppose you only have one ef-fects device, and you want it to feed both theMAIN MIX and AUX SEND 1. That’s where“jack normalling” comes in.

JACK NORMALLINGJack normalling (not to be confused with

Jack Normalling, Chicago Cubs utility infielder,1952-61, .267 LBA) is a feature found on al-most every mixer, keyboard and effects device.These jacks have special spring-loaded pinsthat connect to the signal pins, but whensomething is plugged into the jack, thatconnection is broken.

These normalling pins can be used in allsorts of ways. The ubiquitous phrase “LEFT(MONO)” means that if you plug a signal intothe LEFT side and have nothing in the RIGHTside, that signal is also fed to the right input,courtesy of jack normalling. As soon as youplug something in the RIGHT side, thatnormalled connection is broken.

How does all this relate to the EFX TOMONITOR switch? AUX RETURN 1’s inputsare normalled to AUX RETURN 2. If you haveone effects device, plug it into AUX RETURN 1.Plug nothing into AUX RETURN 2. Now thesignals feeding the AUX RETURN 1 inputs willalso be sent to the AUX RETURN 2 inputs.

Engage the EFX TO MONITOR switch, andnow the AUX RETURN 2 knob will become anadditional AUX SEND 1 knob for the signal atAUX RETURN 1 . Say that ten times! Onceagain, AUX RETURN 1 will behave normally,as always.

Congratulations! You’ve just read about allthe features of your 1202-VLZ PRO. You’reprobably ready for a cold one. Go ahead. Therest of the manual can wait.

26

For most folks, the 1202-VLZ PRO works justfine the way it is. But for special applications,there are three signal routing changes that canbe performed easily on the 1202-VLZ PRO. Easyfor someone with soldering experience, that is.If you don’t know how to solder, find a techni-cian that can. This is NOT a good place to learn!• Modification A changes AUX SEND 2 to be

pre-fader, pre-mute instead of post-fader,post-mute.

• Mod B changes AUX SEND 1 (in postmode) and AUX SEND 2 to receive signalregardless of the channel’s MUTE/ALTswitch position, but still be post-fader(GAIN knob).

• Mod C changes the SOURCE matrix’sMAIN MIX selection to tap the stereosignal before the MAIN MIX level control(pre) instead of after (post).

UL WarningCaution! These modification instructions

are for use by qualified personnel only. Toavoid electric shock, do not perform any ser-vicing other than changing the fuse unlessyou are qualified to do so. Refer all servicingand modifying to qualified personnel.

Mackie DisclaimerAny modification of any Mackie Designs

product must be performed by a competentelectronic technician. Mackie Designsaccepts no responsibility for any damagesor injuries caused by any modification,regardless of the source of the modificationinstructions or the qualifications of the tech-nician performing them. In the case of suchdamages, Mackie Designs may declarewarranty privileges void. BE CAREFUL!

A Note About JumpersWhen installing jumpers, do not run their

ends through holes in the circuit board.Rather, solder them flat against the desiredpad (the flat silver area, possibly with a hole inthe middle). Make sure the ends of these flatwires do not extend beyond the pad.

1. PRE-FADER MOD (AUX TO MONITOR)

This modification changes AUX SEND 2 tobe pre-fader, pre-mute instead of post-fader,post-mute. (“Fader” refers to the channelGAIN knob, and “Mute” refers to the channel’sMUTE/ALT 3-4 switch.) In order to convert theentire mixer, it must be done on each channel.Is slightly more involved for the stereo chan-nels 5–12. The work area is on the undersideof the circuit board, near the channel AUXSEND knobs.1. Remove all cords, including the power

cable, from the 1202-VLZ PRO.2. Place the mixer upside-down on a dry,

non-marring surface.3. Remove the screws that attach the bottom

cover. Keep track of what screws go where.Remove the bottom cover.

4. Using a sharp “X-acto” type knife, cut theconductor at point ‘A’ (channels 1–4) orthe conductors at points ‘AL’ and ‘AR’(channels 5–12). Be careful to cut all theway through the conductor, and do not cutany nearby traces.

5. Add a jumper from point ‘B’ to the square padat point ‘A’ (channels 1–4) or from points ‘BL’to ‘AL’ and ‘BR’ to ‘AR’ (channels 5–12).

6. Repeat for all channels.7. Check your work very carefully, then put

the bottom cover back the way you foundit. You’re done!

MODIFICATIONS

#1: Pre-Fader Mod

JUMPERS JUMPERS JUMPERS JUMPERS JUMPERS

CUTCUTCUTCUTCUTCUT

27

2. PRE-MUTE MOD

This modification changes AUX SEND 1 (inpost mode) and AUX SEND 2 to receive signalregardless of the channel’s MUTE/ALT 3-4switch position, but still be post-fader (GAINknob). In order to convert the entire mixer, itmust be done on each channel. It is slightlymore involved for the stereo channels 5through 12. The work area is on the undersideof the circuit board, near the channel MUTE/ALT 3-4 switches.1. Remove all cords, including the power

cable, from the 1202-VLZ PRO.2. Place the mixer upside-down on a dry,

non-marring surface.3. Remove the screws that attach the bottom

cover. Keep track of what screws go where.Remove the bottom cover.

4. Using a sharp “X-acto” type knife, cut theconductor at point ‘C’ (channels 1–4) orthe conductors at points ‘CL’ and ‘CR’(channels 5–12). Be careful to cut all theway through the conductor, and do not cutany nearby traces.

5. Locate the 12 pins that comprise theunderside of each MUTE/ALT 3-4 switch.

6. Add jumpers as shown on the illustrationbelow — they’re not marked on the circuitboard itself, so be careful.

7. Repeat for all channels.8. Check your work very carefully, then put

the bottom cover back the way you foundit. You’re done!

#2: Pre-Mute Mod

SolderAFTER

Holes

JumperBEFORE

JUMPERS

CUT HERE CUT HERE

JUMPERS

JUMPERS

CUT HERECUT HERE

JUMPERS

Channels 1-4

Channels 5-12

28

3. MAIN MIX SOURCE MOD

This modification changes the SOURCEmatrix’s MAIN MIX selection to tap the stereosignal before the MAIN MIX level control(pre) instead of after (post). This could beespecially handy for live work where the engi-neer wants to be able to control the MAIN MIXlevel (sent to the house system) withoutchanging the level in his headphones. Thework area is on the underside of the circuitboard, near the MAIN MIX level control.

Caution: This modification also causes themeters to indicate pre MAIN MIX levels. Theywill no longer indicate the signal level at theMAIN OUTS, but rather the signal level at thePHONES and CONTROL ROOM outputs (whenMAIN MIX SOURCE is selected).

1. Remove all cords, including the powercable, from the 1202-VLZ PRO.

2. Place the mixer upside-down on a dry, non-marring surface.

3. Remove the screws that attach the bottomcover. Keep track of what screws go where.Remove the bottom cover.

4. Using a sharp “X-acto” type knife, cut theconductor at points ‘XL’ and ‘XR’. Be carefulto cut all the way through the conductor,and do not cut any nearby traces.

5. Add a jumper from point ‘YL’ to the squarepad at point ‘XL’ and from point ‘YR’ to thesquare pad at point ‘XR’.

6. Check your work very carefully, then put thebottom cover back the way you found it.You’re done!

#3: Main Mix Source Mod

JUMPERSHERE

CUTHERE

29

1202-VLZ PRO BLOCK DIAGRAM

75H

zH

PF

MID

HI

80

2K5

12K

LO MID

HI

80

2K5

12K

LO

MID

HI

80

2K5

12K

LO

SOL

ORE

LAY

22 10 7 4 2 0 2 4 7 10 20 30

MAIN LMAIN RALT LALT R

AUX SEND 1 PREAUX SEND 1 POSTAUX SEND 2 POST

SOLOLOGIC

PHA

NTOM

POW

ER

MIC

IN

LINE

IN

TRIM

INS

ERT

LO C

UT

3-BA

ND E

Q

GA

INPA

NM

AIN

/ A

LT

AUX

SEN

DS

SOL

O (P

FL)

MON

O CH

ANN

EL(1

OF

4)

21

3

STE

REO

CHA

NNEL

(1 O

F 4)

LINE

IN L

LINE

IN R

3-BA

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Q

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INPA

N

MA

IN /

ALT

AUX

RET

URN

1

L IN

R IN

AUX

RET

URN

2

L IN

(MON

O)

R IN

GA

IN

GA

IN

EFX

TO M

ONIT

OR

MA

IN M

IXM

AIN

LEVE

L30

dB P

AD

TAPE

OUT

L

LINE

OUT

L

BAL

OUT

L

BAL

OUT

R

LINE

OUT

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LT M

IX

ALT

OUT

L

ALT

OUT

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ALT

TAPE

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IN

SOU

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LEV

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MACKIE MS1202-VLZ PROBLOCK DIAGRAM1/99

SOL

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AS

SIG

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TAPE

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D

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FL)

AUX

2 AUX

1

AUX

1 LE

VEL

TAPE

OUT

R

30

GAIN STRUCTURE DIAGRAM

+22d

Bu m

ax in

15dB

loss

, TRI

M d

own

45dB

gai

n, T

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up

+22d

Bu m

ax in

Unit

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to 'A

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to 'A

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dB B

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to 'C

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max

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+22d

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+22d

Bu m

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+10

dB u

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0dB

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+22d

Bu m

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+15d

B up

-15d

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+12d

B up

-12d

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+15d

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-15d

B do

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+20

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p

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-4dB

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1/4"

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to 'A

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to 'C

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LEVE

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31

SPECIFICATIONS

Main Mix Noise20Hz–20kHz bandwidth, 1/4" Main out, channels 1–4 Trim @unity gain, channel EQs flat, all channels assigned to Main Mix,channels 1 and 3 Pan left, 2 and 4 Pan right.

Main Mix knob down, channel Gain knobs down: –100dBuMain Mix knob unity, channel Gain knobs down: –86.5dBu(90dB Signal to Noise Ratio, ref +4dBu)Main Mix knob @ unity, channel Gain knobs @ unity:

–84.5dBu

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)1kHz @ +14dBu, 20Hz–20kHz.

Mic in to Main out: 0.0007%

Attenuation (Crosstalk)1kHz relative to 0dBu, 20Hz–20kHz bandwidth,Line in, 1⁄4" Main Out, Trim @ unity

Main Mix knob down: –85dBuChannel Alt / Mute switch engaged: –84dBuChannel Gain knob down: –83dBu

Frequency ResponseAny input to any output

20Hz to 60kHz: +0dB/–1dB20Hz to 100kHz: +0dB/–3dB

Equivalent Input Noise (EIN)Mic in to Insert Send out, max gain

150 ohm termination: –129.5dBm unweighted

Common Mode Rejection (CMR)Mic in to Insert Send out, max gain

1kHz: better than –90dB

Maximum LevelsMic in: +22dBuTape in: +16dBuAll other inputs: +22dBuMain Mix XLR out: +28dBuAll other outputs: +22dBu

ImpedancesMic in: 1.3 kilohmsChannel Insert return: 2.5 kilohmsAll other inputs: 10 kilohms or greaterTape out: 1.1 kilohmsAll other outputs: 120 ohms

EQHigh Shelving ±15db @ 12kHzMid Peaking ±12dB @ 2.5kHzLow Shelving ±15db @ 80Hz

Power Consumption120VAC, 50/60Hz, 25 watts

Weight6 lbs 8 oz. (3 kg)

Dimensions11.8" x 11.2" x 2.6" (300mm x 284mm 66mm)

Mackie Designs is always striving to improve ourmixers by incorporating new and improved materi-als, components and manufacturing methods.Because we’re always trying to make things better,we reserve the right to change these specificationsat any time, without notice.

11.2"

— 6

rack

spa

ces

(28

4mm

)

6 ra

cksp

aces

11.8" (300mm)

with optional rack ears (RM1202-VLZ)

11.8" (300mm)

11.2" (284mm)

2.6"

(66m

m)

2.6"

(66m

m)

1202-VLZ PROWEIGHT6.5 lbs.(3 kg)

32

SERVICE INFODetails concerning Warranty Service are

spelled out on the Warranty Card includedwith your mixer (if it’s missing, let us knowand we’ll rush one to you).

If you think your 1202-VLZ PRO has a prob-lem, please do everything you can to confirmit before calling for service. Doing so mightsave you from the deprivation of your mixerand the associated suffering.

Of all Mackie products returned for service(which is hardly any at all), roughly 50% arecoded “CND” — Could Not Duplicate, whichusually means the problem lay somewhere otherthan the mixer. These may sound obvious toyou, but here’s some things you can check:

TROUBLESHOOTING

Bad Channel• Is the MUTE/ALT 3–4 switch in the

correct position?• Is the GAIN knob turned up?• Try unplugging any INSERT devices

(Channels 1–4 only).• Try the same source signal in another

channel, set up exactly like thesuspect channel.

Bad Output

• Is the associated level knob (if any) turned up?• If it’s one of the MAIN OUTS, try unplug-

ging all the others. For example, if it’s the1⁄4" Left Main out, unplug the RCA and XLRLeft outputs. If the problem goes away, itsnot the mixer.

• If it’s a stereo pair, try switching themaround. For example, if a left output ispresumed dead, switch the left and rightcords, at the mixer end. If the problemswitches sides, it’s not the mixer.

Noise

• Turn the channel GAIN and AUXRETURN knobs down, one by one. If thesound disappears, it’s either that chan-nel or whatever is plugged into it, sounplug whatever that is. If the noisedisappears, it’s from your whatever.

Power

• Our favorite question: Is the POWERswitch on?

• Check the fuse .

REPAIRService for the U.S. version of the 1202-VLZ

PRO is available only from Mackie Designs, lo-cated in sunny Woodinville, Washington.(Service for mixers living outside the UnitedStates can be obtained through local dealersor distributors.) If your mixer needs service,follow these instructions:1. Review the preceding troubleshooting

suggestions. Please.2. Call Tech Support at 1-800-258-6883, 9am

to 5pm PST, to explain the problem andrequest an RA number. Have your mixer’sserial number ready. You must have aReturn Authorization number, or wemay refuse the delivery.

3. Set aside the power cord, owner’s manual,or anything else that you’ll ever want to seeagain. We are responsible for the return ofthe mixer only.

4. Pack the mixer in its original package,including endcaps and box. This is VERYIMPORTANT. When you call for the RAnumber, please let Tech Support know ifyou need a new box. Mackie is not respon-sible for any damage that occurs due tonon-factory packaging.

5. Include a legible note stating your name,shipping address (no P.O. boxes), daytimephone number, RA number and a detaileddescription of the problem, including howwe can duplicate it.

6. Write the RA number in BIG PRINT on topof the box.

7. Ship the mixer to us. We recommendUnited Parcel Service (UPS). We suggestinsurance for all forms of cartage. Ship tothis address:

Mackie DesignsSERVICE DEPARTMENT16220 Wood-Red Rd. NEWoodinville, WA 98072

8. We’ll try to fix the mixer within threebusiness days. Ask Tech Support for thelatest turn-around times when you call foryour RA number. We normally send every-thing back prepaid using UPS BLUE(Second Day Air). However, if you rushyour mixer to us by Next Day Air, we’ll shipit back to you UPS RED (Next Day Air).This paragraph does not necessarily applyto non-warranty service.

33

This Glossary contains brief definitions ofmany of the audio and electronic terms used indiscussions of sound mixing and recording. Manyof the terms have other meanings or nuances orvery rigorous technical definitions which we havesidestepped here because we figure you alreadyhave a lot on your mind. If you’d like to get moreinformation, you can call Mix Bookshelf at1-800-233-9604. We recommend the followingtitles: The Audio Dictionary, by Glenn White;Tech Terms, by Peterson & Oppenheimer;Handbook for Sound Engineers, by Glen Ballou,Mackie Mixer Book by Rudy Trubitt and SoundReinforcement Handbook, by Gary Davis.AFL

An acronym for After Fade Listen, which isanother way of saying post-fader solo function.assign

In sound mixers, assign means to switch orroute a signal to a particular signal path orcombination of signal paths.attenuate

To reduce or make quieter.aux

See next entry.auxiliary

In sound mixers, supplemental equipmentor features that provide additional capabilitiesto the basic system. Examples of auxiliaryequipment include: serial processors (equaliz-ers, compressors, limiters, gates) and paralleldevices (reverberation and delay). Most mix-ers have aux send buses and aux return inputsto accommodate auxiliary equipment.balanced

In a classic balanced audio circuit, the twolegs of the circuit (+ and –) are isolated fromthe circuit ground by exactly the same imped-ance. Additionally, each leg may carry the signalat exactly the same level but with opposite po-larity with respect to ground. In some balancedcircuits, only one leg actually carries the signalbut both legs exhibit the same impedance char-acteristics with respect to ground. Balancedinput circuits can offer excellent rejection ofcommon-mode noise induced into the line andalso make proper (no ground loops) systemgrounding easier. Usually terminated with 1⁄4"TRS or XLR connectors.

bandwidthThe band of frequencies that pass through a

device with a loss of less than 3dB, expressedin Hertz or in musical octaves. Also see Q.bus

An electrical connection common to threeor more circuits. In mixer design, a bus usuallycarries signals from a number of inputs to amixing amplifier, just like a city bus carriespeople from a number of neighborhoods totheir jobs.Cannon

A manufacturer of electrical connectorswho first popularized the three-pin connectornow used universally for balanced microphoneconnections. In sound work, a Cannon connec-tor is taken to mean a Cannon XLR-3 micconnector or any compatible connector.cardioid

Means heart-shaped. In sound work, car-dioid refers to the shape of the sensitivitypattern of some directional microphones.channel

A functional path in an audio circuit: aninput channel, an output channel, a recordingchannel, the left channel and so on.channel strip

The physical representation of an audiochannel on the front panel of a mixer; usuallya long, vertical strip of controls.chorusing

An effect available in some digital delayeffects units and reverbs. Chorusing involves anumber of moving delays and pitch shifting,usually panned across a stereo field. Depend-ing on how used, it can be lovely or grotesque.clipping

A cause of severe audio distortion that isthe result of excessive gain requiring the peaksof the audio signal to rise above the capabili-ties of the amplifier circuit. Seen on anoscilloscope, the audio peaks appear clippedoff. To avoid distortion, reduce the system gainin or before the gain stage in which the clip-ping occurs. See also headroom.

APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY

34

condenserAnother term for the electronic component

generally known as a capacitor. In audio,condenser usually refers to a type of micro-phone that uses a capacitor as the soundpickup element. Condenser microphonesrequire electrical power to run internal ampli-fiers and maintain an electrical charge on thecapacitor. They are typically powered by inter-nal batteries or “phantom power” supplied byan external source, such as a mixing console.console

A term for a sound mixer, usually a large desk-like mixer.cueing

In broadcast, stage and post-productionwork, to “cue up” a sound source (a record, asound effect on a CD, a song on a tape) meansto get it ready for playback by making sure youare in the right position on the “cue,” makingsure the level and EQ are all set properly. Thisrequires a special monitoring circuit that onlythe mixing engineer hears. It does not go outon the air or to the main mixing buses. This“cueing” circuit is the same as pre-fader (PFL)solo on a Mackie mixer, and often the termsare interchangeable.dB

See decibel.dBm

A unit of measurement of audio signal levelin an electrical circuit, expressed in decibelsreferenced to 1 milliwatt. The “m” in dBmstands for “milliwatt.” In a circuit with an im-pedance of 600 ohms, this reference (0dBm)corresponds to a signal voltage of 0.775 VRMS(because 0.775 V across 600 ohms equals 1mw).dBu

A unit of measurement of audio signal levelin an electrical circuit, expressed in decibelsreferenced to 0.775 VRMS into any impedance.Commonly used to describe signal levelswithin a modern audio system.dBv

A unit of measurement equal to the dBu butno longer in use. It was too easy to confuse adBv with a dBV, to which it is not equivalent.

dBVA unit of measurement of audio signal level

in an electrical circuit, expressed in decibelsreferenced to 1 VRMS across any impedance.Commonly used to describe signal levels inconsumer equipment. To convert dBV to dBu,add 2.2dB.decibel (dB)

The dB is a ratio of quantities measured insimilar terms using a logarithmic scale. Manyaudio system parameters measure over such alarge range of values that the dB is used tosimplify the numbers. A ratio of 1000V:1V=60dB.When one of the terms in the ratio is anagreed upon standard value such as 0.775V, 1Vor 1mw, the ratio becomes an absolute value,i.e., +4dBu, –10dBV or 0dBm.delay

In sound work, delay usually refers to anelectronic circuit or effects unit whose purposeit is to delay the audio signal for some short pe-riod of time. Delay can refer to one short repeat,a series of repeats or the complex interactionsof delay used in chorusing or reverb. When de-layed signals are mixed back with the originalsound, a great number of audio effects can begenerated, including phasing and flanging, dou-bling, Haas-effect positioning, slap or slapback,echo, regenerative echo, chorusing and hall-likereverberation. Signal time delay is central tomany audio effects units.detent

A point of slight physical resistance (a click-stop) in the travel of a knob or slide control,used in Mackie mixers to indicate unity gain.dipping

The opposite of peaking, of course. A dip isan EQ curve that looks like a valley, or a dip.Dipping with an equalizer reduces a band offrequencies. See guacamole.doubling

A delay effect, where the original signal ismixed with a medium (20 to 50 msec) delay.When used carefully, this effect can simulatedouble-tracking (recording a voice or instru-ment twice).dry

Usually means without reverberation, orwithout some other applied effect like delay orchorusing. Dry is not wet, i.e. totally unaffected.

35

dynamicIn sound work, dynamic refers to the class

of microphones that generate electrical signalsby the movement of a coil in a magnetic field.Dynamic microphones are rugged, relativelyinexpensive, capable of very good performanceand do not require external power.dynamic range

The range between the maximum and mini-mum sound levels that a sound system canhandle. It is usually expressed in decibels asthe difference between the level at peakclipping and the level of the noise floor.echo

The reflection of sound from a surface suchas a wall or a floor. Reverberation and echo areterms that can be used interchangeably, but inaudio parlance a distinction is usually made:echo is considered to be a distinct, recogniz-able repetition (or series of repetitions) of aword, note, phrase or sound, whereas rever-beration is a diffuse, continuously smoothdecay of sound. Echo and reverberation can beadded in sound mixing by sending the originalsound to an electronic (or electronic/acoustic)system that mimics natural echoes, and thensome. The added echo is returned to the blendthrough additional mixer inputs. Highly echoicrooms are called live; rooms with very littleecho are called dead. A sound source withoutadded echo is dry; one with reverb or echoadded is wet.effects devices

External signal processors used to add re-verb, delay, spatial or psychoacoustic effects toan audio signal. An effects processor may beused as an insert processor (serial) on a par-ticular input or subgroup, or it may be used viathe aux send/return system (parallel). Seealso echo, reverb.EIN

Equivalent Input Noise. Specification thathelps measure the “quietness” of a gain stage byderiving the equivalent input noise voltage nec-essary to obtain a given preamp's output noise.Typically ranges from –125 to –129.5 dBm.

EQSee equalization.

EQ curveA graph of the response of an equalizer,

with frequency on the x (horizontal) axis andamplitude (level) on the y (vertical) axis.Equalizer types and effects are often named af-ter the shape of the graphed response curve,such as peak, dip, shelf, notch, knee and so on.equalization

Equalization (EQ) refers to purposefullychanging the frequency response of a circuit,sometimes to correct for previous unequal re-sponse (hence the term, equalization), andmore often to add or subtract level at certainfrequencies for sound enhancement, to removeextraneous sounds, or to create completelynew and different sounds.

Bass and treble controls on your stereo areEQ; so are the units called parametrics andgraphics and notch filters.

A lot of how we refer to equalization has todo with what a graph of the frequency re-sponse would look like. A flat response (noEQ) is a straight line; a peak looks like a hill, adip is a valley, a notch is a really skinny valley,and a shelf looks like a plateau (or a shelf).The slope is the grade of the hill on the graph.

Graphic equalizers have enough frequencyslider controls to form a graph of the EQ righton the front panel. Parametric EQs let you varyseveral EQ parameters at once. A filter is sim-ply a form of equalizer that allows certainfrequencies through unmolested while reduc-ing or eliminating other frequencies.

Aside from the level controls, EQs are prob-ably the second most powerful controls on anymixer (no, the power switch doesn’t count!).fader

Another name for an audio level control.Today, the term refers to a straight-line slidecontrol rather than a rotary control.family of curves

A composite graph showing on one chartseveral examples of possible EQ curves for agiven equalizer or equalizer section.

36

filterA simple equalizer designed to remove cer-

tain ranges of frequencies. A low-cut filter(also called a high-pass filter) reduces oreliminates frequencies below its cutoff fre-quency. There are also high-cut (low-pass)filters, bandpass filters, which cut both highand low frequencies but leave a band of fre-quencies in the middle untouched, and notchfilters, which remove a narrow band but leavethe high and low frequencies alone.flanging

A term for phasing. Before digital delay ef-fects units, phasing could be accomplished byplaying two tape machines in synchronization,then delaying one slightly by rubbing a fingeron the reel flange. Get it?FOH

An acronym for Front Of House. See houseand main house speakers.frequency

The number of times an event repeats itselfin a given period. Sound waves and the electri-cal signals that represent sound waves in anaudio circuit have repetitive patterns that rangefrom a frequency of about 20 repetitions persecond to about 20,000 repetitions per second.Sound is the vibration or combination of vibra-tions in this range of 20 to 20,000 repetitions persecond, which gives us the sensation of pitch,harmonics, tone and overtones. Frequency ismeasured in units called Hertz (Hz). One Hertzis one repetition or cycle per second.gain

The measure of how much a circuit ampli-fies a signal. Gain may be stated as a ratio ofinput to output values, such as a voltage gainof 4, or a power gain of 1.5, or it can be ex-pressed in decibels, such as a line amplifierwith a gain of 10dB.gain stage

An amplification point in a signal path,either within a system or a single device.Overall system gain is distributed betweenthe various gain stages.

graphic EQA graphic equalizer uses slide pots for its

boost/cut controls, with its frequencies evenlyspaced through the audio spectrum. In a per-fect world, a line drawn through the centersof the control shafts would form a graph ofthe frequency response curve. Get it? Or, thepositions of the slide pots give a graphic rep-resentation of boost or cut levels across thefrequency spectrum.ground

Also called earth. Ground is defined as thepoint of zero voltage in a circuit or system, thereference point from which all other voltagesare measured. In electrical systems, groundconnections are used for safety purposes, tokeep equipment chassis and controls at zerovoltage and to provide a safe path for errantcurrents. This is called a safety ground.

Maintaining a good safety ground is alwaysessential to prevent electrical shock. Followmanufacturer’s suggestions and good electri-cal practices to ensure a safely groundedsystem. Never remove or disable the ground-ing pin on the power cord.

In computer and audio equipment, tiny cur-rents and voltages can cause noise in thecircuits and hamper operation. In addition toproviding safety, ground provisions in thesesituations serve to minimize the pickup, detec-tion and distribution of these tiny noisesignals. This type of ground is often calledtechnical ground.

Quality audio equipment is designed tomaintain a good technical ground and alsooperate safely with a good safety ground. Ifyou have noise in your system due to techni-cal grounding problems, check your manualfor wiring tips or call technical support.Never disable the safety ground to reducenoise problems.ground loop

A ground loop occurs when the technicalground within an audio system is connected tothe safety ground at more than one place. Twoor more connections will allow tiny currents toflow in the loops created, possibly inducingnoise (hum) in the audio system. If you havenoise in your system due to ground loops, checkyour manual for wiring tips or call technicalsupport. Never disable the safety ground to re-duce noise problems.

37

Haas effectA psychoacoustic effect in which the time

of arrival of a sound to the left and right earsaffects our perception of direction. If a signalis presented to both ears at the same time atthe same volume, it appears to be directly infront of us. But if the signal to one ear, still atthe same volume, is delayed slightly (0 to 5msec), the sound appears to be coming fromthe earlier (non-delayed) side.headroom

The difference between nominal operatinglevel and peak clipping in an audio system. Forexample, a mixer operating with a nominalline level of +4dBu and a maximum outputlevel of +22dBu has 18dB of headroom. Plentyof room for surprise peaks.Hertz

The unit of measure for frequency of oscilla-tion, equal to 1 cycle per second. AbbreviatedHz. KHz is pronounced “kay-Hertz” and is anabbreviation for kilohertz, or 1000 Hertz.house

In Sound Reinforcement parlance, “house”refers to the systems (and even persons) re-sponsible for the primary sound reinforcementin a given hall, building, arena or “house.”Hence we have the house mixer or house engi-neer, the house mix, the house mix amps, themain house speakers and so on.Hz

See Hertz.impedance

The A.C. resistance/capacitance/inductancein an electrical circuit, measured in ohms. Inaudio circuits (and other AC circuits) the im-pedance in ohms can often be much differentfrom the circuit resistance as measured by aDC ohmmeter.

Maintaining proper circuit impedance rela-tionships is important to avoid distortion andminimize added noise. Mackie input and out-put impedances are set to work well with thevast majority of audio equipment.input module

A holdover from the days when the onlyway that real consoles were built was inmodular fashion, one channel per module.See channel strip.

kneeA knee is a sharp bend in an EQ response

curve not unlike the sharp bend in your leg.Also used in describing dynamics processors.level

Another word for signal voltage, power,strength or volume. Audio signals are some-times classified according to their level.Commonly used levels are: microphone level(–40dBu or lower), instrument level (–20 to–10dBu), and line level (–10 to +30dBu).line level

A signal whose level falls between –10dBuand +30dBu.main house speakers

The main loudspeakers for a sound rein-forcement system. These are usually thelargest and loudest loudspeakers, and areusually positioned so that their sound seemsto come from the area of the main stage.mains

See main house speakers.master

A control affecting the final output of amixer. A mixer may have several mastercontrols, which may be slide faders or rotarycontrols.mic amp

See mic preamp.mic level

The typical level of a signal from a micro-phone. A mic level signal (usually but notalways coming from a microphone) is gener-ally below –30dBu. With a very quiet source (apin dropping?) the signal can be –70dBu orlower. It is also possible for some microphonesto deliver more signal than this, in which caseit may be referred to as a “hot” mic level. Alter-natively, you can just say, “Boy, is that loud!”mic pre

See mic preamp.mic preamp

Short for microphone preamplifier. An am-plifier that functions to bring the very lowsignal level of a microphone (approximately–50dBu) up to line level (approximately0dBu). Mic preamps often have their own vol-ume control, called a trim control, to properlyset the gain for a particular source. Setting themic preamp gain correctly with the trim con-trol is an essential step in establishing goodnoise and headroom for your mix.

38

mixerAn electronic device used to combine various

audio signals into a common output. Differentfrom a blender, which combines various fruitsinto a common libation.monaural

Literally, pertaining to or having the use ofonly one ear. In sound work, monaural has to dowith a signal which, for purposes of communi-cating audio information, has been confined to asingle channel. One microphone is a monopickup; many microphones mixed to one chan-nel is a mono mix; a mono signal played throughtwo speakers is still mono, since it only carriesone channel of information. Several monauralsources, however, can be panned into a stereo(or at least two-channel, if you are going to bepicky) mix. Monaural SR is common for envi-ronments where stereo SR would provide anuneven reproduction to the listener.monitor

In sound reinforcement, monitor speakers (ormonitor headphones or in-the-ear monitors) arethose speakers used by the performers to hearthemselves. Monitor speakers are also calledfoldback speakers. In recording, the monitorspeakers are those used by the production staff tolisten to the recording as it progresses. In zoology,the monitor lizard is the lizard that observes theproduction staff as the recording progresses.Keep the lizard out of the mixer.mono

Short for monaural.mult

Probably short for multiple. In audio work,a mult is a parallel connection in a patch bayor a connection made with patch cords tofeed an output to more than one input. A “Y”cable is a type of mult connection. Also averb, as in “Why did you mult the flanger intoevery input in the board?”noise

Whatever you don’t want to hear. Could behum, buzz or hiss; could be crosstalk or digitalhash or your neighbor’s stereo; could be whitenoise or pink noise or brown noise; or it couldbe your mother-in-law reliving the day she hadher gallstone removed.

noise floorThe residual level of noise in any system. In

a well designed mixer, the noise floor will be aquiet hiss, which is the thermal noise gener-ated by bouncing electrons in the transistorjunctions. The lower the noise floor and thehigher the headroom, the more usabledynamic range a system has.pan, pan pot

Short for panoramic potentiometer. A panpot is used to position (or even move back andforth) a monaural sound source in a stereomixing field by adjusting the source’s volumebetween the left and right channels. Ourbrains sense stereo position by hearing this dif-ference in loudness when the sound strikeseach ear, taking into account time delay, spec-trum, ambient reverberation and other cues.parametric EQ

A “fully” parametric EQ is an extremelypowerful equalizer that allows smooth, con-tinuous control of each of the three primaryEQ parameters (frequency, gain, and band-width) in each section independently. “Semi”parametric EQs allow control of fewer param-eters, usually frequency and gain (i.e., theyhave a fixed bandwidth, but variable centerfrequency and gain).peaking

The opposite of dipping, of course. A peakis an EQ curve that looks like a hill, or apeak. Peaking with an equalizer amplifies aband of frequencies.PFL

An acronym for Pre Fade Listen. Broadcast-ers would call it cueing. Sound folks call it beingable to solo a channel with the fader down.phantom power

A system of providing electrical power forcondenser microphones (and some electronicpickup devices) from the sound mixer. Thesystem is called phantom because the poweris carried on standard microphone audiowiring in a way that is “invisible” to ordinarydynamic microphones. Mackie mixers usestandard +48 volt DC power, switchable on oroff. Most quality condenser microphones aredesigned to use +48 VDC phantom power.Check the manufacturer’s recommendations.

39

Generally, phantom power is safe to use withnon-condenser microphones as well, especiallydynamic microphones. However, unbalancedmicrophones, some electronic equipment (suchas some wireless microphone receivers) andsome ribbon microphones can short out thephantom power and be severely damaged.Check the manufacturer’s recommendationsand be careful!phasing

A delay effect, where the original signal ismixed with a short (0 to 10 msec) delay. Thetime of the delay is slowly varied, and thecombination of the two signals results in a dra-matic moving comb-filter effect. Phasing issometimes imitated by sweeping a comb-filterEQ across a signal. A comb filter can be foundin your back pocket.phone jack

Ever see those old telephone switchboardswith hundreds of jacks and patch cords andplugs? Those are phone jacks and plugs, nowused widely with musical instruments and audioequipment. A phone jack is the female connec-tor, and we use them in 1⁄4" two-conductor (TS)and three-conductor (TRS) versions.phone plug

The male counterpart to the phone jack,right above.phono jack

See RCA phono jack.phono plug

See RCA phono plug.post-fader

A term used to describe an aux send (usually)that is connected so that it is affected by thesetting of the associated channel fader. Sendsconnected this way are typically (but notalways) used for effects. See pre-fader.pot, potentiometer

In electronics, a variable resistor that variesthe potential, or voltage. In audio, any rotaryor slide control.pre-fader

A term used to describe an aux send(usually) that is connected so that it is not af-fected by the setting of the associated channelfader. Sends connected this way are typically(but not always) used for monitors (foldback).See post-fader.

proximity effectThe property of many directional micro-

phones to accentuate their bass response whenthe source-to-mic distance is small, typicallythree inches or less. Singers generally like thiseffect even more than singing in the shower.Q

A way of stating the bandwidth of a filter orequalizer section. An EQ with a Q of .75 is broadand smooth, while a Q of 10 gives a narrow,pointed response curve. To calculate the valueof Q, you must know the center frequency of theEQ section and the frequencies at which the up-per and lower skirts fall 3dB below the level ofthe center frequency. Q equals the center fre-quency divided by the difference between theupper and lower –3dB frequencies. A peakingEQ centered at 10kHz whose –3dB points are7.5kHz and 12.5kHz has a Q of 2.RCA phono jack—or RCA jackor phono jack

An RCA phono jack is an inexpensiveconnector (female) introduced by RCA andoriginally used to connect phonographs to radioreceivers and phono preamplifiers. The phonojack was (and still is) widely used on consumerstereo equipment and video equipment but wasquietly fading into obscurity in the professionaland semiprofessional sound world. Then phonojacks began cropping up in early project-studiomultitrack recorders, which (unfortunately)gave them a new lease on life. Since so manystereo recorders are fitted with them, we de-cided we’d have to put a couple on our mixersfor your convenience. But make no mistake: theonly thing that the phono jack (or plug) hasgoing for it is low cost.RCA phono plug

The male counterpart to an RCA phonojack. See above.regeneration

Also called recirculation. A delay effect cre-ated by feeding the output of a delay back intoitself to cause a delay of the delay of the delay.You can do it right on the front panel of manyeffects units, or you can route the delay returnback into itself on your mixer. Can be a greatdeal of fun at parties.

40

returnA return is a mixer line input dedicated to

the task of returning processed or addedsound from reverb, echo and other effectsdevices. Depending on the internal routing ofyour mixer and your own inclination, you coulduse returns as additional line inputs, or youcould route your reverb outputs to ordinaryline inputs rather than the returns.reverberation, reverb

The sound remaining in a room after thesource of sound is stopped. It’s what you hear ina large tiled room immediately after you’veclapped your hands. Reverberation and echo areterms that can be used interchangeably, but inaudio parlance a distinction is usually made:reverberation is considered to be a diffuse,continuously smooth decay of sound, whereasecho is a distinct, recognizable repetition of aword, note, phrase or sound. Reverberation andecho can be added in sound mixing by sendingthe original sound to an electronic (or elec-tronic/acoustic) system that mimics naturalreverberation, or worse. The added reverb isreturned to the blend through additional mixerinputs. Highly reverberant rooms are called live;rooms with very little reverberation are calleddead. A sound source without added reverb isdry; one with reverb or echo added is wet.RMS

An acronym for root mean square, a con-ventional way to measure AC voltage andaudio signal voltage. Most AC voltmeters arecalibrated to read RMS volts. Other conven-tions include average volts, peak volts andpeak-to-peak volts.send

A term used to describe a secondary mixand output of the input signals, typicallyused for foldback monitors, headphonemonitors, or effects devices. Mackie mixerscall it an Aux Send.

shelvingA term used to describe the shape of an

equalizer’s frequency response. A shelvingequalizer’s response begins to rise (or fall) atsome frequency and continues to fall (or rise)until it reaches the shelf frequency, at whichpoint the response curve flattens out and re-mains flat to the limits of audibility. If you wereto graph the response, it would look like a shelf.Or more like a shelf than a hiking boot. The EQcontrols on your stereo are usually shelvingequalizers. See also peaking and dipping.slap, slapback

A single-delay echo without any repeats.Also see echo.solo

Italian for alone. In audio mixers, a solocircuit allows the engineer to listen to indi-vidual channels, buses or other circuits singlyor in combination with other soloed signals.SR

An acronym for Sound Reinforcement,which refers to a system of amplifying acousticand electronic sounds from a performance orspeech so that a large audience can hearclearly. Or, in popular music, so that a largeaudience can be excited, stunned or evenpartially deafened by the tremendous amplifi-cation. Means essentially the same thing as PA(Public Address).stereo

Believe it or not, stereo comes from aGreek word that means solid. We use stereoor stereophony to describe the illusion of acontinuous, spacious soundfield that is seem-ingly spread around the listener by two ormore related audio signals. In practice, stereooften is taken to simply mean two channels.sweep EQ

An equalizer that allows you to “sweep” orcontinuously vary the frequency of one ormore sections.symmetrically balanced

See balanced.

41

tinnitusThe ringing in the ears that is produced

with prolonged exposure to high volumes. Asound in the ears, such as buzzing, ringing, orwhistling, caused by volume knob abuse!trim

In audio mixers, the gain adjustment for thefirst amplification stage of the mixer. The trimcontrol helps the mixer cope with the widelyvarying range of input signals that come fromreal-world sources. It is important to set thetrim control correctly; its setting determinesthe overall noise performance in that channelof the mixer. See mic preamp.TRS

Acronym for Tip-Ring-Sleeve, a scheme forconnecting three conductors through a singleplug or jack. 1⁄4" phone plugs and jacks and 1⁄8"mini phone plugs and jacks are commonlywired TRS. Since the plug or jack can carrytwo signals and a common ground, TRS con-nectors are often referred to as stereo orbalanced plugs or jacks. Another common TRSapplication is for insert jacks, used for insert-ing an external processor into the signal path.In Mackie mixers, the tip is send, ring is re-turn, and sleeve is ground.TS

Acronym for Tip-Sleeve, a scheme for con-necting two conductors through a single plugor jack. 1⁄4" phone plugs and jacks and 1⁄8" miniphone plugs and jacks are commonly wired TS.Sometimes called mono or unbalanced plugsor jacks. A 1⁄4" TS phone plug or jack is alsocalled a standard phone plug or jack.unbalanced

An electrical circuit in which the two legs ofthe circuit are not balanced with respect toground. Usually, one leg will be held at groundpotential. Unbalanced circuit connectionsrequire only two conductors (signal “hot” and

ground). Unbalanced audio circuitry is lessexpensive to build but under certain circum-stances is more susceptible to noise pickup.unity gain

A circuit or system that has its voltage gainadjusted to be one, or unity. A signal willleave a unity gain circuit at the same level atwhich it entered. In Mackie mixers, unitygain is achieved by setting all variablecontrols to the marked “U” setting. Mackiemixers are optimized for best headroom andnoise figures at unity gain.VLZ

Acronym for very low impedance. (Impedanceis measured in ohms represented by the Ω sym-bol, which is the last letter of the Greek alphabet.This is how the letter Z is used instead of I.) VLZis one of the most important reasons why inher-ent noise levels on Mackie mixing boards are sominuscule. Thermal noise is something that’screated by all circuitry and usually transistorsand resistors are the worst culprits. The basicrule with thermal noise is: the higher the imped-ance, the more the noise. Mackie’s VLZ designreduces thermal noise by making internal imped-ances as low as possible in as many places aspossible within the console. VLZ is achieved byscaling down resistor values by a factor of threeor four – resulting in a corresponding reductionin thermal noise. This is especially true for theconsole’s mixing buses.volume

Electrical or sound level in an audio system.Perhaps the only thing that some bands havetoo much of.VRMS

See RMS.wet

With added reverberation or other effectlike echo, delay or chorusing.XLR connector

See Cannon.

42

“XLR” CONNECTORSMackie mixers use 3-pin female “XLR” con-

nectors on all microphone inputs, with pin 1wired to the grounded (earthed) shield, pin 2wired to the “high” (”hot” or positive polarity)side of the audio signal and pin 3 wired to the“low” (“cold” or negative polarity) side of the

signal (FigureA). All totallyaboveboard andin full accordwith the hal-lowed standardsdictated by theAES (AudioEngineeringSociety).

Use a male“XLR”-type con-

nector, usually found on the nether end ofwhat is called a “mic cable,” to connect to afemale XLR jack.

1⁄4" TRS PHONE PLUGS AND JACKS“TRS” stands

for Tip-Ring-Sleeve, thethreeconnectionsavailable on a“stereo” 1⁄4" or

“balanced” phone jack or plug. See Figure B.TRS jacks and plugs are used in severaldifferent applications:• Stereo Headphones, and rarely, stereo

microphones and stereo line connections.When wired for stereo, a 1⁄4" TRS jack orplug is connected tip to left, ring to right andsleeve to ground (earth). Mackie mixers donot directly accept 1-plug-type stereomicrophones. They must be separated into aleft cord and a right cord, which are pluggedinto the two mic preamps.You can cook up your own adapter for astereo microphone adapter. “Y” two cablesout of a female 1⁄4" TRS jack to two maleXLR plugs, one for the Right signal andone for the Left.

APPENDIX B: CONNECTIONS

• Balanced mono circuits. When wired as abalanced connector, a 1⁄4" TRS jack orplug is connected tip to signal high(hot), ring to signal low (cold), andsleeve to ground (earth).

• Unbalanced Send/Return circuits. Whenwired as send/return “Y” connector, a 1⁄4"TRS jack or plug is connected tip to signalsend (output from mixer), ring to signalreturn (input back into mixer), and sleeveto ground (earth).

1⁄4" TS PHONE PLUGS AND JACKS“TS” stands for Tip-Sleeve, the two connec-

tions available on a “mono” 1⁄4" phone jack orplug (Figure C). TS jacks and plugs are used inmany different applications, always unbalanced.The tip is connected to the audio signal and thesleeve to ground (earth). Some examples:• Unbalanced microphones• Electric guitars and electronic instruments• Unbalanced line-level connections

SWITCHED 1⁄4" PHONE JACKSSwitches can be incorporated into 1⁄4"

phone jacks, which are activated by insertingthe plug. These switches may open an insertloop in a circuit, change the input routing ofthe signal or serve other functions. Mackieuses switches in the channel insert and businsert jacks, input jacks and AUX returns. Wealso use these switches to ground the line-levelinputs when nothing is plugged into them.

In most cases, the plug must be inserted fullyto activate the switch. Mackie takes advantageof this in some circuits, specifying circum-stances where you are to insert the plug onlypartially. See Special Mackie Connections,later in this section.

2

2

3 1

1

SHIELD

COLD

HOT

SHIELD

COLD

HOT

3

SHIELD

COLDHOT

3

2

1

Figure A: XLR Connectors

SLEEVE

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

RING

RING

TIP

SLEEVERING

Figure B: 1⁄4" TRS Plugs

SLEEVE

TIP

TIPSLEEVE

TIP

SLEEVE

Figure C: TS Plug

43

SPECIAL MACKIE CONNECTIONSThe balanced-to-unbalanced connection has

been anticipated in the wiring of Mackie jacks.A 1⁄4" TS plug in-serted into a 1⁄4"TRS balanced in-put, for example,will automaticallyunbalance the in-put and make all the right connections.Conversely, a 1⁄4" TRS plug inserted into a 1⁄4"unbalanced input will automatically tie the ring(low or cold) to ground (earth).

TRS Send/Receive Insert JacksMackie’s single-jack inserts are the three-

conductor, TRS-type 1⁄4" phone. They areunbalanced, but have both the mixer output(send) and the mixer input (return) signals inone connector (See Figure F).

The sleeve is the common ground (earth) forboth signals. The send from the mixer to theexternal unit is carried on the tip, and the re-turn from the unit to the mixer is on the ring.

Using the Send Only on an Insert JackIf you insert a TS (mono) 1⁄4" plug only

partially (to the first click) into a Mackieinsert jack, the plug will not activate the jackswitch and will not open the insert loop in thecircuit (thereby allowing the channel signal tocontinue on its merry way through the mixer).

This allows you to tap out the channel orbus signal at that point in the circuit withoutinterrupting normal operation.

RCA PLUGS AND JACKSRCA-type plugs (also known as phono

plugs) and jacks are often used in home stereoand video equipment and in many other appli-cations (Figure D). They are unbalanced andelectrically identical to a 1⁄4" TS phone plug orjack (See Figure C). Connect the signal to thecenter post and the ground (earth) or shieldto the surrounding “basket.”

UNBALANCING A LINEIn most studio, stage and sound reinforce-

ment situations, there is a combination ofbalanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs onthe various pieces of equipment. This usuallywill not be a problem in making connections.• When connecting a balanced output to an

unbalanced input, be sure the signal high(hot) connections are wired to each other,and that the balanced signal low (cold)goes to the ground (earth) connection atthe unbalanced input. In most cases, thebalanced ground (earth) will also beconnected to the ground (earth) at theunbalanced input. If there are ground-loopproblems, this connection may be leftdisconnected at the balanced end.

• When connecting an unbalanced output to abalanced input, be sure that the signal high(hot) connections are wired to each other.The unbalanced ground (earth) connectionshould be wired to the low (cold) and theground (earth) connections of the balancedinput. If there are ground-loop problems, tryconnecting the unbalanced ground (earth)connection only to the input low (cold)connection, and leaving the input ground(earth) connection disconnected.In some cases, you will have to make up

special adapters to interconnect your equip-ment. For example, you may need a balancedXLR female connected to an unbalanced 1⁄4"TS phone plug.

Direct out with no signal interruption to master.Insert only to first “click.”

Channel Insert jack

Channel Insert jack

Channel Insert jack

Direct out with signal interruption to master.Insert all the way in to the second “click.”

For use as an effects loop.(TIP = SEND to effect, RING = RETURN from effect.)

MONO PLUG

MONO PLUG

STEREO PLUG

TIPSLEEVETIPSLEEVE

Figure D: RCA Plug

“tip”

This plug connects to one of the mixer’s Channel Insert jacks. “ring”

tipring

sleeve

SEND to processor

RETURN from processor

(TRS plug)

Figure F

Figure E

44

If you push the 1⁄4" TS plug in to the secondclick, you will open the jack switch and createa direct out, which does interrupt the signal inthat channel. See Figure E.

NOTE: Do not over-load or short-circuit thesignal you are tappingfrom the mixer. That willaffect the internal signal.

MACKIE STEREO INPUTS AND RETURNS:Mono, Stereo, Whatever

Stereo line inputs and stereo AUX returnsare a fine example of the Mackie philosophy(which we just made up) of Maximum Flex-ibility with Minimum Headache. The inputsand returns will automatically be mono orstereo, depending upon how you use the jacks.Here’s how it works:

A mono signal should be patched into theinput or return jack labeled Left (MONO). Thesignal will be routed to both the left and rightsides of the return circuit, and will show up inthe center of the stereo pair of buses it’sassigned to, or it can be “panned” with theBalance control.

A stereo signal, having two plugs, should bepatched into the LEFT (MONO) and theRIGHT input or return jacks. A jack switch inthe RIGHT jack will disable the mono func-tion, and the signals will show up in stereo.

A mono signal connected to the RIGHT jackwill show up in the right bus only. You probablywill only want to use this sophisticated effectfor special occasions (weddings, bar mitzvahs,Rush Limbaugh’s birthday party, etc.)

MULTS AND “Y”sA mult or “Y” connector allows you to route

one output to two or more inputs by simplyproviding parallel wiring connections. You canmake “Y”s and mults for the outputs of bothunbalanced and balanced circuits.

Remember: Only multor “Y” an output into sev-eral inputs. If you needto combine several out-puts into one input, you

must use a mixer, not a mult or a “Y.”

Y-cord splitter cable

TIP (SEND)

RING (IN)

TIP (OUT)

RING (RETURN)

TO MIXERCHANNEL INSERT

RING (RETURN)

TIP (SEND)

TO PROCESSOR

INPUT

FROM PROCESSOR

OUTPUT

Y-cord insert cable

45

APPENDIX C: Balanced Lines, Phantom Powering,Grounding and Other Arcane Mysteries

What is it, exactly?

The obvious external power source for anymodern microphone is a battery. About theonly electronic advantage that a battery has isthat its output is pure DC. The only other ad-vantage is to the battery company — you haveto keep on buying them.

Tube microphones require several differentvoltages for operation. This invariably means amulticonductor cable and nonstandard (notXLR) connectors. A tube microphone will al-ways have an associated external power supply.

In the late 1960’s, Neumann (you know, thefolks that brought you the U47 and U87microphones) converted its microphones tosolid-state, adopting a system of remotepowering that they called, and trademarked,Phantom Powering. Because of the trademark,some manufacturers use terms like SimplexPowering, etc. Over the years, the trademarkhas become genericized and now refers to anydevice that is powered according to DIN stan-dard 45 596 (or maybe it’s DIN standard 45595, we’re not exactly sure…).

So, why “Phantom” Powering? Because (likethe Phantom in the old comic strip) it’s therewhen you need it, and invisible when you don’t.This technology is not new; it actually predatesrocket science. Like many other things inaudio, it was brought to you by the telephonecompany, who used it to get an extra circuitfrom a pair of wires. In effect, so does yourphantom powered microphone.

What is important is: phantom powering is acompatible system. Your dynamic/ribbonmicrophones as well as your condensermicrophones work side-by-side, from the samemicrophone inputs, without further thought onyour part.

Technically speaking, phantom poweringrefers to a system in which the audio signal isapplied to the balanced line in differential-mode, and the DC power is appliedcommon-mode. The audio travels via pins 2and 3, the power travels between pins 2 and 3simultaneously, and pin 1 is the ground forboth audio and power.

Balanced LinesBalanced lines offer increased immunity to

external noise (specifically, hum and buzz).Because a balanced system is able to minimizenoise, it is the preferred interconnect method,especially in cases where very long lengths ofcable are being used. A long unbalanced cablecarries with it more opportunity for noise toget into a system — having balanced inputsmeans very little noise will enter the systemvia snakes and other cables that typically mustrun a long length. But regardless of length,balanced lines are best.

Phantom Powering and Microphones

History

Condenser (capacitor) microphones differfrom dynamic and ribbon microphones be-cause they are not self-generating. That is,they cannot generate electricity in response toan impinging sound wave. A condenser micro-phone modifies an external source ofelectricity to reflect the effects of a soundwave striking its diaphragm.

Dynamic and ribbon microphones usemagnetism to generate electricity in responseto a sound wave: they are self-generating. Fur-thermore, both of these types of microphonesare inherently low-impedance devices. It ispossible to connect a dynamic microphone ele-ment directly to a balanced, low-impedancemixer input. Many commercially made dy-namic microphones do just that.

On the other hand, a condenser microphoneis an inherently high-impedance device. Howhigh? Verrrrrrry high. On the order of a billionohms (1 Gigaohm). This is high enough thatthe inherent capacitance of a foot of shieldedcable would audibly reduce the output of themicrophone. All condenser microphones havean impedance converter, in the form of avacuum tube or field-effect transistor (FET),built into the microphone and located ex-tremely close to the microphone element. Theimpedance converter and the microphone ele-ment itself require an external power source.1

1 To be strictly correct, electret condenser microphonesare a bit different, as the microphone element does not requirea power source for operation (it is more or less permanentlyself-polarized). Regardless, the impedance converter still re-quires an external source of power.

46

Microphones that do not require power sim-ply ignore the DC present between pin 2/pin 3and pin 1. If you measure with a voltmeterbetween pin 2 and pin 3, you will read 0 VoltsDC. This is what your dynamic microphonesees. Measuring between pin 2 and pin 1, orbetween pin 3 and pin 1, you will read thephantom power voltage, usually 48V, without amicrophone connected. The dynamic micro-phone, as well as your balanced mixer input,ignores this voltage.

Lately, the term phantom power has beenperverted to refer to any remote poweringsystem. In the strict sense of the DIN standard,this is not true. Furthermore, microphones ortransducers that claim to use this system arenot compatible with the DIN standard and willalmost certainly be damaged if connected intosuch a system. Fortunately, these systems usetip-ring-sleeve phone plugs or miniature XLRconnectors and they are usually associatedwith instrument pickup applications2.

Phantom powering is defined in DIN standard45 596 or IEC standard 268–15A. Your MackieDesigns mixer conforms to this standard.

What works?

To be compatible in a phantom poweredsystem, a device (microphone, preamp with amicrophone-style output, or direct box) musthave a balanced and floating, low-impedance

output. This includes all microphones com-monly used for sound reinforcement andrecording, such as the Shure SM58, SM57,Electro-Voice RE-15, RE-16, RE-20, ND series,Beyer M160, M500, AKG D224, D12, D112, andmany others.

If you are fortunate enough to own any tubecondenser microphones, such as the AKG C12,Neumann U47 or U67, these microphones maybe connected in a phantom powered systemand will operate without regard to the pres-ence or absence of phantom power. They willalways require their external power supply(which must be plugged in and turned on).

What doesn’t work?

The list is short:1. Microphones with unbalanced outputs.

2. Microphones with grounded center-tappedoutputs. Many old ribbon microphones weresupplied connected this way. Have atechnician lift the ground from the centertap.

3. High-impedance microphones.4. Microphones that exhibit leakage

between pin 2 or pin 3 and pin 1. Thesemicrophones will sputter and cracklewhen phantom power is applied and willwork fine when you turn off the phantompower. Get the microphone repaired.

PHANTOM POWER DO & DON’T CHARTDO DON’T

If you are plugging in a condenser micro-phone, do verify that your microphone canbe phantom powered.

Ensure that the microphone’s output is lowimpedance, balanced and floating. This isespecially important for vintage ribbonmicrophones like the RCA 44BX and 77DX.

Mute the sound system when turning thephantom power on or off, or when connect-ing or disconnecting microphones. If youforget, the resulting loud, nasty POP may beyour last.

Don't worry about your other microphones aslong their outputs are balanced and floating.

Don't connect microphones or devices that donot conform to the DIN 45 596 standard.

Don't connect A-B or T-system microphones(another remote powering system) withoutsuitable adaptors.

2 There is another remote powering system called A-B orT-system powering. It uses pins 2 and 3 to carry both power andaudio. It is not compatible with dynamic microphones or phan-tom-powered microphones.

47

Do’s and Don’ts of Fixed InstallationsIf you install sound systems into fixed in-

stallations, there are a number of things thatyou can do to make your life easier and thatincrease the likelihood of the sound systemoperating in a predictable manner. Even if youdon’t do fixed installations, these are goodpractices for any sound system, installed.1. Do use foil-shielded snake cable for long

cable runs. Carefully terminate each end,minimizing the amount of shieldingremoved. Protect the exposed foil shieldwith shrink sleeving or PVC sleeving.Prevent adjacent shields from contactingeach other (electrically). Use insulatingsleeving on the drain wire (the one thatconnects to pin 1) to prevent it fromcontacting the connector shell.

2. Don’t connect the XLR connector shell topin 1 of the XLR connector (unless necessaryfor RFI shielding). Doing so is an invitationfor a ground loop to come visiting.

3. Do ensure that your speaker lines and ACpower lines are physically separated fromyour microphone lines.

4. If you use floor pockets, use separatepockets for inputs and speakers, or put theconnectors on opposite sides of the box sothat they may be shielded separately.

5. If your speaker lines run in the open, theyshould be twisted pairs, at least 6 twists perfoot. Otherwise, run the speaker lines intheir own conduit. (Of course, conduit is nottoo practical for portable systems, heh-heh.)

6. Minimize the distance between the poweramplifiers and the speakers.

7. Use heavy gauge, stranded wire for speakerlines. Ideally, the wire resistance should beless than 6% (0.5dB power loss) of the loadimpedance. Remember that the actual runis twice as long as the physical length ofthe run. See below.

Maximum wire run for 0.5dB power loss in feetwire res. per 2 4 8gauge 1000 ft. Ω Ω Ω

10 1.00 60 120 240

12 1.59 40 75 150

14 2.5 24 48 95

16 4.02 15 30 60

8. Ensure that the electrician uses the star-ground system for the safety grounds inyour electrical system. All of the audiosystem grounds should terminate at thesame physical point. No other grounds maycome in contact with this ground system.

9. Ensure that the AC power feeds areconnected to the same transformer, andideally, the same circuit breaker.

10.Walk outside – look at the horizon, see anyradio towers? Locate potential sources ofRF interference and plan for them beforeyou begin construction. Know thefrequency, transmitter power, etc. You canget this information by calling the station.Remember that many broadcast stationschange antenna coverage pattern andtransmitter power at night.

11.Don’t use hardware-store light dimmers.

12.Don’t allow for anything other than micro-phone inputs at stage/altar locations.Supplying line inputs at these locations isan invitation for misuse. Make all sourceslook like microphones to the console.

13.Balance (or at least impedance balance)all connections that are remote from theconsole’s immediate location.

14.If you bridge an amplifier, don’t use 1⁄4"phone plugs for speaker connectors.

GroundingGrounding exists in your audio system for

two reasons: product safety and noise reduc-tion. The third wire on the power cord existsfor product safety. It provides a low-resistancepath back to the electrical service to protectthe users of the product from electrical shock.Hopefully, the resistance to ground throughthe safety ground (third wire) is lower thanthat through the user/operator to ground. Ifyou remove this connection (by breaking orcutting the pin off, or by using a ‘groundcheater’), this alternate ground path ceases toexist, which is a safety hazard.

The metal chassis of the product, theground connections provided by the variousconnectors, and the shields within your con-necting cables provide a low potential point fornoise signals. The goal is to provide a lower im-pedance path to ground for noise signals thanthrough the signal wiring. Doing so helps mini-mize hum, buzz, and other extraneousnon-audio signals.

48

Many “authorities” tell you that shieldsshould only be connected at one end. Some-times this can be true, but for most (99%)audio systems, it is unnecessary. If you do ev-erything else correctly, you should be able toconnect every component of your audio systemusing standard, off-the-shelf connecting cablesthat are available at any music store.

Here are some guidelines:1. All return lines to the stage should be

balanced. At a minimum, they should beimpedance balanced. Remember that you canbalance a line by inserting a piece of equip-ment in-line that has a balanced output.

2. Run your own AC power wiring from thestage for the mixer and related equipment.Don’t use the “conveniently located”receptacle thoughtfully provided by themanagement for your use. You have no ideahow it’s wired or grounded.

3. Carry an outlet tester, available at any well-stocked hardware store. Use it to tell you ifthe outlet you’re about to plug into is wiredcorrectly. Consider it cheap insurance.

4. If you carry enough equipment that youneed to wire directly into the electricalservice, then use a voltmeter to ensure thatthe line voltage is correct, then use theoutlet tester mentioned in #3, above. Dothis before you connect any of your audioequipment. Chances are that your 120Vgear won’t be too happy if it sees 220V forany length of time.

5. Cables that are too long are less likely topick up hum if you uncoil them in theirentirety, and then find a place to stow theexcess. Leaving the excess coiled only helpsthe cable pick up hum more efficiently.

6. Don’t run unbalanced lines to or from thestage. It’s not the impedance, it’s the factthat they’re unbalanced. It’s a good idea touse a direct box to make the unbalancedsource look like a microphone.

7. For really extreme cases, you may need toinsert 1:1 or isolation transformers intoeach return line from the front-of-houselocation to your amp racks.

8. Don’t cut the third pin off of the powercord. Carry some ground-lifter adaptersand use them only when you have to pluginto an ancient two-wire outlet.

9. If you bundle your cables together, don’tbundle AC wiring and audio wiring to-gether. Bundle them separately.

10.If your sound system insists on humming,you may need to teach it the words.

FREE T-SHIRT OFFERWe love to hear what folks have created

using our mixers. If you use your 1202-VLZPRO to track and/or mix a CD that is commer-cially released, we’ll trade you a disc for agenuine Mackie T-Shirt! By “commercially re-leased,” we mean “offered for sale,” even if it’sjust being sold out the back door of a localKaraoke joint. No hand-lettered covers, pleaseand thank you. Furthermore, if you send us aninteresting story or photograph about yourproduction we might just include it in ourmonthly newsletter! To get your genuine 100%cotton Mackie Celebrity T-shirt, send your CD(and optional story or photo) to:

Mackie DesignsFREE T-SHIRT OFFER

attn: Communications Department16220 Wood-Red Rd. NE

Woodinville , WA 98072

(Roll credits please) Manual written by JeffGilbert, based on a vignette by Ron Koliha,with tidbits borrowed from almost everywhere.Manual then defaced with proofreading pensin the hands of Mackie’s legendary Tech Sup-port staff. Manual composed on a rinky-dinkPC using a low-budget word processor, thenconverted to this amazing piece of work usinga 13-story 1000 gigawhopper Macintosh oper-ated by Mackie’s notorious Advertising staff(most notably Becky Priebe). Please, feel freeto let us know if you find an error or stumbleover a confusing paragraph. Thank you forreading the entire manual (we know you have,or you wouldn’t be here).

Mackie, the "Running Man" figure, VLZ and XDR are trademarks or registered trademarks ofMackie Designs Inc. Other brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks oftheir respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.

© 1999 Mackie Designs Inc.All rights reserved

49

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+12-12

U

+15-15

L R

U

+20dBOO

U

+20dBOO

U

+20dBOO

U

+20dBOO

U

+20dBOO

U

+20dBOO

U

+20dBOO

U

+20dBOO

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+12-12

U

+15-15

L R

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+12-12

U

+15-15

L R

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+12-12

U

+15-15

L R

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+12-12

U

+15-15

L R

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+12-12

U

+15-15

L R

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+12-12

U

+15-15

L R

U

OO +15

U

OO +15

U

+15-15

U

+12-12

U

+15-15

L R

11 12MUTE

9 10MUTE

7 8MUTE

5 6MUTE

4MUTE

3MUTE

2MUTE

1MUTE

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

PRE FADERSOLO

1

2


MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

L

MONO

LINE IN 5-6

R R R R

AUX SENDTAPEINPUT

TAPEOUTPUT

L

R

1

2

1

2

RIGHT

L

R

RIGHT


LEFT

LEFT/MONO


BAL/UNBAL


GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN GAIN


BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

BALOR

UNBAL

ALL BAL/UNBAL

MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

1MON/EFX

EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

HI12kHz

MID2.5kHz

LOW80Hz

EQ

AUX

PAN

2EFX

NOTES:

Session:Date:

U

OO +10

U

OO +20

U

OO +20

MAXOO +10dBOO

POWER

AUX 1 MASTER

AUXRETURN

1

2

MAIN MIX/SUBMIX

EFX TOMONITOR

NORMALLED

PREPOST

AUX 1SELECT

CTL ROOM

U U

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

LOW CUT75 Hz

18dB/OCT

TRIM+15dB -45dB

MIC GAIN

0

U

60

-10dBV

RUDESOLOLIGHT

LEVELSET

CONTROLROOM

SOURCE

ALT 3–4

TAPE

MAIN MIX

CLIP

LEFT RIGHT0dB=0dBu

ASSIGNTO MAIN MIX

28

10

7

4

2

0

2

4

7

10

20

30




50

This is the back of a Mackie 1202-VLZ PRO track sheet.If you have found it in your copy machine, please return it to the poor sap who lost it.

Documents

Mackie 1202 VLZ